Which children’s health niggles do you wish you were told about before you became a parent? Tell MolluDab for a chance to win a £150 voucher! NOW CLOSED

[KathrynMumsnet]

MolluDab have asked us to find out which children’s health niggles Mumsnetters wish they’d know about before they became a parent.

Here’s what MolluDab say, “Becoming a parent throws up many challenges none more so than the countless, often highly contagious, health niggles your children can pick up. One of which is Molluscum contagiosum. Molluscum contagiosum or ‘water warts’ is a common and relatively harmless (but highly contagious) viral infection of the skin. The spots are easily recognised, and are small dome-like shiny pimples often grouped together. Molluscum contagiosum occurs most frequently in children and young adults, most frequently pre-schoolers aged 1-4 years. The condition usually clears within 12-18 months without treatment but can last longer and causes those affected much embarrassment and self-consciousness. MolluDab is a new and proven treatment for Molluscum Contagiosum, available on prescription or from the pharmacist.”

So, which children’s health niggles had you not heard of before becoming a parent that you wish you had? What advice or information would you pass on about children’s health niggles to other Mumsnetters? Whatever it is, we’d love to hear it!

Everyone who posts below will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a £150 voucher for Jojo Maman Bebe.

The comments on this thread may be used (anonymously) by MolluDab in future marketing material, so please only post if you’re happy with this.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

Whenever your child is ill it is scary and especially awful when they are so young and cannot tell you what is wrong but what I wish I had known about before having a child were my own health worries!!

After having my children, 7 and 3 years ago, minor illnesses that I picked up would turn into life threatening rare diseases (thanks to internet research of course) and turned me into a total neurotic about my own health as I had these little people depending on me always being there for them!

I have since spoken to other mums and most of them had experienced this worry to some degree, one friend even went as far as paying to have a private health check!

Knowing that other people experience this same worry helped to dilute my neurosis but I do tend to look after myself a lot more these days which can only be a good thing!

:)

Severe Reflux Disorder and Dairy and Soy Allegies

Any kind of rash, and viruses. Anything which caused them to feel unwell and me to worry but not easily solved or medicated were the worst ones. Feeling helpless when they feel rotten is a mother's worst nightmare.

headlice had been a nightmare for us in wish, more was said about the life cycle.

Water warts effected my ds at 7. They lasted 2 years and in this time were passed on to my ds 5 who still has them. All made worse for ds as he has really dry skin.

Trying one house remedy after another was tiring for us all and ds became disheartened and lost faith in the things I was saying "something else!! please no!! ". Because they were home remedies there was no precise instructions on how long to use them for, everything varied and I would move on to the next thing very quickly. Such a horrid time

Thread worms.....why is it such a taboo subject.

My DDs were complaining of an itchy bottom for a while and I wasn't paying that much attention, but they kept climbing into bed with me and DH at night, often naked (they get put to bed in night clothes but always seem to strip off during the night)

It was only when one night I had an extremely itchy bottom I figured out using google exactly what was going on, a quick trip to the chemists and a day of intense housework sorted us all out.

It was only a couple of weeks later I found out a lot of the children at school had had it. We get almost weekly letters about head lice, but nothing about thread worms. Now they get dosed as soon as they complain of an itch.

YY to post viral rash and tongue tie!

Just had a Google image of molloscum contagiosum - I would worry if that was to crop up, glad there is a treatment!

Molluscum whatdoyoucallit! 2 out of 3 of my dc have this and it's not pleasant. 1 on each have also become infected and needed antibiotics to clear. Neither has only lasts 18 months either, at least 2 years for my kids :(

I think the complexly of their teeth coming through its not just straight forward

I agree with sixgeese, do schools not bother eith threadworm notes because so many children have them?
we have just had to treat again, packet says 40% of under 10's have them. I had no idea the wiggly buggers were that common! Don't remember ever having them as a kid.

Silent reflux and just reflux in general. Dd used to bring up a little milk at often long after she'd had it and ds cried solidly.....for months.

I wish I'd known about high temperatures and how to deal with them! My little girl had a fit when she was 10 months, it was so so scary.

I'm not sure this really counts but the time DD1 had tiny little black wiggly things in her smelly nappy. Rang my mum straight away, thinking it could be worms, and she asked if she'd had banana. Fil had fed her banana, and as she'd been enjoying it, fed her some more. This was before she'd been weaned on to solids.

All of them! Every illness freaked me out for a long time! I'm pretty sure my doctors were totally fed up of seeing us!

My daughter had molloscum, it lasted ages! Behind her knees and round her elbows. She was very self conscious and we we're told by ourGP that treatment was either by cortorising each spot, which there was no way she would recommend for a child, or by using a hydrogen peroxide solution. In the end it just disappeared, but it was miserable for my daughter.

Colic - never mentioned in antenatal classes!

Croup - sounds bloody terrifying, queue a dash to A&E at 2am in December. Only for the cold air and being upright to clear it up! I thought I was losing my mind!

That chickenpox is NOT a mild childhood disease. Dd bears the scars and was very lucky not to have had her sight damaged by the spots on her eyeball!

Slapped cheek..my dd had it terribly when she was two.

i had never heard of tongue tie,my son was born with it & fortunately it was pickedup straight away & sorted within weeks

Teething!

For me, it would be all the 'icky' things - headlice, worms etc. We have just had a suspected case of worms in DS1 & I only knew what to do about it by coming onto MN & reading threads here. It's not something I feel comfortable talking about in real life & pre-DC I would have assumed it was only something 'dirty' families got - which is far from the truth!

Scabies, one of my sons got this and it was not a lot of fun trying to cover 4 kids from head to toe with cream to treat it. Then having to cover yourself in cream the same way.

Colic. Whilst I had heard of it before having DD, it was awful watching her relentlessly crying and feeling so helpless as she was inconsoleable.

Also post-injection temperatures.

I never realised how often babies and young children would get colds - and how ill that would make me feel, especially that first winter :)

Milk rash
It look horrid and painful as a first time mum you think the worst.

Impetigo, nits, molluscum, sticky eye and glue ear. Also was unaware of silent reflux.

I wish someone had warned me about the endless colds and blocked noses and how terrible you feel when your child is really tired, hot, miserable and can't sleep and is looking to you to fix it but there's nothing you can do. I hate it!