Parenthood is no doubt a hard but immensly satisfying job. But it can also be a very dirty job with the tasks at hand leaving unsuspecting parents with sights, smells and yes, even microscopic pests coming out of or threatening to go into their precious offspring.
The list is long, but we asked our Parents Ask expert, Dr. Cara Natterson to share the 5 ickiest health problems for kids (warning: don't read while eating!):
5. Lice. They are creepy and itchy, but they are so common that we should all expect them to visit our home sometime. Having lice has nothing to do with hygiene—you can be very clean and still have lice in your hair. How to avoid them: don’t share hats, pillows, combs or brushes, or anything else that rubs against your scalp.
4. Scabies. These tiny little mites crawl under the skin and generate a tremendous amount of itching. Kids can get the rash anywhere, but adults tend to complain about irritation at the wrists or between the fingers.
3. Gastroenteritis. That’s a fancy name for stomach virus. Gastroenteritis can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or all of the above. Most parents agree, though, that when it’s your own child throwing up, it’s not nearly as disgusting as when it is someone else’s.
2. Mucopurulent rhinosinusitis. In other words, a thick green runny nose. When a child has goop coming out of his nose all day, and he’s wiping it on his sleeve, on his hands, on your door knobs...it can tip anyone over. We are mostly grossed out by the fact that we know we can catch those germs. So teach your child how to use a tissue and blow it out. It looks a lot prettier that way.
1. Pinworms. These are small white worms that live at the very end of the colon and like to climb out (through the bottom) at night. They cause itching for the child and often gagging for the adult who discovers them. But most of the time, pinworms are fairly harmless, and with the right treatment they are gone in no time.
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