Your Child Says ‘It Hurts’ – What to Do?

They don’t have a fever, you know it is not a flu or cold, there are no symptoms presenting, yet they still insist they’re sore.

• What you should do next?

It can be an emotional time, having a sick child at home. It can be extremely frustrating, throw in the scenario where you don’t exactly know what is wrong, particularly now that it’s summer and some nasty bugs are lurking.

Your little one is showing no symptoms, when they claim “it hurts”, what to do when you know it is not a bug?

• ‘It hurts’ could be an injury

As a result of an injury they receive when they are just being kids and playing with their friends, our children are often in pain. First assess the severity of the situation, before knowing how to manage their pain.

• How to assess the severity of your child’s pain?

Distract and wait. Distract them and give it some time with a cuddle, game or a treat. If they forget the injury while having fun, reflects the severity of the injury.

Watch. A key sign will be if your child protects or limps the painful or injured part of their body.

Look. Be sure to look out for other symptoms such as your child being sweaty, pale or flushed. These signs can also reflect the extent of pain they are in.

• How can you help if kissing it better doesn’t work?

Depending on the injury, rest and applying heat or cold therapy will assist with the pain. Paracetamol, as simple over-the-counter pain relief can help if symptoms are causing great discomfort.

If the pain hasn’t subsided or injury can’t be ignored, it’s time to visit emergency.

•  ‘It hurts’ could be teething

Teething is something can cause considerable discomfort and all children will go through. Teething pain can be managed using the following techniques:

• Massaging your child’s gums, by using the pad of your fingers to rub in a circular motion along the gum line (outside or inside the mouth).
• Provide your child with a chilled teething ring, that work to distract from and ease teething pain. These come in all sizes and shapes.
• To ease your child’s pain when teething, using pain-relieving medicines such as paracetamol can also help.

•  ‘It hurts’ could be from vaccinations

Vaccinations can create some pain for children at time, but it is a great way to prevent more serious health concerns. The pain associated with vaccinations can be managed by:

• Again, paracetamol to the rescue.
• If your children develops a fever, re-hydration is very important.
• Apply a cold pack to the injection site on your child.

• ‘It hurts’ could be growing pains

Throughout their childhood, most children experience some growing pains, with it often affecting them during the evening or afternoon. Growing pains can be painful but they can easily be managed:

• Using pain relieving medication such as paracetamol can be helpful.
• Heat treatment, such as heat packs or warm baths is great for soothing their legs and arms.
• Reassure your child that their legs will feel better in the morning after a good night sleep and that the pain will go away.

If you’re unsure what is bothering your child, it’s important you speak to your local medical professionals for advice.