Physical health

Vaccinations and immunisations

There are vaccinations your child should be getting as they grow. Just as when they were new-borns, you can organise your child’s 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.

8-15 years old:

• Children's influenza (flu) vaccine.

12-13 years old:

• HPV vaccine.

14 years old:

• 3-in-1 teenage booster vaccine (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio).
• MenACWY vaccine.

Common illnesses

As your child gets older and develop into a teenager, the types of illnesses that they can catch also change. They can still be ill in the same way they were when they were younger, but they may start catching other illnesses that you haven’t seen in them before. These new illnesses can include:

• Glandular fever (sometimes called the kissing disease).
• Tonsillitis.
• Neurofibromatosis (usually starts in the late teens).

Things to look out for and get help for as soon as possible

As your child grows into a teenager their body and mind will change at a rapid rate. They might become more difficult to talk to than they were before or they might be easier, either way its important to understand that they’re changing. As they grow up they may develop eating disorders, make sure you look and listen out for signs, they may be complaining about being fat, hiding food, becoming upset when asked to eat or vomiting after meals. The most common eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge eating and having an eating disorder can mean they’re not eating enough or they are eating too much.

Sometimes teenagers can choose to, or be pressured to start taking drugs.

It can cause serious harm to them if they do start taking drugs so it’s important to be able recognise the signs that they are, these signs can include sudden loss of interest in their hobbies and favourite activities and dramatic changes in their behaviour. You may also see them feeling tired a lot more and they could lose their appetite. Its also good to look at their eyes, if they’re taking drugs they will have red eyes and their pupils will be larger, they might also have bad skin.

Self-harm is a concern for teenagers. If your teenager is self-harming it could be related to their mental health, look out for signs that they could be so that you can help them, or find someone who can offer professional help. If you think your child might be self-harming, look out for any unexplained cuts or bruises and signs that they may have been pulling out their hair. They may be trying to hide their body by covering up. Look out for signs of depression too, they could be low moods, crying a lot and lose interest in hobbies.

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 will be growing in their full set of adult teeth at this age.

For serious injuries and life-threatening emergencies, call 999 or go to A&E.

Puberty

The average age for children to start puberty is 11 for girls and 12 for boys.

The easiest way to recognise that puberty has started in girls is the growth of breasts and starting to have periods. Sanitary products like tampons and pads can be obtained easily from school and shops. The easiest way to recognise that puberty has started in boys is sudden growth spurts and them developing a deeper voice. Boys will also notice growth in their genitals.

There’s nothing to worry about if you don’t start puberty at the average age, it can start any time between 8 and 13 in girls and 9 and 13 in boys. However, it’s a good idea to talk to a doctor if you enter puberty before 8 years old, or you haven’t started by the time you’re 14.

Sexual health

As your child progresses through puberty, it is important for them to learn about proper sexual health. They will probably be taught about it in school but it’s important that you talk to your child too.

Teach them about the changes that they are going to experience and how they may start feeling around and about other people. It’s probably going to be quite an uncomfortable talk but it’s important to talk about it.

You should talk to your child about the different options of contraception they have, and the importance of proper protection against STIs (sexually transmitted infections) and unwanted pregnancy.

There are lots of resources available that can help you teach your child about proper sexual health.