Though the doctor will usually be the one to diagnose your baby’s illnesses, you may find the basic information in this chart helpful as you try to sort out the possibilities and prepare to seek that medical advice. Symptoms are numbered in the order they can be expected to appear during the course of each illness, and rashes are listed separately for quick and easy comparison. Keep in mind that not every child has a textbook case of every infection—symptoms can vary, as can duration.
The details of how to treat specific symptoms (such as a cough, diarrhea, or an itch, for example) or of how to handle a fever are omitted from the chart to avoid repetition. For information on treating symptoms, see page 546; for treating a fever, see page 568.
Something else to remember: Even if this chart tells you everything you want to know about a particular childhood infection, remember that it’s no substitute for medical advice. Consult your baby’s doctor as recommended.
Record your baby’s weight and length at birth in a permanent health record, and update his or her progress at each visit to the doctor. To chart measurements on these graphs, find baby’s age along the bottom of the chart and weight (in kilograms and pounds) or length (in centimeters and inches) along the side. Put a colored dot at the point where the two come together. To see your baby’s progress, connect the dots as they are added. Ninety out of every one hundred children fall within the fifth and ninety-fifth percentiles. Though those in the top and bottom five percent may come by their size genetically and be doing well, some may be growing too slowly or gaining too quickly. If your baby falls into either of these groups, discuss your concern with baby’s doctor. Also, check with the doctor about any sudden variation from the typical pattern (in height or weight or both), though such a variation may be perfectly normal for your baby.
