Dr. Cindy Rubin, MD

Typically you can just wipe gently with a warm wet washcloth when they are sticky or goopy, but if the eyeball itself is red or there is any swelling around the eye, pain, or fever with the eye stickiness, you should see your pediatrician to get it checked.

Im sorry your child isnt feeling well.  The flu is essentially a kind of a cold.  The flu is a term that is used somewhat loosely, but it comes from influenza, which is a specific virus that we see seasonally that causes a pretty bad cold (high fever, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and sometimes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea).  Technically, it doesnt really matter whether it is the flu virus or another virus causing the cold - it is treated much the same way - with anti-fever meds, rest, and fluids.  Sometimes we give anti-viral medications for documented influenza (confirmed by a test) for some high risk populations, but generally it will get better over a week or so with the above comfort measures. You child should see their pediatrician if they are having trouble breathing, not taking or keeping down fluids at all, or the fever is lasting more than 5 days. Hope that helps and I hope your kiddo feels better soon.

Teething can cause ear pain, especially when teeth that are further back in the mouth are coming in.  Usually this is short-lived, and should not cause a fever or major sleep problems, so if it seems to be persisting or causing extreme fussiness or fever, you should see your pediatrician for an evaluation.

Typically 3 year-olds do not drool. It could be a sign of low tone in his face muscles, and if it's very sudden, it could be a sign of swelling in the back of his throat and that warrants an urgent evaluation. If it's not sudden, I would make an appointment with your pediatrician to talk about it for sure. Best - Dr. Rubin

It's so hard having a sick kiddo.  Using a cool mist humidifier can help quite a bit.  If shell let you, you can use a nose Frida or bulb suction to get some of the guck out (possibly with some saline drops to start), but shes is at the age where that's tough to do without buy-in from her.  If she doesn't move around too much, putting an extra pillow or two under her head so that she is more upright can also help.  Unfortunately, there aren't any medications that are safe or effective.  Hope she feels better soon!

Yes, a 4 month old can have an ear infection, though not as commonly as older babies and children. Common signs would be fever or fussiness, especially during a cold or after having a cold. If you're concerned, I would take your child to your pediatrician to have them checked. There are so many other things that can be going on, too! Best, Dr. Rubin.

There are many things that can cause your symptoms, and it's hard to pin down the cause without doing an exam and getting some more information. The number one thing I would start with is drinking lots of water and keep yourself hydrated. But I do think you should reach out to your personal doctor to get evaluated for your symptoms. They should not be ignored. Hope you're feeling better soon. Dr. Rubin.

Yes it should be fine. The amount of tylenol that will go into the breastmilk is very small, so it shouldn't cause any problems. You always want to make sure you don't go over the maximum daily dosage of tylenol (for both you and the baby), so make sure you read the label to check on those limits, but this is not related to breastfeeding. I hope you and your baby feel better soon!

Teeth can be loose for quite a long time - several months, even.  It really depends on if the child is guarding it and not letting anything touch it (then it will take longer), or if they are wiggling it lots.  Wiggling definitely will get it out sooner.  There is such a range of what we see, and sometimes the adult tooth will even start to come in behind it.  Usually the adult tooth will move into the right spot after the baby tooth comes out.  Hope the tooth fairy comes soon!

TB is short for tuberculosis. We do not do a vaccine for TB, but there are recommendations for testing for TB in certain situations, so that is likely what your daycare is requiring. Each state health department has their own guidelines on screening and on who needs to be tested and how often. So depending on your state's guidelines, it may be required for the daycare.