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The Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology at Apollo Hospitals, Gurugram, provides care for children from birth through adolescence. This includes premature and sick newborns, infants, school-age children and teenagers. The team supports families through routine health checks, immunization and common childhood illnesses, as well as chronic conditions, developmental concerns and serious illnesses that may require intensive care or surgery.
Outpatient clinics, newborn services, neonatal and pediatric intensive care, child-appropriate imaging, pediatric surgery and emergency care are planned within the same hospital, supported by pediatric subspecialists. Children are not simply small adults: their medication doses, equipment, monitoring and clinical needs change with age and size.
Care is planned with the family, not just for the child. Parents are involved in assessment and decisions, while feeding, nutrition, growth and development are considered alongside the immediate medical concern. Newborns who need closer monitoring and children with complex conditions can be cared for jointly by neonatologists, general pediatricians and the relevant subspecialists. Every treatment plan is based on the child’s individual needs after clinical evaluation and, where required, investigations.
Our Pediatrics & Neonatology Team
Care is provided by pediatricians and neonatologists working with pediatric subspecialists in cardiology, gastroenterology, hemato-oncology, surgery, neurology and related fields. They are supported by pediatric intensive care teams, nurses trained in caring for children and newborns, dietitians, lactation consultants and developmental therapists. When a child has more than one health concern, the teams coordinate the care plan together. Our specialists include:
- Newborn and Neonatal Conditions
- Common Childhood Illnesses
- Breathing and Allergic Conditions
- Growth, Nutrition and Development
- Heart Conditions
- Digestive and Liver Conditions
- Kidney and Urinary Conditions
- Blood, Endocrine and Cancer Conditions
- Conditions Requiring Surgery in Children
- Emergencies and Injuries
Newborn and Neonatal Conditions
- Prematurity and low birth weight: Babies born before 37 weeks or with a low birth weight may need help with breathing, temperature control and feeding. Some need care in the neonatal unit, followed by regular checks of growth, feeding, vision, hearing and development. Kangaroo mother care (prolonged skin-to-skin contact with a parent) is an important part of care for eligible preterm and low birth weight babies.
- Newborn jaundice: Yellowing of the skin and eyes, extremely common in the first week and usually harmless. Jaundice appearing within the first 24 hours, spreading rapidly, or persisting beyond two weeks needs assessment. Pale stools and dark urine in a jaundiced baby require urgent evaluation, as some causes are time-critical.
- Respiratory distress in newborns: Fast breathing, grunting, flaring nostrils or drawing in of the chest shortly after birth, treated with breathing support and, where indicated, specific medication for immature lungs.
- Neonatal infection: Infection in a newborn, which may show only as poor feeding, lethargy, temperature instability or a change in behavior rather than obvious signs. Any newborn who seems unwell needs prompt assessment.
- Feeding and weight gain problems: Difficulty latching, inadequate milk transfer, excessive weight loss after birth and slow weight gain, addressed with lactation support and medical assessment.
- Congenital conditions detected at or before birth: Structural differences of the heart, kidneys, digestive tract or limbs, many of which are identified on antenatal scans and planned for before delivery.
Common Childhood Illnesses
- Fever: A rise in temperature is usually a sign that the body is responding to an infection. Many fevers in children are caused by viral infections and settle within a few days. How a child looks, drinks and behaves matters as much as the number on the thermometer. A temperature of 38°C or above in a baby younger than three months needs urgent medical assessment, even if the baby appears well.
- Coughs, colds and throat infections: Usually viral and self-limiting. Antibiotics do not help viral infections, and using them unnecessarily causes side effects and contributes to resistance.
- Ear infections: Ear pain, tugging at the ear, fever and irritability, particularly after a cold. Many improve on their own; some require antibiotics, and the decision depends on age and severity.
- Pneumonia and bronchiolitis: Lower respiratory infections causing fast breathing, chest indrawing, wheeze and feeding difficulty. Bronchiolitis mainly affects infants and typically worsens for a few days before improving.
- Croup: A barking cough with a harsh sound on breathing in, usually worse at night, caused by swelling of the upper airway. Most cases are mild and respond quickly to treatment.
- Diarrhea and vomiting: Common and usually viral. The main risk is dehydration, which is why oral rehydration solution and zinc supplementation form the core of treatment. Signs of dehydration include reduced wet diapers or urination, no tears when crying, a dry mouth, sunken eyes, unusual drowsiness and, in babies, a sunken soft spot.
- Urinary tract infection: In young children this may present only as unexplained fever, vomiting or poor feeding, without any urinary symptoms. It is confirmed by urine testing, and recurrent infections are investigated for underlying causes.
- Dengue, typhoid and other seasonal infections: Fever illnesses common in this region, which need specific testing rather than presumptive treatment. Warning signs in dengue, which include persistent vomiting, severe abdominal pain, bleeding and extreme lethargy, usually appear as the fever starts to fall.
Breathing and Allergic Conditions
- Asthma and recurrent wheezing: Repeated episodes of cough, wheeze and breathlessness, often worse at night, during exercise, or with colds and weather changes. Most children can achieve good symptom control with the right treatment plan, correct inhaler technique and regular review.
- Allergic rhinitis: Persistent sneezing, blocked or running nose and itchy eyes, frequently seasonal and often occurring alongside asthma.
- Food allergy: Reactions to specific foods ranging from rash and vomiting to severe allergic reaction with breathing difficulty and collapse, which is a medical emergency. Suspected food allergy should be formally assessed rather than managed by eliminating foods on guesswork, which risks nutritional deficiency.
- Atopic dermatitis (eczema): Dry, itchy, inflamed skin, often beginning in infancy, which tends to run in families alongside asthma and allergy.
Growth, Nutrition and Development
- Poor weight gain and failure to thrive: A child not gaining weight as expected, assessed by plotting measurements over time rather than from a single reading. Causes range from feeding difficulty and inadequate intake to celiac disease, infection, heart conditions and metabolic disorders.
- Short stature: A child growing more slowly than expected for age and family pattern. Assessment looks at the growth trend over months, nutrition, thyroid function and, where indicated, hormonal causes.
- Childhood obesity: Excess weight in children, which increasingly leads to raised blood pressure, fatty liver, insulin resistance and joint problems at younger ages than previously seen. Management focuses on family habits rather than restrictive dieting.
- Iron deficiency anemia and nutritional deficiencies: Common in Indian children, causing fatigue, poor appetite, irritability and reduced concentration at school. Vitamin D deficiency and rickets also remain prevalent.
- Feeding difficulties and picky eating: Extremely common in toddlers and usually part of normal development, though persistent restriction, gagging or refusal affecting growth needs assessment.
- Developmental delay: Not meeting milestones for sitting, walking, speech or social interaction at the expected time. Early identification matters because early therapy achieves more than the same therapy started later.
- Autism spectrum conditions and ADHD: Differences in communication, social interaction and behavior, and persistent difficulty with attention and impulse control. Both are diagnosed clinically over time, with support focused on skills, communication, school adjustments and family guidance.
- Speech and language delay: Delayed or unclear speech, which requires hearing assessment first, as undetected hearing loss is a common and correctable cause.
Heart Conditions
- Congenital heart disease: Structural differences present from birth, such as holes between chambers or narrowed valves. Signs in infancy include poor feeding, breathlessness, sweating during feeds, poor weight gain and bluish discoloration of the lips. Many are detected through a murmur or on newborn screening.
- Innocent heart murmurs: Extra heart sounds that are common in healthy children and do not require treatment. A pediatrician or pediatric cardiologist decides whether an echocardiogram is needed after examining the child.
- Rheumatic heart disease: Valve damage following untreated streptococcal throat infection, which remains an important cause of acquired heart disease in Indian children and is preventable with proper treatment of throat infection.
- Kawasaki disease: Prolonged fever in a young child with rash, red eyes, red lips and tongue, swollen hands and feet and enlarged neck glands. It can affect the heart arteries. Early treatment substantially reduces this risk, so persistent unexplained fever in a young child needs medical assessment.
Digestive and Liver Conditions
- Infant reflux: Bringing up milk after feeds, very common in the first months and usually harmless if the baby is feeding well and gaining weight. Poor weight gain, distress, refusing feeds or blood in the vomit need assessment.
- Chronic constipation: A frequent problem that often becomes self-perpetuating, with hard painful stools leading to withholding and sometimes soiling. It responds well to structured treatment, which usually takes months rather than days.
- Chronic diarrhea and celiac disease: Persistent loose stools, bloating and poor growth, evaluated for malabsorption, celiac disease and infection. Testing for celiac disease must be done before starting a gluten-free diet.
- Recurrent abdominal pain: A common complaint in school-age children, most often functional rather than due to disease, though assessment rules out treatable causes and identifies where stress or school-related factors are contributing.
- Liver conditions in children: Prolonged jaundice in infancy, hepatitis and inherited liver disorders, which need prompt evaluation as some causes are treatable only if identified early.
Kidney and Urinary Conditions
- Nephrotic syndrome: Protein loss in the urine causing swelling around the eyes and in the legs and frothy urine. It typically responds to treatment but tends to relapse, requiring long-term follow-up.
- Bedwetting: Very common in young children and usually a matter of maturation rather than behavior. It is not the child’s fault and should not be punished. Assessment and treatment are worthwhile if it persists into school age or causes distress.
- Urinary tract abnormalities: Structural differences affecting the kidneys or urinary tract, sometimes detected on antenatal scans or after a urinary infection.
Blood, Endocrine and Cancer Conditions
- Type 1 diabetes: An autoimmune condition where the pancreas stops producing insulin, usually appearing in childhood with excessive thirst, frequent urination, weight loss and tiredness developing over weeks. Insulin is required from diagnosis, and structured education for the child, family and school is part of treatment.
- Thyroid disorders and growth hormone deficiency: Hormonal conditions affecting growth, energy and development, diagnosed on blood testing and treatable.
- Early or delayed puberty: Puberty beginning unusually early or failing to begin by the expected age, both of which warrant hormonal evaluation.
- Thalassemia and inherited anemias: Inherited blood disorders that may require regular monitoring, transfusions and treatment to prevent iron overload. Carrier screening and genetic counseling may also be discussed with families.
- Childhood cancers: Leukemia, lymphoma, brain tumors and solid tumors, many of which respond very well to treatment. Warning signs include persistent unexplained fever, pallor with easy bruising, a lump, persistent bone pain, morning headaches with vomiting, or a white reflection in the eye.
Conditions Requiring Surgery in Children
- Hernia, hydrocele and undescended testis: Common conditions requiring planned surgery, with the timing of undescended testis correction mattering for future fertility.
- Appendicitis and acute abdominal conditions: Abdominal pain with vomiting and fever, requiring urgent assessment. Intussusception in infants presents with episodes of severe crying with drawing up of the legs, vomiting and sometimes blood in the stool.
- Congenital surgical conditions: Structural differences of the digestive tract, abdominal wall and urinary system, many identified before or shortly after birth.
Emergencies and Injuries
- Breathing difficulty: Fast breathing, chest indrawing, grunting, inability to complete a sentence or feed, or bluish lips; all requiring immediate attention.
- Seizures: A seizure may cause jerking movements, stiffness, staring or loss of awareness. Febrile seizures can occur with fever in children between six months and five years. They are frightening to witness but are usually brief and do not typically cause brain damage or lead to epilepsy. A first seizure always needs medical assessment.
- Accidental poisoning and foreign body ingestion: Swallowing medicines, chemicals, button batteries or small objects. Button batteries and magnets are particularly dangerous and need immediate attention. Bring the container or a sample of what was swallowed.
- Head injury, burns and fractures: Injuries requiring assessment, with specific warning signs after head injury including persistent vomiting, drowsiness, confusion or a seizure.
- Immunization
- Well-child care
- Nutrition and lactation support
- Treatment of acute illness
- Asthma management
- Neonatal intensive care
- Pediatric intensive care
- Delivery room care
- High-risk newborn follow-up
- Pediatric surgery
- Chronic disease management
- Developmental therapy
- Allergy management
- Adolescent care
Immunization
Vaccination according to the recommended schedule, including catch-up doses for children who have missed vaccines and additional vaccines for children with specific health conditions.
Well-child care
Scheduled visits tracking growth and development, feeding and nutrition guidance, sleep and behavior advice, safety counseling and answering the questions parents accumulate between visits.
Nutrition and lactation support
Breastfeeding assistance, guidance on starting solid foods at around six months while continuing breastfeeding, management of picky eating and treatment of nutritional deficiencies.
Treatment of acute illness
Oral rehydration and, where appropriate, zinc for diarrhea; inhaled treatment for wheezing; antibiotics when a bacterial infection is confirmed or strongly suspected; and admission for intravenous fluids, oxygen or closer monitoring when needed.
Asthma management
Inhaled preventive and reliever medication with spacer devices, written action plans for what to do during a flare-up, technique checks at each visit and avoidance of identified triggers.
Neonatal intensive care
Breathing support including CPAP and ventilation, surfactant therapy for immature lungs, phototherapy and exchange transfusion for jaundice, intravenous nutrition, infection treatment and support for establishing feeding.
Pediatric intensive care
Monitoring and organ support for critically ill children with severe infection, breathing failure, seizures or after major surgery.
Delivery room care
Assessment and stabilization of babies who need help immediately after birth, with antenatal counseling for families when a premature birth or newborn health problem is expected.
High-risk newborn follow-up
Follow-up after NICU discharge to review growth, feeding, immunization, hearing, vision and development, with referrals for therapy or specialist care when required.
Pediatric surgery
Hernia repair, undescended testis correction, appendectomy and surgery for congenital conditions, performed with pediatric anesthesia and age-appropriate pain management, often laparoscopically.
Chronic disease management
Structured care for type 1 diabetes including insulin, glucose monitoring and education for family and school; long-term follow-up for epilepsy, nephrotic syndrome, thalassemia and congenital heart disease.
Developmental therapy
Speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and behavioral support, with school liaison where classroom adjustments are needed.
Allergy management
Identification of triggers, medication, action plans for severe reactions, and supervised food reintroduction where appropriate.
Adolescent care
Confidential consultation on growth, nutrition, skin, menstrual health and emotional wellbeing, with the balance between the young person’s privacy and parental involvement handled sensitively.
- Neonatal intensive care
- Pediatric intensive care
- Pediatric imaging
- Child-friendly monitoring
- Pediatric anesthesia
Neonatal intensive care
A level 3 neonatal intensive care unit can support premature and unwell newborns with incubators, continuous monitoring and different forms of breathing support, including CPAP and ventilation. Equipment and care protocols are designed specifically for newborns.
Pediatric intensive care
A pediatric intensive care unit provides age-appropriate monitoring and organ support for critically ill children.
Pediatric imaging
Pediatric imaging protocols use the lowest appropriate radiation dose. Ultrasound and MRI are preferred over CT whenever they can provide the information needed.
Child-friendly monitoring
Non-invasive monitoring and pediatric blood-sampling protocols help limit discomfort and avoid taking more blood than is clinically necessary.
Pediatric anesthesia
Pediatric anesthesia and sedation support may be used for imaging or procedures when a child cannot remain still, with age-appropriate assessment and monitoring.
1
When should I take my child to a doctor for fever?
Any fever in a baby under three months needs same-day medical assessment, even if the baby appears well. For older children, seek care if the fever lasts more than three days, if the child is unusually drowsy or difficult to wake, is breathing fast or with difficulty, is not drinking or passing urine, has a rash that does not fade on pressure, has a seizure, or simply seems much more unwell than a usual illness. How the child looks matters more than what the thermometer says.
2
Does a high fever cause brain damage?
Fever from ordinary childhood infections does not cause brain damage. The temperature itself is less important than what is causing it and how the child is behaving. Medicines are given for comfort rather than to force the number down.
3
Why won't the doctor prescribe antibiotics for my child's cold?
Because antibiotics work only against bacteria, and colds, flu and most sore throats and coughs are viral. Giving antibiotics unnecessarily causes side effects such as diarrhea and rash, and contributes to resistance that makes future infections harder to treat. If a bacterial infection is present or develops, antibiotics will be prescribed.
4
How do I know if my baby is dehydrated?
Look for fewer wet nappies or less urine than usual, no tears when crying, a dry mouth and tongue, sunken eyes, unusual drowsiness or floppiness, and in babies a sunken soft spot on the head. Oral rehydration solution given in small frequent amounts is the treatment; plain water, soft drinks and fruit juices are not adequate substitutes during diarrhea.
5
My baby has jaundice. Is it serious?
Jaundice in the first week of life is very common and usually harmless. It needs assessment if it appears within the first 24 hours of birth, if it deepens quickly, if it persists beyond two weeks, or if the baby is feeding poorly or seems unwell. Pale stools and dark urine in a jaundiced baby need urgent evaluation. Sunlight exposure is not a treatment.
6
What should I do if my child has a febrile seizure?
Stay with the child, move hard objects away, place them on their side, and do not put anything in the mouth or try to restrain them. Note the time. Call for emergency help if the seizure lasts more than five minutes, if another follows without recovery, if breathing is difficult, or if this is the first seizure. Febrile seizures are frightening to witness but are usually harmless and do not typically lead to epilepsy.
7
When should my baby start solid foods?
At around six months, alongside continued breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months, with breastfeeding continuing into the second year alongside family foods. Start with soft, iron-rich foods, introduce one new item at a time, and expect several attempts before a food is accepted. Honey should not be given before the age of one.
8
My toddler eats very little. Should I be worried?
Picky eating and a reduced appetite are extremely common between one and three years, partly because growth slows after infancy. What matters is whether weight and height are tracking along their expected curve. Force-feeding and long mealtime battles tend to make the problem worse. Seek assessment if weight gain has stalled, if the range of accepted foods is extremely narrow, or if there is gagging or choking.
9
Is my child's speech delayed?
Hearing should be checked first, since undetected hearing loss is a common and correctable cause. Assessment is warranted if a child is not babbling by around a year, has very few words by eighteen months to two years, is not combining words by around two and a half, or if speech is losing ground rather than progressing. Early therapy achieves more than the same therapy started later.
10
How much screen time is appropriate for young children?
Screens are generally discouraged for children under about two years apart from video calls, with limited, supervised use for older preschoolers and clear limits for school-age children. Screen use during meals and in the hour before bed interferes with eating and sleep. Time spent in conversation, play and outdoors matters more than the specific number of minutes.
11
Are vaccines safe, and what if we have missed some?
Vaccines used in the national and recommended schedules have been extensively tested and monitored. Mild fever, irritability and soreness at the injection site for a day or two are the usual reactions. Missed vaccines can almost always be caught up. Bring the vaccination card so a catch-up schedule can be planned rather than starting again.
12
My child wheezes every time he gets a cold. Is this asthma?
It may be. Recurrent wheezing with colds is common in preschool children and many grow out of it, while some go on to have asthma. The pattern over time, family history of allergy, and response to inhaler treatment help clarify it. Inhalers with a spacer are safe and effective in young children when used correctly.
13
Do inhalers cause dependence or harm children?
No. Inhaled medication delivers a very small dose directly to the airways, with far less effect on the rest of the body than tablets or syrups. Poorly controlled asthma does more harm than the medication; it disturbs sleep, limits activity and causes repeated illness. Correct technique with a spacer matters more than the choice of device.
14
My child wets the bed at night. What should we do?
Bedwetting is common well into the early school years and is a matter of maturation, not behaviour or laziness. Punishment and shaming make it worse. Most children outgrow it. Assessment is worthwhile if it persists into later school age, if a child who was previously dry starts wetting again, or if there are daytime symptoms, as these may point to a treatable cause.
15
How do I know if my child's tummy pain is serious?
Most recurrent tummy pain in school-age children is functional and not caused by disease. Seek assessment for pain that wakes the child at night, is localized away from the navel, comes with weight loss, persistent vomiting, blood in the stool, fever or joint pain, or for severe pain that is worsening.
16
When should a child be brought to the emergency department immediately?
Difficulty breathing, bluish lips, a seizure, unresponsiveness or extreme drowsiness, a rash that does not fade when pressed, severe dehydration, a swallowed battery or magnet, poisoning, a serious injury, or persistent vomiting with drowsiness after a head injury. Any newborn who seems unwell should be brought in without waiting.
17
Can my child have surgery safely at a young age?
Yes, when performed by pediatric surgeons with pediatric anesthesia and monitoring sized for children. Doses, equipment and recovery care all differ from adult practice. The specific risks for your child, and the reasons for the recommended timing, are explained before you consent.
18
Will my child be seen by the same doctor each time?
Continuity is the aim for routine and chronic care, since a doctor who knows a child's history and growth pattern makes better judgements. Emergency and inpatient care is delivered by whoever is on duty, with records shared across the team.
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This page is for general awareness. Diagnosis, treatment options and timelines vary from child to child and are decided only after clinical examination and consultation.
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