Signs Your Baby Has Worms & What To Do

Babies mostly get worms of different kinds, including tapeworm, roundworm, hookworm, threadworm and ringworm, from putting things in their mouth, infected or undercooked food, contaminated water and soil while at play, and through contact with infected persons. Left untreated, these worms prey on baby’s nutrition as they multiply, causing malnutrition and compromising their developing immune system.

Find typical signs your baby has worms, what to do and how to limit subsequent infections.

Signs Baby Has Worms

*Baby is irritable or uncomfortable, does not feed well or vomits after feeds.

*Losing weight or not growing as he should.

*Tummy rumbles frequently.

*Looks pale; this may suggest anaemia and common with hookworms.

*Threadworms in baby’s stool.

*Experiences itching or pain around the anus accompanied by difficulty sleeping; this may suggest a thread or pin worm infection. To confirm a threadworm infection, BabyCentre suggests checking baby’s bottom after at night while he’s asleep by gently parting his buttocks and shining a torch around the opening of his buttocks. This may enable you spot one or more threadworms crawling out or around his bed sheets.

READ ALSO: Your Baby’s First Week: What to Expect & How to Cope

Other typical signs include blood in stool, a rash and persistent coughs. In rare cases, baby may also experience diarrhoea.

See your baby’s paediatrician immediately for appropriate tests to diagnose the type(s) of worm baby is infected with and get best deworming treatments if you notice a few or all of the highlighted signs.

READ ALSO: Signs Your Baby Should See A Doctor

NOTE that baby may not show any symptoms if he only has a mild infection. Therefore, whether baby has a worm infection or not, doctors  recommend that baby should be dewormed 6 months after birth, and every other six months afterwards as deworming medications only kill adult worms and not their eggs. This means baby may have another round of infection(s) that will get worse if deworming is discontinued.

In addition, do not buy over the counter medications as they may be unsuitable for baby. Your doctor should always advice on appropriate medication and dosage suitable for your baby’s age and weight.

Tips on limiting worm infections

*Wash baby’s hands after crawling or playing outdoors. As babies are fond of putting their hands, toys and other objects around them in their mouth, keeping their hands clean as often as possible and discouraging putting objects in their mouth may help.

*Uphold best hygiene practices in your home. Make your home a healthy haven for baby to thrive in good health. Caution must also be taken when preparing baby’s food. In addition, ensure baby’s nanny and others constantly in contact with baby practice good personal hygiene.

*Keep baby’s fingernails short and clean. Worm eggs can hide under baby’s fingernails and be transferred into his mouth as well as objects he comes in contact with, especially his toys.

*Change baby’s diapers regularly.

*Ensure baby always plays in a hygienic, dry area. While outdoors, keep baby away from playing in moist soil.

*Get the rest of the family too routinely dewormed to curb infecting baby.

*Once baby starts walking, ensure he doesn’t walk barefoot, especially outdoors.

Photo credit: wikipedia