Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease

Our poor little Finlay is sporting this face right now? What are these little dots you may ask? Sadly, it's hand-foot-mouth disease; a highly contagious virus common among infants and young children. Here is some information about the virus in case you happen to get it in your family. I found a lot of great information on the CDC's web site (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/hfhf.htm). Go there if you want more detailed information.
Basically the virus causes fevers, mild diarrhea, and little bumps/eruptions/rashes all over the body. The most painful eruptions are in the mouth and make it difficult for some children to eat and/or drink. My boys had the bumps all over their chins, knees, elbows, hands, feet, and diaper area. Their bums looked they had been dragged over the pavement. It was scary the first time I saw it. They also had the eruptions in their mouths, but it didn't seem to affect their appetites.

The illness begins with a high fever. Children are usually pretty lethargic during the fever. This is Finlay when he had the fever, but we didn't know he had the virus. This is the point at which children are the most contagious. A few days later the eruptions start to appear. I took the boys to the doctor and she told me there isn't really anything that can be done. The virus just has to run its course. Since it is highly contagious, the main way to deal with the disease and keep it from spreading is to keep the babes at home.

My boys had colds the week before they got sick, so they had already been home bound. I wasn't sure how they got the virus. However, it has a germination period of 3-6 days so they probably had the virus at the same time they had their colds.


Tips on Preventing the virus:
- Just use common sense good hygiene techniques. Wash your hands before and after meals, after using the bathroom or changing diapers, after playing with toys or playground equipment, etc.
- Don't let children give other children kisses during this season. Don't let them share cups or eating utensils with other kids.
- Even if you do everything possible to keep them from getting the virus, they can still get it. Just let it run its course.

Tips of dealing with home bound children who are going stir crazy:
- Read lots and lots of books.
- Dance and sing to as much Christmas music as possible.
- Let them jump on your bed, or inflate an air mattress and let them jump to their hearts content.
- Let them play your keyboard or make homemade drums.
- Check out lots of Elmo, Thomas the Train, and Little Einstein DVDs from the library and let them watch the movies throughout the day. They think this is a treat (at least our boys do who aren't usually allowed to watch more than 15 minutes of TV a day and none on the weekends).
- Have them "help" you make banana bread (I let them put their hands on the measuring cup while I pour the ingredient into the bowl). Don't feed the bread to anyone who doesn't live in your house.
- Let them color.
- Watch birds through the window.
- Let them take every book in the house off every bookcase.
- Let them take lots of baths with lots of bubbles and bath toys.
- Have Dad come home early from school/work to rough-house with them.
- Grin and bear it!