Animations By KidsHealth

Asthma is a condition that leads to narrowing of the airways of the lungs.

Tamariki with asthma can have asthma attacks.‌

Asthma attacks can happen quite suddenly …

… and can get worse quickly.

What you do for your child’s asthma attack depends on their symptoms.

Symptoms can be mild, moderate or severe.‌

Symptoms of a mild asthma attack include:

• a slight wheeze
• a mild cough
• coughing or wheezing when active

Symptoms of a moderate asthma attack include:

• obvious breathing difficulties
• a continuing cough
• difficulty speaking a complete sentence

Symptoms of a severe asthma attack include: ‌

• having severe trouble breathing
• gasping for breath
• being afraid
• saying only 1 or 2 words at a time
• looking pale and becoming quiet
• looking very floppy and tired
• looking blue around the mouth
• the inhaler is not helping

What to do if your child is having an asthma attack.

Sit them upright.

Give them their reliever inhaler through the spacer.

For every puff, your child needs to take 6 breaths.

For mild symptoms

Give 2 puffs of the inhaler.

For moderate symptoms

Give 6 puffs of the inhaler.

If you child is not improving after 10 minutes, repeat the inhaler and see a health professional immediately or call 111.

For severe symptoms

This is an emergency – call 111.

Then give 6 puffs of the inhaler every 10 minutes until help arrives.

Asthma symptoms can get worse quickly.  

Don’t hesitate to seek urgent help.

Asthma is a condition that leads to narrowing of the airways of the lungs.

Some tamariki get asthma symptoms between asthma attacks.

These are called interval symptoms.

[Cough]

Tamariki can have interval symptoms a couple of times a week, or as much as every day.

Interval symptoms are different from an asthma attack.

Interval symptoms include:

• coughing at night [coughing]
• wheezing or coughing with exercise [wheezing]
• feeling breathless [breathing sounds]
• having trouble keeping up with other tamariki during activity
• needing to use a reliever inhaler more than twice a week

If your child has interval symptoms, see your health professional.

Your child may need a change in their asthma management. This may be adding or changing an asthma medicine.

Ask for an up-to-date asthma action plan.

An asthma action plan helps you to know what medicines to use and when.

This is for their day-to-day symptoms as well as during an asthma attack.

It also helps you to know when to seek help or call an ambulance.

Good management can stop asthma from interfering with your child's life, including enjoyment of sports and play.

Bronchiolitis is a common illness that’s very easy to catch.

Bronchiolitis usually affects pēpi under the age of one.

Bronchiolitis usually starts as a cold.

Pēpi with bronchiolitis:

• cough
• breathe harder and faster
• have noisy breathing
• and may have a fever

Symptoms can last for several days.

Bronchiolitis is usually a mild illness.

You can expect your baby to get completely better.

Some pēpi may need to go to hospital if they need oxygen or can't feed.

See a health professional urgently if your baby has any of the following:

• is under 3 months old or
• is breathing fast, has noisy breathing or is working harder to breathe or
• looks unwell or
• is taking less than half of their normal feeds or
• is vomiting

If you are worried, call Healthline on 0800 611 116 or go back to a health professional.

Dial 111 if your baby:

• is blue around the mouth or
• is struggling to breathe or
• is hard to wake or
• is floppy

A cold is a viral infection.

It affects the airways, mainly the nose and throat.‌

There are many different viruses that can cause colds.

Colds are very easy to catch. They affect everyone.

Tamariki and rangatahi with colds may:

• cough
• sneeze
• have a blocked or runny nose
• have a sore throat
• not eat and drink as much as usual
• have swollen glands around their head and neck
• have sore ears
• have a fever
• have a headache
• feel tired

Colds are usually mild. You can expect your child to get completely better.‌

Call Healthline on 0800 611 116 or take your child to see a health professional if they:

• are under 3 months old with a fever or
• are taking less than half of their normal feeds or won't drink or
• are unusually sleepy or
• have a fever for more than 48 hours or
• are breathing faster or harder or
• have a cough that lasts for more than 2 weeks‌

If you're worried about your child or if their symptoms are getting worse, see a health professional.‌

Dial 111 if your child:

• is blue around the mouth or
• is hard to wake or
• is floppy or
• is struggling to breathe or
• has an intense headache

Conjunctivitis is a common problem in tamariki.

Tamariki with conjunctivitis often have red, irritated, watery eyes.

Their eyes can be itchy or sticky too.

Conjunctivitis is usually caused by an infection or an allergy.

Symptoms can last from a couple of days to several weeks.

Conjunctivitis spreads easily.

Use hand sanitiser or encourage frequent hand washing with soap and water.

Keep your child at home until they’re better.

There are some things you can do to help your child at home.

Try to discourage your child from rubbing their eyes.

Gently clear away any discharge from their eye with a cotton ball soaked in warm water.

Throw away the cotton ball. Use a new one for the other eye.

Some tamariki may need eye drops or ointment.

Call Healthline on 0800 611 116 or see a health professional if your child has:

• a lot of swelling around the eye
• or any eye injury
• or eye pain
• or blurry vision
• or a fever
• or sensitivity to light
• or symptoms that are worrying you

See a health professional urgently if your baby with conjunctivitis is less than 6 weeks old.

Tamariki with conjunctivitis usually get completely better without any treatment.

Everyone poos differently, especially pēpi and tamariki.

If your child has firm, hard or painful poo, they are likely to be constipated.

This can cause tummy pain.

Constipation is common in tamariki.

There are many possible reasons why tamariki get constipated.

Constipation can often get worse for tamariki the longer it goes on.

If your child is constipated, there are a few things that may help.

Encourage your child to sit on the toilet for several minutes in the morning. Even if they don't do a poo, still encourage this.

Star charts can help everyone remember to do this.

Make sure your child is comfortable sitting on the toilet.

It may help to use a child's toilet seat for preschoolers.

For younger tamariki, put a stool under their feet so their knees are higher than their hips.

Encourage your child to lean forward and rest their elbows on their knees.

Make sure your child is drinking water regularly.

Encourage them to eat lots of fruit and veges.

You could try giving your child prunes or KiwiCrush (a kiwi fruit drink) daily.

Encourage regular activity.

Call Healthline on 0800 611 116 or see a health professional if:

• your child has tummy pain
• or the constipation is getting worse
• or your child finds toileting very upsetting
• or your child is having poo accidents

Your health professional may give your child medicine to help their constipation.

These are called laxatives. Follow your health professional’s instructions.

You may need to see your health professional again if the constipation doesn’t get better.

Most tamariki with constipation get better with things you can do at home.

Coughing is common in tamariki, especially in preschoolers.

There are many causes of cough in tamariki.

The most common cause of a cough is a viral illness, like a cold.

Tamariki can have several colds each year.

They can keep coughing for 2 to 3 weeks after a cold.

If your child has had a daily cough for longer than 4 weeks, see a health professional.

Call Healthline on 0800 611 116 or see a health professional if your child with a cold is coughing and:

• is having trouble breathing or
• is having trouble speaking or
• has noisy breathing

See a health professional urgently if your child has a cough and:

• is under 3 months old or
• is struggling to breathe or
• can’t finish a whole sentence or
• is struggling to feed
• you think they’ve choked on something or
• you are worried

Call 111 if your child has a cough and:

• is blue around the mouth or
• is unable to breathe or
• is hard to wake or
• is floppy or
• you are worried.

Most tamariki who cough with a cold get completely better and don’t need treatment.

But if your child has had a daily cough for longer than 4 weeks, see a health professional.

Croup is an illness which causes narrowing of the upper airways.

It mostly affects toddlers.

Croup can start with cold symptoms such as a:

• sore throat
• fever
• runny nose

Tamariki with croup have:

• a barking cough
• trouble breathing
• a type of noisy breathing called stridor

Croup symptoms are often worse at night or when your child is upset.

Croup is often a mild illness but can quickly become serious.

See a health professional urgently if your child:

• has noisy breathing that is getting worse or
• is becoming upset and you can’t calm them

If you are worried, call Healthline on 0800 611 116 or go back to a health professional.

Dial 111 if your child:

• is blue around the mouth or
• is struggling to breathe or
• is hard to wake or
• is floppy or
• is drooling

Fevers are common in tamariki.

They are usually caused by viruses.

A fever is a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or higher.

Fever is a normal way for a child to fight an infection.

Pēpi under 3 months old with a fever need to see a health professional urgently.

If your child is miserable with a fever, you can give paracetamol to make them more comfortable.

Follow the instructions on the bottle.

Encourage your child to drink fluids.

You know your child best, if you are worried at any stage, always seek help.

Call Healthline on 0800 611 116 or take your child to a health professional if they have a fever and:

• are in pain or
• are taking less than half of their normal feeds or
• are vomiting or
• have frequent watery poo or
• you are worried

Take your child to a health professional urgently if your child has a fever and:

• is under 3 months old or
• looks unwell or
• is hard to wake or
• is not interested in surroundings or
• is having trouble breathing or
• is in severe pain or
• is upset by bright lights or
• is not drinking or
• is vomiting and not keeping fluids down or
• has a rash or
• you are worried

Call 111 if your child has a fever and:

• is floppy or
• is blue around the mouth or
• is struggling to breathe or
• is unresponsive or
• you are worried

Always go back to a health professional or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 if your child is getting worse or you are worried.

Gastroenteritis or ‘gastro’ is a bowel infection.

It’s usually caused by a virus and can spread easily.

Gastro affects all age groups, but it’s more common, and can be worse, in pēpi and young tamariki.

The most common symptoms of gastro are:

• runny, watery poo (also called diarrhoea)
• feeling sick
• and vomiting

Tamariki with gastro may also have:

• a fever
• and tummy pain

The vomiting may settle quickly but the diarrhoea often lasts for several days.

You can expect your child to get completely better.

Tamariki with gastro need to have plenty of fluids.

Give them small amounts of fluid often.

Give your child what they like to drink.

If you are breastfeeding, continue to breastfeed.

If you are giving a rehydration solution, follow the instructions on the bottle.

If you are giving juice or fizzy drink, mix with an equal amount of water.

Gastro can cause dehydration, especially in pēpi and young tamariki, and make them unwell quickly.

Signs of dehydration include:

• fewer wet nappies or not weeing as much as usual or
• sunken eyes or
• cold hands and feet or
• being drowsy or difficult to wake

Call Healthline on 0800 611 116 or see a health professional urgently if your child:

• is less than 6 months old or
• shows signs of dehydration or
• has a lot of diarrhoea (8 to 10 watery motions in 1 day) or
• is vomiting and can’t keep fluids down or
• has blood in their poo or
• starts vomiting green fluid (bile) or
• has severe tummy pain or
• is unwell and you are worried for any reason

Call 111 within New Zealand for urgent medical help.

If someone in your family has gastro, remember everyone needs to:

• wash their hands or use hand sanitiser
• avoid sharing food, drinks and cups
• keep the toilet clean
• and stay away from others while unwell

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs.

It can affect tamariki of all ages.

Tamariki with pneumonia:

• cough
• and have a fever

Tamariki may also:

• breathe harder and faster
• have noisy breathing
• have trouble eating and drinking

If you think your child may have pneumonia, see a health professional.

Most tamariki make a full recovery but it can take a couple of weeks.

Some tamariki may need to go to hospital.

If you are worried, call Healthline on 0800 611 116 or see a health professional urgently if your child:

• is under 3 months old or
• is having trouble breathing or
• is having less than half their normal feeds or
• looks unwell or
• gets worse after beginning to get better

Even if your child has seen a heath professional - if you're worried or they're getting worse, see a health professional again.

Dial 111 if your child:

• is blue around the mouth or
• is struggling to breathe or
• is hard to wake or
• is floppy

Some tamariki can have an infection that lasts longer.

See a health professional if:

• the cough is getting worse again or
• the cough lasts for more than 4 weeks or
• your child has had pneumonia before

Protect your tamariki from measles - it can be very dangerous. Measles spreads faster than almost any other disease.

Measles can cause:

high fever

cough

runny nose

sore red eyes

a rash starting on the head and moving down the body.

Tamariki can get so sick that they need to go to hospital. Some children can die from measles.

Immunisation rates are low for all tamariki in Aotearoa. They are very low in Māori and Pasifika babies and children.

This means there is a real risk of measles spreading widely and affecting Māori and Pasifika tamariki the most.

Now's the time to protect tamariki. 2 doses of the measles vaccine gives the best protection.

If you're not sure whether your child has had measles immunisation, check with your Well Child Tamariki Ora nurse or your GP practice.

If you still don't know, it's safe for your child to get 2 doses again.

Measles immunisation is free from GP practices and Māori and Pacific immunisation providers.

Meningococcal disease is very dangerous. It makes pēpi and tamariki very sick very quickly, and it can kill.

Meningococcal infection can cause meningitis - an infection of the lining of the brain and septicaemia - a life-threatening infection in the blood.

Meningococcal disease can be difficult to diagnose. Early symptoms are similar to viral infections like the flu.

Tamariki can be dangerously ill by the time they are diagnosed.

There are different types of meningococcal disease.

Meningococcal B disease has caused a lot of disease in Aotearoa and resulted in many deaths in pēpi and tamariki.

Protect pēpi with meningococcal immunisation. This is life-saving.

Pēpi can have this at 3, 5 and 12 months with their other immunisations.

Or, pēpi can get even earlier protection and have their meningococcal immunisation at 2, 4 and 12 months.

Earlier protection is very important for Māori and Pasifika pēpi who have higher rates of meningococcal disease.

You can have meningococcal B immunnisation at GP practices and Māori and Pacific immunisation providers.

[Sound of whooping cough]

Whooping cough is seriously affecting pēpi in Aotearoa.

Whooping cough can make pēpi so sick that they need to go to hospital. Some pēpi die.

Very young pēpi with whooping cough can:

stop breathing

go blue

not be able to feed and get exhausted

Older pēpi and tamariki get a runny nose, then a cough which gets worse and can last weeks or even months.

They can:

have long coughing spasms

gasp for air between the spasms

get very red in the face

vomit after the coughing spasms

Once pēpi and tamariki get whooping cough, there's no medicine that will make it better.

But, you can prevent whooping cough.

The only way to protect pēpi from whooping cough is by immunising.

Whooping cough immunisation during pregnancy is free and protects pēpi in their first weeks of life.

Start immunising pēpi the day they turn 6 weeks old to keep protecting them.

Whooping cough immunisation is free for pēpi from GP practices and Māori and Pacific immunisation providers.

Hapū māmā can also have free whooping cough immunisation at lots of pharmacies.