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

All the various problems that go with teething - my DD gets so snotty, restless and unhappy.

Croup!

Teething! The symptoms and what to do for your baby.

Worms! Gross! Who knew?! Haha. Ok so I had obviously heard of them but seriously?! x

One of my sisters had really bad eczema when we were growing up but it didn't really affect me all that much until both my DC got it - my DD being the one who had it worse. The whole world & his wife wanted to give advice - which was so infuriating. In the end medicines did a bit to calm the skin, but moving my daughter to her own room at 14 months and sleep training her helped immensely. This had a massive positive impact on sleeping, eating and general mood that I was kicking myself that I didn't do it earlier.

Every sniffle, cough, rash other than eczema-related one, allergies and teething issues felt like the end of the world when I was sleep deprived.

I second the croup comment - AWFUL to hear them coughing & to not be able to relieve it in any way :( It always gets worse at night - little one is so tired & wants to sleep but the damn incessant cough prevents him from doing so :( x x

slapcheek - i'd never heard of it or come across it before

i wish i had been warned about croup, its such a scary thing to happen when your child cannot breathe and you need to ring an ambulance in the middle of the night, if i had been warned before hand i would have taken my daughter outside or used the steam from the kettle to relive the symptoms and maybe not run around the house in a panic thinking she was going to die!

Hand, foot and mouth, when my daughter caught this I thought she had a sheeps disease! baby 'acne' my son had this at about 6 months old and I'd also not thought of nits and worms in a while!!

I was actually coming on to say Molluscum contagiosum. Ds1 (now 11) had them at 6 and was covered in them. We spent every night covering them with fucidin and putting a plaster on the 50 spots! Eventually they went and then ds2 got them!
I ended up squeezing one and then they all disappeared.

Anyway, nobody tells you of these things do they?!
Worms, nits, endless vomiting on wooden slatted floors and bloody spreading molluscum!

Reflux, I'd never heard of it until one of mine had suffered from it

Baby Colds - they cant tell you what is wrong, they can't breathe but don't let you blow their noses, less sleep than normal - scary stuff

Febrile convulsion. Watching DS fitting while waiting for a paramedic I thought we'd either lost him or he'd suffer significant damage. They were lovely but when they explained what was happening , how relatively common they are and said if it recurred we need not call for help unless it was more than 10 mins long, I couldn't believe no one had ever mentioned it as a condition.

Viral rashes!

I had never heard of molloscum. I had heard of most others ailments but not this one.

Croup, I'd heard about it but didn't realise it was such an awful illness!

I wish I had know exactly about this Molluscum Contagiosum. Both my children have suffered with it and at one point my daughter had 17 warts just on her legs. I took her to the docs as I didn't know what it was and was told that there was nothing really that would treat it and just to wait it out. It eventually cleared after 18 months but now my son has it mainly on his torso and inside of his elbows which he has had for approx 8 months now. I will definately try this Molludab to see if it can clear it up.

I wish id have known about reflux and silent reflux and how scary they can both really be!! Our little boy ( our first and only child) suffered really badly with milk coming out of his nose and mouth even 3-4 hours after a feed. Not only this but one time he was pale and floppy. We rushed him to a&e and was told milk had got into his airways from the severity of his reflux.

Worms! Was mortified when my daughter got them, thought only animals got them!

I wish I had been more informed about allergies and severe reflux in babies. My daughter has cows milk protein allergy along with severe reflux, neither was diagnosed until nearly 7 months and they were a very difficult 7 months. There needs to be more clear guidlelines on how to spot a possible allergy and also given advice on seeking further medical diagnoses when reflux is a possibility. I was told my daughter just had colic, which was not the case at all.

I wish I knew how nasty chicken pox could be. I'd always heard it talked about as being one of those things kids need to catch and that it's irritating but they're not really ill. I was totally unprepared when my little boy got it and was then very poorly.

So many things (and now water warts )!
Ringworm, hand foot and mouth disease and impetigo are all things I'd never heard of before having children!

Reflux and colic and the fact breastfed babies can suffer it too - it was a miserable first 5 months!

Sticky eye and high/low temperatures!

Slap cheek, who knew?