Written by Editorial Team
In the early years of life, a child’s body is in the process of building immunity. Thus, it is quite susceptible to a lot of infections and diseases during this formative period. One such intestinal infection that is pretty common among babies and toddlers is pinworm infection. Pinworms in babies can be managed by medication and home remedies.
As a parent, you should be more concerned about this parasitic infection. But even though it is not a pleasant experience to watch the scrawling worm protruding from your toddler’s anus under the bright light of the examining room, there is nothing to worry about about pinworm infection. It is easily treatable. There are several home remedies for deworming. Continue reading to know more about this common worm infection and ways to treat it.
In This Article
These worms are small and white. They usually infect the intestine. Their length varies and can lie anywhere between 2 mm to 13mm. These worms are minute when compared to a tapeworm that resembles a ribbon and grows up to 25 meters if it remains undetected for 25 years.
The eggs lay by these worms, and the infections themselves will spread quickly from person to person or from infected surface to the person making it highly contagious. Pinworm is also known as threadworm.
Usually, babies who are not big enough to crawl and who solely depend on breast milk are at zero risk of ingesting pinworms and their eggs. Therefore, it is not that common among this group of babies.
However, they can contract this infection:
Though most babies do not get pinworms, some do. This is because of the lack of proper hygiene around the baby. As the baby starts drinking water, crawling on all fours, and eating foods that are solid, their exposure to worms increases.
This is because of 2 reasons:
When the worms enter the body, they move from the stomach area and towards the anus and vagina. Here they cause severe itching and irritation. This more often happens during the night. Here are common signs of pinworm infection in babies:
Firstly, check for these symptoms. Then, if you are sure that there are worms in your baby, take a flashlight and check for the worms in the morning in your baby’s anus, vaginal area, or the nappies or stools of the baby. While examining the anal area, ask the baby to push as if he is doing potty. This will help you to examine the anus clearly.
Look carefully for one or more white thread-like worms, which are around 4-12 mm long (similar to dental floss). A scotch tape test is another method to diagnose pinworm. In this test, you have to fasten a transparent tape to the anal region and then remove it. Now the eggs in the anal area get attached to the tape. The doctor will examine this tape for confirmation.
A not-so-serious case of the pinworms is bound to let go soon without much intervention. But if it is somewhat more severe, the itching and the infection are going to come in the way of restful sleep for your baby. Thus, as soon as you suspect something, reach out to a doctor.
Apart from following the instructions given by your doctor and giving your baby all the medicines on time, there are a couple of other things you can do to aid in the treatment.
The two common home remedies for treating pinworms in your baby are garlic and oils from coconut etc. But please do not let these be your entire treatment plan. Go to the doctor and get prescriptions for sure.
There are often recurred instances of pinworms in babies, even after the treatment. As soon as you observe the symptoms again, go to your doctor in order to start the treatment process in the early days itself.
As mentioned, the main consequences that come with pinworms left unattended and untreated are as follows:
Not only this, as the baby is infected, it can spread to virtually every other object and person inhabiting the house or coming into contact with them.
Follow the given points to prevent Pinworms in Babies:
Conclusion
Pinworms really irritate your baby and disturb their sleep as well. Take them to the doctor as soon as possible if you find any symptoms. Moreover, make sure you adopt healthy hygiene practices and habits around the house.
With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.
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