How do you handle an irritable little one?
Aug 08, 2010
Mama Susan became desperate and confused when her five-month-old baby was persistently crying, fretting and fussing, despite several attempts to comfort her. Confused after several hours of failed attempts to console her daughter, she consulted a doctor, only to be told that her baby had constipatio
BY Anthony Olwoch
Mama Susan became desperate and confused when her five-month-old baby was persistently crying, fretting and fussing, despite several attempts to comfort her. Confused after several hours of failed attempts to console her daughter, she consulted a doctor, only to be told that her baby had constipation.
Like Mama Susan, many parents do not know what to do when their children are irritable.
Dr. George Ngugi, a general practitioner at St. Mary’s Medical Clinic in Entebbe, says irritability in children less than one-and-a-half years is an excessive response to an undesirable stimulus. Children cry excessively, whine, fuss and are fretful when ill because they are too young to explain or show the cause of their discomfort or pain.
Irritability is a symptom. It can be an early sign of a disease, although it is not a symptom of any specific illness. Ngugi says irritability is mostly caused by illnesses that causes a high fever, for example malaria and pneumonia. They cause difficulty in breathing and chest pain, irritable bowl syndrome characterised by constipation, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
Colic is another common cause. It is a problem usually occurring in infants of which, in a number of cases, there is no identifiable cause and involves pain and excessive crying that goes beyond normal fretfulness. The possible causes include intolerance to certain foods, overfeeding or intestinal obstruction.
Dr. Paul Gonzaga, a general practitioner at Tropical Medical Clinic in Kampala, says other common causes include separation anxiety, stress and fatigue, temper tantrums, cold weather and wet nappies. Others are earache, blocked nose, sore throat and mouth ulcers.
When a child is irritable and cries persistently, it is advisable to visit a healthcare provider. “Parents should know the child’s normal behaviour because this gives the doctor a clue on what to do or what treatment to administer,†says Gonzaga.
Home care for mild crying
Comfort the child by holding, rocking or massaging.
If your child is tired, put him to bed. If the child needs to be held, carry him in a horizontal position or lie next to him. Some infants cry themselves to sleep.
Most infants become irritable and fussy when sick or tired. If a child responds to comforting, it is probably not that serious.
Undress your child. Sometimes part of the clothing is too tight or uncomfortable. Also check skin for redness or swelling.
Use a wet cloth to cool the body temperature in case of a fever.
Keep the child warm during cold weather.
Reduce noise and make the environment more friendly.
Call your doctor if a baby cries constantly for over two hours
When to seek medical help
When a child is not moving or is very sick.
When a child looks or acts very sick.
When a child has a stiff neck or a bulging soft spot.
When there is an injury.
When a child is very irritable and screams for over an hour.
When crying interferes with sleep for over two hours.
When pain is suspected to be the cause of crying.
Mama Susan became desperate and confused when her five-month-old baby was persistently crying, fretting and fussing, despite several attempts to comfort her. Confused after several hours of failed attempts to console her daughter, she consulted a doctor, only to be told that her baby had constipation.
Like Mama Susan, many parents do not know what to do when their children are irritable.
Dr. George Ngugi, a general practitioner at St. Mary’s Medical Clinic in Entebbe, says irritability in children less than one-and-a-half years is an excessive response to an undesirable stimulus. Children cry excessively, whine, fuss and are fretful when ill because they are too young to explain or show the cause of their discomfort or pain.
Irritability is a symptom. It can be an early sign of a disease, although it is not a symptom of any specific illness. Ngugi says irritability is mostly caused by illnesses that causes a high fever, for example malaria and pneumonia. They cause difficulty in breathing and chest pain, irritable bowl syndrome characterised by constipation, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
Colic is another common cause. It is a problem usually occurring in infants of which, in a number of cases, there is no identifiable cause and involves pain and excessive crying that goes beyond normal fretfulness. The possible causes include intolerance to certain foods, overfeeding or intestinal obstruction.
Dr. Paul Gonzaga, a general practitioner at Tropical Medical Clinic in Kampala, says other common causes include separation anxiety, stress and fatigue, temper tantrums, cold weather and wet nappies. Others are earache, blocked nose, sore throat and mouth ulcers.
When a child is irritable and cries persistently, it is advisable to visit a healthcare provider. “Parents should know the child’s normal behaviour because this gives the doctor a clue on what to do or what treatment to administer,†says Gonzaga.
Home care for mild crying
Comfort the child by holding, rocking or massaging.
If your child is tired, put him to bed. If the child needs to be held, carry him in a horizontal position or lie next to him. Some infants cry themselves to sleep.
Most infants become irritable and fussy when sick or tired. If a child responds to comforting, it is probably not that serious.
Undress your child. Sometimes part of the clothing is too tight or uncomfortable. Also check skin for redness or swelling.
Use a wet cloth to cool the body temperature in case of a fever.
Keep the child warm during cold weather.
Reduce noise and make the environment more friendly.
Call your doctor if a baby cries constantly for over two hours
When to seek medical help
When a child is not moving or is very sick.
When a child looks or acts very sick.
When a child has a stiff neck or a bulging soft spot.
When there is an injury.
When a child is very irritable and screams for over an hour.
When crying interferes with sleep for over two hours.
When pain is suspected to be the cause of crying.