If your child is feeling poorly

You can download a handy booklet 'If your child is poorly' to help you know what to do and when to access health services when your child is feeling poorly. The booklet gives you advice about how to help treat your child at home when they have a common childhood illness like a cough, a cold or sickness and diarrhoea. Also included is some advice about asthma.

Most of the time you can treat minor illnesses at home. It’s a good idea to have a medicine cabinet that is well out of reach to children. You could keep a thermometer, plasters, creams for nappy rash and painkillers for children such as paracetamol or ibuprofen in your cabinet.

Always make sure you use the right strength of medicine for the age of your child and sugar-free options where you can. Read the instructions carefully and check use by dates.

You know your child better than anyone else but if you are still worried the back page of the ‘if your child is poorly’ booklet has details of where you can get more help.

If you need more information after reading the booklet, you can also visit the NHS website - www.nhs.uk - you can also use this website to find your nearest pharmacy, GP practice or hospital.

It might be handy to keep a copy of the ‘if your child is poorly’ booklet on your smartphone or print a copy to keep at home to help when your child is feeling poorly.

The 'If your child is poorly' booklet is also available to download in other languages.

• 'If your child is poorly' booklet in Arabic here
• 'If your child is poorly' booklet in Polish here
• 'If your child is poorly' booklet in Slovak here