A lead nurse from North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust is offering top tips for keep your child well ahead of the winter months.

Katie Raine, Lead Nurse for Children and Young People at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Now is a good time for parents and carers to familiarise themselves with some of the common illnesses that could affect children's health or even cause more serious illness during the colder months and how you can prevent and treat them.

“Having an ill child or dealing with a minor injury can be daunting, but parents are often best placed to help their child get better quickly. Understanding more about common childhood injuries or illnesses, and basic first aid skills, can help you decide what to do.”

Katie added: “Your local pharmacist is often a great place to start for help and advice, they are expertly trained and can offer advice or over the counter medication to help a range of ailments, or can point you in the right direction for further support. Pharmacists are often open longer than other NHS services, and can be in more convenient places.

“Health advice is available at any time by contacting 111 or from your local GP.”

If parents do think their child is more seriously injured or ill, then they should seek medical advice as soon as possible at one of our Urgent Treatment Centres or of course our A&E Departments for emergency care.

Katie continued: “The Little Orange Book is great for parents a resource they can turn to if unsure about a whole host of common childhood illnesses, it contains advice and tips on how to manage these illnesses and problems that babies and young children often experience in the first five years of their lives. It also has information on more serious conditions, what to look out for and when to get help.  I would encourage all parents and carers to take a look!”

Katie goes onto share her top tips for keeping your child well this winter:

  • Teach your children good hygiene, good hygiene stops infections from spreading. If you can teach your child to wash their hands properly for 20 seconds, use tissues for coughs and sneezes, and stay away from others when sick the risk of germs spreading is vastly reduced.  
  • Know when to keep your child at home, a minor cough or cold shouldn’t stop a child from going to school, however if they gave a fever, diarrhoea or vomiting or showing signs of measles or chicken pox then they should stay at home.  

Know how to spot the signs, there are nasty bugs around at this time of year including: 

  • Bronchiolitis 
  • Persistent cough
  • Wheezing
  • Fast or noisy breathing
  • Difficulty feeding (in babies)
  • Fever
  • Irritability or unsettled behaviour
  • RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)  
  • Cough
  • Wheezing
  • Shortness of breath
  • Tiredness
  • Fever
  • Flu
  • Sudden high fever
  • Chills and shivering
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches
  • Fatigue
  • Dry cough
  • Sore throat
  • Winter Vomiting Bug (Norovirus)
  • Sudden onset vomiting
  • Diarrhoea
  • Stomach cramps
  • Mild fever
  • Headache
  • Ensure your child is up to date with vaccinations, vaccines provide the best protection against many common but potentially serious illnesses. If your child is up to date with their NHS vaccination schedule, they will already be protected against diseases like whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella throughout their school career, as most provide lifelong immunity.

You can find more advice on how to keep your child well this winter as well as a link to the Little Orange Book and more helpful tools on NCIC’s website.