Many illnesses can now be treated at home with lots of rest and over-the-counter medicines.

The NHS Essex Child Health app offers handy advice on some of these most common childhood illnesses, as well as helping you to understand when it’s better to chat to your school nurse, visit a local community pharmacist or GP, or to call NHS 111.

Health conditions covered within the app include:

• Coughs, colds and flu
• Diarrhoea and vomiting
• Chicken pox and measles
• Ear ache and tonsillitis
• Wheezing and breathing difficulties including bronchiolitis and asthma
• Headlice and threadworms
• Bumps, bruises and accidents

Information on mental health and wellbeing, healthy lifestyles and advice on some more serious conditions like meningitis and sepsis are also covered. And there’s a handy section on when you might want to consider keeping your child home from school.

The app is free to download for both Android and Apple. Just search for “NHS Essex Child Health”.

You can also download the app by clicking on one of the below buttons:

• Available on the iPhone App Store
• Android App on Google play

Your home health kit essentials and medicine cabinet

What to include:

• Thermometer- to check temperatures
• Child’s paracetamol- for headaches and temperatures
• Antiseptic cream- to keep germs out of cuts
• Plasters- to protect cuts and scratches
• Olive oil- to use as ear drops for earache
• Antihistamines- for hayfever, allergies and insect bites

As well as your home health kit essentials, having a well-stocked medicine cabinet at home will help you treat common children’s illnesses.

Community Pharmacist, Mary Oaiya talks about what medicine everyone should have at home to help tackle common childhood health problems.