My toddler is having HFMD and because of this, she has been refusing food and milk as she has ulcers on her tongue and mouth. What can I do?

The uclers are the most painful things to go through during HFMD. Try offering her cool /cold items to numb the pain, so that she is still able to have some fluid intake to prevent dehydration. When my child has HFMD, i used medigel, it helps to temporary numb the usclers so my child could eat and drink better. But it usually wears off in about 45mins. Try iced Popsicle in their favorite beverages, It helps and encourages them to drink more. Do look out for these following signs of dehydration. dry or sticky mouth few or no tears when crying eyes that look sunken into the head soft spot (fontanelle) on top of baby's head that looks sunken lack of urine or wet diapers for 6 to 8 hours in an infant (or only a very small amount of dark yellow urine) lack of urine for 12 hours in an older child (or only a very small amount of dark yellow urine) dry, cool skin lethargy or irritability fatigue or dizziness in an older child If there is any of the above sign, please bring to the hosp asap HFMD is contagious, even adults will get it. So do keep your hands clean, always wash hands aft contacting with the kids.

For children over the age of 1, make sure they drink lots of liquids. If they refuse milk then consider making milk popsicles (breastmilk or formula - depends on which milk you're referring to). These cool pops will offer much needed relief to the pain and help get some nutrients in. If you have always given your child fruit juices such as orange juice, best to stop till your child gets better. Juices with high acidity may irritate the child’s mouth sores. Give soft foods like porridge and cereal, but don’t force your her to eat. At this stage, it’s important to make sure the child stays hydrated.