Children’s Health

Read this article to learn more about your children’s health and what you can do when they are sick.

You will also learn about things related to their health such as sleeping, eating, vaccinations and allergies.

We recommend that you and your child to visit a maternal and child health (MCH) nurse regularly during your child ́s first years.
- This is important to monitor their health and development.
Visits are free for families with children under 6 years old.
A MCH nurse will help keep your child healthy.
- If your child is sick or you are worried about them you should still visit your local doctor or GP clinic.

Information for these pages was sourced from: The State of Queensland Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors, healthdirect, Department of Education and Training Victoria, Safe Sleeping, Raising Children

What do I if my child is sick?

In an emergency, call 000 for an ambulance
Call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 to speak to a nurse about what worries you
Call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 if you think your child may have been poisoned
If it is not urgent, contact your local doctor or maternal and child health (MCH) nurse

When to call for urgent help?

Your child is having trouble breathing
- they are breathing very fast or making grunting noises when they breathe
Your child has a temperature higher than 38°C
Your child has a purple or red rash that doesn’t go away when you press it
Your child has pale or blue skin colour
Your child is more sleepy than usual or they are floppy
Your child is not drinking, passing urine or have less than half the usual number of wet nappies
Your child cannot stop vomiting
Your child has a loud, continuous cry
The soft spot on your baby’s head is swollen or bulging
Your child is having a seizure or fit (shaking uncontrollably) and not responding
Your child is having an allergic reaction

A doctor will need to see your child and give them the right treatment to get better.

Find free online learning activities on basic life support for emergencies.

Learn More

Allergies

Maternal and child health nurse

Your maternal and child health nurse can help with:

your own health and wellbeing
breastfeeding
coping with sleeping and crying (for you and your baby)
your baby’s growth and development
immunisations
playing with your baby or toddler

After you have had your baby and are at home, the nurse will visit you once or twice then you will go to their clinic on a routine basis for the next few years.

The Victorian State Government recommends you visit the nurse at their clinic when your child reaches the following age:

2 weeks
4 weeks
8 weeks
4 month
8 months
12 months
18 months
2 years
3.5 years

The Department of Education and Training Victoria has released an Maternal Child Health app for parents that is available on iOS and Android.

The app is now available in Chinese (Simplified), Vietnamese, Arabic, Khmer, Dari, Persian, Punjabi and Spanish, with Burmese coming soon.

Learn More

There is a great application for information about your child’s health, learning and development. This application was developed by the Victorian state government.

Personal Health Record

A personal health record is a coloured book that your midwife will give you after you give birth, before you leave hospital.
This book will help you control your baby’s health. It has important information about your child’s
- health
- illnesses
- injuries
- growth and development.
Always bring the book with you when you visit any health service, doctor or hospital with your child.
This book is coloured differently in each state. For example, in Victoria this book is green, in NSW it is blue and QLD it is red.

Learn More

Child’ personal health record

Sleeping

In the first 6 months, it is normal for your baby to wake regularly at night.
When your child cries, it is because they need you to feed them, change their nappy or help them settle.
Your baby might have a problem with sleep if they are older than 6 months and:
- consistently wake up more than 3 times every night
- consistently take more than 30 minutes to settle
- have difficulties with sleeping and settling that causes you a lot of distress.

If you are unsure about your baby’s sleeping habits, talk to your maternal and child health nurse.

Learn More

How to keep your baby safe while sleeping

Feeding your baby

Breastfeeding gives your baby all the nutrients he or she needs.
- It can also help you both to get closer to each other emotionally.
If you want to breastfeed, start your first attempt within the first two hours after your baby is born, if possible.
- This is what the World Health Organization recommends.
- This is not always possible, but hospital staff should take time to help you breastfeed.
Learning to breastfeed is difficult for many mothers and can be a frustrating and emotional at the beginning. It usually gets better after the first few days.
Your midwife, maternal child health nurse and lactation consultant (breastfeeding specialist) can help you and your baby get more experience.
- Hospital staff should give you information about how to access these services on the postnatal ward, after you have your baby.
Here are some demonstrations on the best positions for initiating breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is recommended for up to two years and you can start offering solid food slowly, from 6 months.
If you can’t breastfeed or choose not to, formula can be used to supplement your baby the nutrients he or she needs to grow.
Speak with your midwife or maternal child health nurse to choose what formula is best for you and your baby
Water is in both breast milk and formula so you don’t need to give water to your baby (this includes coconut or sugar cane water) until they are 6 months old.

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Immunisation

Vaccines are a simple, safe and effective way of protecting yourself, your child and others from dangerous diseases.

If you decide not to have your child vaccinated, it can potentially put them at risk of getting sick or dying. You also put the following people at risk or getting sick or dying:

babies
young children
old people
sick people with poor immune systems (the immune system is what protects our body from getting sick).

Click here to know more about the National Immunisation Program schedule and when your child needs to be vaccinated.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is when a child less than one year old dies suddenly and without any explanation.
SIDS is rare and there are many ways to protect your child.
These are some things that you can do:
1. Put your baby on their back to sleep. Do this from the moment they are born
2. Do not cover your baby’s face while they are sleeping
3. Do not smoke near your baby
4. Have a safe cot, mattress, bed and environment for your baby at night and during the day

Video: Safe Sleeping (Red Nose)

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Sudden infant death syndrome