Three myths in paediatrics
Have you ever heard these phrases or said them yourself? "The child has such yellow snot, it's probably something bacterial!" "The urine smells so bad, it's probably a urinary tract infection!" "The child is coughing so badly, it must be pneumonia!" You hear all these sentences over and over again and they are all, you guessed it, rubbish.
Firstly, the colour of snot or other secretions that run out of the child's nose or eyes does not indicate whether viruses or bacteria are the cause. Snot can be watery, yellowish or greenish in colour - the decisive factor is the overall condition of the child. These secretions usually contain various viruses and bacteria, but this plays no role in whether or not antibiotic treatment is given.
Secondly, urine can smell for countless reasons. Very often it smells because it is a little too concentrated, i.e. it has not been drunk enough. The odour alone is absolutely not an indication of a urinary tract infection. There are certain physical symptoms and a urinary tract infection requiring treatment also requires a certain poor general condition.
Thirdly, there are perhaps a few real medical freaks who have a mega-well-trained ear and who can make a suspected diagnosis of pneumonia based on the sound of the cough. In general, however, the sound of the cough is completely meaningless when it comes to diagnosing pneumonia (unlike asthma or croup, for example). A child can be almost completely healthy and have a loose, mucousy cough that sounds terrible. However, a child can also have very severe pneumonia and barely have a cough or a completely unremarkable coughing sound.
The bottom line is that all three sentences belong in the realm of myths. They have no validity and are not helpful in assessing your child's state of health.
Further interesting tips
Free play
Not a ground-breaking innovation, but rather a reminder of what you should focus on in everyday life with children. Inspired by a quote from the educationalist Friedrich Fröbel, a plea for free play.
Hand-foot-and-mouth disease
An article from the category "It's funny what nature comes up with": hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD). This is a viral disease that mainly affects kindergarten children and young primary school children.
Sitting
It's a small topic - but one that I get asked about very, very often. It's about the question: When is a baby allowed to sit?