4 Totally Gross Kid Ailments

To the goody-goody or those of the faint of heart, one thing that will really shock them about parenthood is how ‘gross’ it can be. Most take each dirty, grimy or grimace-worthy event with a grain of salt. It’s amazing how, because it’s your own flesh and blood, the poo, urine or vomit doesn’t phase you at all.  But there comes a time when even the most seasoned parent gets the heebie jeebies.

Parenting.com came up with four of the grossest kid aliments. Here they are in a nutshell:

Pinworms

These itsy bitsy worms can be very contagious. They’re transmitted by an inflicted kid scratching their bottom and then touching something. Then the next kid touches said thing, ingests the microscopic pests, and tada, wormsville. The pinworms are born in the small intestine and then move to the large intestine. The mommy worms lay their eggs around the anus leading to a very itchy behind. A pain in the arse for sure.

Lice:

These little bloodsuckers live in the scalp and the hair and cling to individual strands of hair. Their bites can itch like crazy and kids can even feel them walking around their scalp. It is a common affliction and lice checks have become de rigueur in many schools.  Confession: Just writing about this is making my head itch!

Ringworm:

Ringworm is not an appropriately named malady since it’s not a worm at all but rather a fungus. It appears a raised red circle that can cause lots of itchiness and discomfort. It loves damp places (like wet towels, locker rooms and gym mats) and through scratching it can spread quickly.

Scabies:

Want to make your skin crawl, literally, just catch a case of the scabies. This pest is a tiny mite that will burrow under the skin and causes lots of itching. They like to on hands, the feet and the waist. They spread easily through skin contact, towels, sheets or clothing.

For more on the four grossest health problems check out the article here.