Warts

Is this your child's symptom?

Raised, round, rough-surfaced growths on the skin
Skin-colored or pink
Most commonly occur on the hands, especially the fingers
Not painful unless located on the sole of the foot (plantar wart). Also can be painful if on part of a finger used for writing.

Avoid baths or hot tubs with other children. Reason: warts can spread in warm water.
Also, avoid sharing washcloths or towels.
Contact sports: warts can spread to other team members. Warts should be covered or treated.
Time it takes to get warts after close contact: 3 months

Wart on bottom of foot (plantar wart)
Wart on face
Wart on genitals or anus
4 or more warts
Pus is draining from the wart. Apply antibiotic ointment 3 times per day until seen.
On treatment more than 2 weeks and new warts appear
On treatment more than 8 weeks and warts not gone
You have other questions or concerns

If your child’s illness or injury is life-threatening, call 911.

Buy a wart medicine with 17% salicylic acid (such as Compound W). No prescription is needed.
Apply the acid once a day to the top of the wart. If there are many warts, treat the 3 largest ones.
Since it's an acid, avoid getting any near the eyes or mouth. Also try to keep it off the normal skin.
The acid will turn the wart into dead skin (it will turn white).

The acid will work faster if it is covered with duct tape. Do not use regular tape.
If you don't want to use an acid, use duct tape alone.
Covering warts with duct tape can irritate the warts. This will turn on the body's immune system.
Cover as many of the warts as possible. Cover at least 3 of them.
The covered warts become red and start to die. Once this happens, often all the warts will go away.
Try to keep the warts covered all the time.
Remove the tape once per day, usually before bathing. Then replace it after bathing.
Some children object to having the tape on at school. At the very least, tape it every night.

Once or twice a week, remove the dead wart material. Do this by paring it down with a disposable razor.
This is easier to do than you think. It shouldn't cause any pain or bleeding.
Soak the area first in warm water for 10 minutes. Reason: the dead wart will be easier to remove.
Some children won't want you to cut off the layer of dead wart. Rub it off with a washcloth instead.

Discourage your child from picking at the wart. Picking it and scratching a new area with the same finger can spread warts. A new wart can form in 1 to 2 months.
Chewing or sucking on them can lead to similar warts on the face.
If your child is doing this, cover the wart. Use a bandage.
Keep your child's fingernails cut short and wash your child's hands more often.