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Skin and Hair

Tips

 Teach your child what poison ivy, oak, and sumac look like
 If your child is going into the woods, dress them in long-sleeved shirts and pants
 If your child thinks their clothes touched poison ivy, oak, or sumac, take them off your

child and wash them
 Wash your child’s hands after the child comes in from outside

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Skin and Hair

Rash

Possible symptoms

 Spots or blotches on skin
 Scaly skin
 Itchy and uncomfortable skin

Other causes of common childhood rashes

 Scarlet fever, roseola, coxsackie virus

What to do?

Call 911 or go to the emergency room if your child
 Gets a rash that came on suddenly and your child is having trouble breathing or

swallowing
 Has a purple or blood-colored rash and fever (could mean your child is bleeding inside)

Call the doctor’s office or the nurse hotline if your child
 Also has other serious symptoms you can’t explain
 Has hives (raised, red, circular areas all over the body) that are not rapidly progressing
 Has itchy blisters or sores that grow larger day by day. They can burst and ooze. They

are usually on the face (around the nose and mouth), hands, or forearms (see
“Impetigo”)
 Has little, flat, red spots on their body that do not go away when you press them. These
could mean a problem with bleeding
 Has a rash that does not get better after 3 days of home treatment
 Has areas that look like they might be infected. Infected skin can be red, warm, and
painful, or with swelling or pus
 Is a newborn and has blisters or pus-filled pimples
 Recently started a medication and has a rash

To care for at home
 Try to figure out the cause of the rash. This may help you treat it. Common causes

include cradle cap (see “Cradle Cap”); diaper rash (see “Diaper Rash”); eczema (see
“Eczema”); and poison ivy, oak, or sumac (see “Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac”)
 Fifth (“slapped cheek”) disease is common in winter. It makes the child feel tired and
gives the child bright red cheeks. In 1-2 days, the rash spreads all over the body. Unless
the child has a chronic disease, fifth disease will go away on its own
 Heat rash shows up as tiny red pimples, bumps, or spots. It is most often on the back of
the neck or lower back, but it can be on other parts of the body, too. Treat it by cooling
your baby or child off, airing the area, or putting a cool washcloth on the rash
 Try to keep your baby or child from scratching or rubbing the rash if it itches. Keep
fingernails short so the baby or child does not hurt their skin from scratching
 If skin is dry, use lotions or creams to keep the skin moist and always put on after a bath
 Use cold compresses to decrease itching or pain

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Skin and Hair

Ringworm

Possible symptoms

On body:
 Red-ringed patch of small blisters or scaly dry-ringed patches
 Severe itching

On scalp:
 Hair loss in patches
 Severe itching
 Red-ringed patches or scaly dry-ringed patches

What to do?

Call your doctor’s office or the nurse hotline if your child
 Has a red or dry-scaly patch on the body or scalp (with or without hair loss) and severe

itching
 Ringworm in the scalp (this needs a prescription medication)

To care for at home
 Ringworm on the body can be treated with non-prescription anti-fungal medication

containing miconazole or clotrimazole
 Wash rash with soap and water. Dry thoroughly
 For large rash, a non-prescription solution of water and aluminum acetate (such as

Burow’s solution) can be used. It relieves itching and stinging of irritated, inflamed skin
and helps stop the growth of bacteria and fungus
 Apply anti-fungal cream beyond the edge or border of the rash. Use for 2-4 weeks even
after symptoms disappear
 If symptoms don’t clear up within 2 weeks or if rash is widespread, call the doctor’s
office for a prescription strength anti-fungal medication

Tips

 Ringworm is contagious. Tell your child not to share brushes, combs, hats, or clothing
with other children

 Recheck your child every few days for a few weeks after treatment
 Wash bedding after treatment

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Skin and Hair

Sunburn

Possible symptoms

 Pink or red skin
 Blistered, painful skin
 Eye pain when looking at bright light
 Peeling and itching skin a few days after the burn

What to do?

Call your doctor’s office or the nurse hotline if your child
 Has a sunburn that forms blisters (unless there are just a few blisters and they are less

than ½ inch big)
 Has sunburn that is very, very painful
 Becomes swollen in the face from the sunburn
 Has a burn that covers a large area of your child’s body
 Gets a fever (see “Fever”) or chills, a headache (see “Headache”), confusion, nausea, or

feels faint after sunburn. These could be signs of heat stress
 Has signs of dehydration, like a dry mouth, dry eyes, and less urine than usual (see

“Dehydration”)
 Has skin that looks infected. Infected skin can be red, warm, and painful, or with

swelling or pus
 Can’t look at bright lights because of eye pain
 Is less than a year old and is sunburned

To care for at home
 Remove your child from the sun right away, even if the child is only a little sunburned.

Symptoms of sunburn may not peak for 24 hours
 Place your child in a cool (not cold) bath or apply a cool compress several times a day
 Put lotion or cream on the skin to keep it moist. Do not use a product that has

Benadryl® in it on the skin
 Offer extra fluids for 2-3 days
 If your child is over 2 years, you can give the child ibuprofen or acetaminophen to treat

the child’s pain. Never give aspirin to your child unless the doctor says to
 If your child is younger than 2 years, check with your doctor before giving medicine
 Do not let your child get any more sun on the burned areas

Continue to next page

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Skin and Hair

Tips

 Prevent sunburn by:
o Covering your child up with clothes, like long sleeves
o Using sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 for children older than 6 months. Put it on
30 minutes before your child goes into the sun. Put on more sunscreen every 2
hours. Put sunscreen on more often if your child goes into the water or is sweating a
lot
o Protect your child’s eyes by having the child wear sunglasses and a wide-brimmed
hat
o If your child is younger than 6 months, try to avoid sunburn by keeping your baby in
the shade or covered. Do not use sunscreen unless the baby has no other way to be
protected from the sun

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Throat

Sore Throat, Strep

Possible symptoms

 Pain in throat
 Difficulty swallowing
 Hoarse voice
 Your baby will not eat or cry while feeding
 If your child has Strep throat, they will probably not have a runny nose, but they may

have fever, nausea or stomach pain, and pain in their neck from swollen glands. They
may also look like they don’t feel well

What to do?

Call 911 or go to the emergency room if your child
 Is having trouble breathing
 Has bluish or gray lips or fingernails
Call the doctor’s office or the nurse hotline if your child
 Has a sore throat and

o Has a high fever (see “Fever”)
o Looks ill
o Is having a hard time swallowing
o Is drooling or having trouble swallowing saliva
o Also has neck pain
o Also has stomach pain, loss of appetite, or nausea
o Also has a rough, red rash all over their body
o Has signs of dehydration, like a dry mouth, dry eyes, and less urine than usual (see

“Dehydration”)
o Has been in contact with someone with Strep throat
 Has a high fever, nausea and stomach pain, or seems very sick (may have Strep throat
and may need antibiotics)

Continue to next page

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Throat

To care for at home
 If your child also has a runny nose, hoarseness, cough, and red eyes, the child probably

has a virus (see “Colds”), and you can care for your child at home without calling the
doctor
 Give your child plenty to drink. Warm liquids, like water with lemon juice, can help a
sore throat feel better. Cold drinks and popsicles may also help
 If your child is over 2 years, you can give the child ibuprofen or acetaminophen to lower
the temperature or treat the child’s pain. Never give aspirin to your child unless the
doctor says to
 If your child is younger than 2 years, check with your doctor before giving medicine
 A cool-mist vaporizer may help your child feel better by helping keep the child’s throat
moist

Tips

 If your child has throat pain only when they cough, not when they swallow, it is probably
not Strep throat

 Infants do not usually get Strep throat
 Keep the dishes, eating utensils, and drinking glasses separate from the rest of your

family’s so that the illness does not spread
 Make sure your child covers their mouth and nose with their arm or a tissue when the

child coughs or sneezes so the child does not pass the sickness to others
 Wash your hands a lot, so that you don’t get sick too
 Breathing through the mouth can sometimes cause a sore throat. It may get better if the

child drinks something. If the child wakes up with a sore throat that goes away after
your child eats and drinks, the pain may be due to mouth breathing at night
 Do not give throat lozenges to children younger than 5 years old because they can choke
 Allergies (see “Allergies”) can sometimes cause a sore throat. If your child’s allergies are
bothering the child, call your doctor’s office

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Symptom & Illness Guide A-Z Index 55
57
Symptom & Illness Guide A-Z Index 59
74
Allergies (airborne, skin, food, medication, insect sting) 58
Animal Bites and Scratches 75
Asthma 87
Broken Bones 61
Bug Bites and Stings 81
Burn 68
Chicken Pox 63
Colds 88
Constipation 65
Convulsions and Seizures 47
Cough 76
Cradle Cap 48
Croup 89
Crying 82
Cuts and Scrapes 69
Dehydration 90
Diaper Rash 70
Diarrhea 54
Earache 50
Eczema 66
Eye Injury/Something in the eye 77
Failure to Grow 73
Fever 91
Flu 52
Head Injuries 92
Headache 67
Impetigo (Skin Infection) 86
Itching 72
Lice 93
Lung Infections and Pneumonia 94
Nosebleed 53
Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis) 96
Pinworm 97
Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac 100
Poisoning 79
Rash 80
Ringworm 83
Sore Throat, Strep 98
Splinters 84
Strains, Sprains, and Dislocations
Stomachache
Sunburn
Vomiting

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