I Found a Lump in My Child’s Neck — Is It a Swollen Gland and When Should I Worry? You are washing your child’s hair or helping them get dressed when your fingers suddenly find something. A small lump. Just below the jaw. Or perhaps behind the ear. You check the other side. Then you check it again. And a very understandable thought appears: “Why does my child have a lump in their neck?” Neck lumps can cause enormous anxiety for parents. The reassuring starting point is that small lymph nodes are extremely common in children . Children encounter frequent infections as their immune systems develop. Lymph nodes form part of that immune system and often enlarge while responding to infections. Current NHS paediatric guidance estimates that around half of otherwise healthy children may have lymphadenopathy at any one time , and most cases are reactive rather than serious. However, you shouldn't ignore every neck lump. The useful questions are: Where is it? How big is it?...
Why Is My Child’s Voice Always Hoarse or Croaky? When Should Their Voice Be Checked? Your child comes home from school sounding croaky. Perhaps they spent luncht ime shouting across the playground. Perhaps they were at football practice. Or perhaps you have started to realise something different: “Their voice seems hoarse almost all the time.” Parents describe this in different ways. “My child sounds husky.” “Her voice is always raspy.” “He loses his voice after football.” “She sounds as though she constantly has a cold.” Most episodes of childhood hoarseness are temporary and not a sign of serious disease. But when a child’s voice repeatedly becomes hoarse, tires easily, or simply never seems to return to normal, it is reasonable to ask why. How does a child’s voice work? The larynx , commonly called the voice box, sits in the neck . Within it are two vocal folds. When your child breathes, the vocal folds remain open so air can pass towards the lungs. When your child talks...