PARENTS are excited to see their baby’s firsts – first smile, first words, first noise or coo, first birthday, etc. Imagine the happiness when a baby smiled as you changed his diaper. But what if some of these firsts are missing? The baby could be sick or not healthy.

According to Dr. Carmen Nievera, chief of Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines, parents should learn to decode their baby’s cries to understand what the baby wants or is trying to say.

Crying is the baby’s form of communication. Whether he’s hungry, wet, bored or wants to nap, he will cry or whimper. Parents should learn to decode these tears. Crying could also mean a baby is not well.

Still, it is better to understand baby’s common ailments – allergy, colds, coughs, heat rash, infections and pneumonia.

Nievera said pneumonia is characterized with otitis media, or inflammation in the ears, which usually affects children from one to three years old. Such disease could lead to speech and learning disabilities if remain untreated.

Also remember that a baby’s normal body temperature is between 36 to 38 degrees Celsius, so relax, don’t panic unless the temperature is higher than that, your child has a fever.

Seek medical attention if the temperature is 38 degrees Celsius or higher if the baby is less than three months old; or 38.3 degrees Celsius or higher if the baby is between three to six months old or 39.4 degrees Celsius or higher if the baby six months or older.

To prevent serious illness, Nievera advises parents to schedule as soon as possible their immunization. To date, she said there are 27 diseases that are vaccine preventable.

Together with GlaxoSmithKline, Nivera said it is a must to have infants vaccine shot against mumps, hepatitis B, otitis media, polio, measles, varicella, rubella, rotavirus, meningitis and pneumococcal disease.

She said pneumococcal disease is the major leading cause of illness and deaths among children. This, like other life-threatening diseases – meningitis, pneumonia sepsis – can be prevented by proper vaccine shot.

Baby’s first year of life is crucial so it is important to guard him  against these diseases. She brushed off fears about the side effects of vaccine since almost all vaccines have side effects like fever, irritability or allergies.

“Imagine all the worries, time and money you will spend when your baby gets sick and hospitalized because of these diseases,” Nievera said.