Physical health
Key information on this page includes:
Vaccinations and immunisations
There are more vaccinations your child should be getting as they grow. Just as when they were new-borns, you can organise vaccinations through your GP. Some vaccinations are given in school, where this is the case, you will receive a letter and information from the vaccination team. Your child will not receive a vaccination unless you have given consent for this to happen.
3-8 years old:
- Children's influenza (flu) vaccine.
3 years and 4 months:
- MMR vaccine (second dose).
- 4-in-1 pre-school buster vaccine (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping cough, Polio).
Common illnesses
As your child grows to be Primary School age, they will start meeting more children. While its great that they are making friends, it’s important to try and make sure that they are not bringing home any nasty germs. There’s lots of illnesses that they can catch while they’re in school. Common illnesses for children ages 3-8 include:
- Common cold.
- Stomach flu.
- Chicken pox.
- Cold sores.
- Hand-foot-mouth disease.
- Head lice and nits.
- Strep throat.
Things to look out for and get help as soon as possible
Your child will start replacing their baby teeth with adult teeth as they get older. They will start losing their baby teeth at around 6 years old and should have lost them all by the time they are 12. Let your dentist know that they have started replacing their teeth when you go for appointments.
Make sure that your child is eating and exercising properly. Children in school need around an hour of physical activity per day to stay healthy, it doesn’t need to be all in one go, and could be a part of play. You need to make sure they’re eating enough and not too much, there’s not much guidance on how much a child will need to eat, so it’s a good idea to give them small portions and let them ask for more if they want it.
Your child may get nits or lice in school. Look out for them scratching their heads a lot, you can get special shampoo to get rid of nits and lice from pharmacies and supermarkets. If you think that your child might be ill, check their temperature, encourage them to drink plenty of fluids. Encourage them to wash their hands regularly.
Where to go for help and support
If you have concerns about your child’s physical health that are not urgent you can visit a Family Hub (link to list of primary sites), contact your health visitor, contact the Stoke-on-Trent Health Visiting HUB (0300 303 3298), contact ‘ChatHealth’ text 07312277161, or speak to your GP.
There are a number of services available to you who can offer help for your and your child’s needs. Calling NHS 111 will help you access local health services, it is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Going to your local pharmacist is another great idea, they will be able to provide you with guidance and advice for most health issues, they will be able to suggest and dispense medicines, you can sometimes find pharmacies inside supermarkets. Your GP is also there to help, if you move house at all make sure you and your child are registered at the local GP.
It’s important to keep going to your dentist and not miss appointments, especially as your child is beginning to grow their permanent teeth.
For serious injuries and life-threatening emergencies, call 999 or go to A&E
Puberty
Puberty can start early for some children. Early puberty (precocious puberty) is when girls show signs of puberty before they are 8 and boys show signs before they are 9. It's possible that early puberty is a sign of a more serious condition that needs to be looked at, so if your child is showing signs of starting puberty early it’s a good idea to talk to your GP.