Colds in children

Colds in children are caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat and other organs when they enter the body. The virus is a microorganism, because of which children become ill. Colds in children are most common in autumn and winter, when children are in a room in close contact with each other.

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How does the common cold spread?

Children may become infected with colds from brothers and sisters, parents, other family members, friends or guardians. Microbes, as a rule, are distributed in one of three ways:

Direct contact, such as kissing, touching or touching the hands of an infected person. If a virus enters your body, you will have many microbes on the mucous membrane of the nose, mouth, eyes, and also on the skin.

Indirect contact means that the child touched the toy, the door handle or the tissue that was touched by the infected person and on which the microbes remained. Some microbes, including those that cause colds and diarrhea, can remain on the surfaces for hours.

Some germs spread through the air when the sick child coughs or sneezes. Drops from coughing or sneezing can reach the nose or mouth of another child if it is less than a meter away.

Why do children suffer from a cold?

It may seem that your child's cold is followed one after another throughout the winter. This can really be true: small children do not have immunity to more than 100 different cold viruses that constantly swirl around. That's why every year with children under 2 years of age there are from 8 to 10 cases of colds.

Once the cold virus has entered the body, the immune system learns to fight it. Therefore, children are less likely to get colds as soon as they get older.

How can I tell if a child has a cold?

Typical symptoms of a cold include:

• runny nose or sneezing,
• cough,
• headache,
• mild sore throat,

• loss of appetite,
• fatigue
• a slight increase in temperature.

Colds in the initial stage are very easy to confuse with the flu. The flu virus causes heat, coughing and numbness in the body. She hits the baby faster than a cold, and makes the child feel much worse. Children with colds tend to weaken, but not enough to stop playing. Children with influenza usually spend a lot of time in bed, because their body is poisoned by toxins of viruses.

When should a pediatric cold refer to a doctor?

Children up to 3 months of age may find it difficult to breathe because of nasal congestion. The feeding of such children can also be difficult. Call your doctor to make an appointment or call an ambulance if your child has:

• there were problems with breathing,
• the child does not eat because of vomiting
• he has an elevated temperature of 38.5 ° C or higher.

Some respiratory viruses that cause colds in older children can cause more severe symptoms in infants and toddlers. These diseases can be laryngitis (hoarseness, noisy breathing, barking cough), pneumonia (pneumonia), bronchitis ( shortness of breath, shortness of breath), or symptoms such as pain in the eyes, throat and enlarged lymph nodes of the neck. Children with these symptoms should be evaluated by a doctor in order to correctly diagnose.

Adults with children of any age should consult a doctor if a child's cold can cause more serious health problems. Contact your doctor to make an appointment or send your child to the emergency room if you notice that your child:

1. breathes quickly and hard,
2. he has blue lips,
3. the child strongly coughs, this symptom is supplemented with suffocation or vomiting,
4. the child wakes up in the morning with eyes (one or both) on which the pus stiffened,
5. the child is more sleepy than usual, does not want to eat or play, or, on the contrary, very tearful and can not calm down,
6. He has abundant and dense (yellow, green) discharge from the nose that lasts more than 10 or 14 days.

Contact the child with a doctor if he has pain in his ear or a discharge from the ear that may be caused by a cold.

How to act when a child has a cold?

Colds usually last about 1 week, but can last up to 2 weeks. Symptoms of a cold (if there are no complications) usually disappear by themselves.

A child with a cold at home should be as comfortable as possible. He needs to give a large amount of liquid (up to 1 liter) and dietary dishes.

Check your child's temperature. To alleviate pain or discomfort at temperatures above 38.5 ° C, paracetamol can be used. Ibuprofen can be used for children older than 6 months. If the doctor is against using paracetamol, he can use another medicine while the child's temperature goes down. In no case should children be given acetylsalicylic acid (eg, aspirin) or any other drug, because this can lead to brain and liver abnormalities (Reye syndrome).

If your baby has breastfeeding problems due to mucus in the nose, you need to use a rubber pear to clean the mucus from the nose. Use nasal drops or nasal saline spray if the mucus is very thick. Spraying penetrates the nasal passages and can act milder and more efficiently than drops.

How to treat a child with a cold?

Do not give over-the-counter cough and cold remedies to children under the age of 6 if the doctor did not prescribe them.

Talk with your doctor before giving your child over-the-counter medications or other medications related to chronic medical conditions. Read the labels and instructions for preparations carefully. The main thing is not to give more drugs than recommended for a child of a certain age.

Cough helps to clean the baby's breast of mucus. Many medicines against colds and coughs contain medications to alleviate it. These can be antitussive syrups or decoctions against cough.

Anti-edema and antihistamines (drugs for cleaning the nose and sinuses) will not help with coughing to the child. If you take them inside, these drugs can be useless and even harmful: the child may have heart palpitations or problems with sleep. Antihistamines, unfortunately, do not help with colds.

Drops in the nose or sprays provide only a brief relief for the baby, so they do not need to be used for longer than 2 or 3 days. They can overload the baby's body and make his condition worse. In particular, do not use these products for children under 6 years of age.

Humidifiers for colds are not recommended because of the danger of contamination due to bacteria and mold. And domestic hot water vaporizers are not recommended because of the danger of burns.

Antibiotics for the baby will not help get rid of the common cold. They should be used only when the children develop more serious diseases caused by bacteria, such as ear infection or pneumonia.

Children during the cold can continue their normal activities if they feel well enough for this. If they have fever or complications, they may need several days of rest at home. Your child can go to school for a cold if he feels well enough to take part in school activities. Children with colds can even play on the street.

How to prevent a cold in a child?

Washing the hands of the child is the most important way to reduce the spread of colds:

• Wash the hands of the child after coughing, sneezing or wiping the nose.
• Wash the hands of the child after he has been in contact with those who have a respiratory infection.
• Wash your hands and hands of the baby after wiping the baby's nose.
• If water and soap are not available, use alcohol-based napkins or hand rinses. Keep mouthwashes out of the reach of your child, as the child can swallow.
• Keep children under 3 months away from people with a cold as far as possible.
• Teach your children to close their nose and mouth when they sneeze or cough.
• Avoid giving toys to young children until they are well washed or vacuumed (if the toys are soft).
• Avoid joint dishes and towels, because they can be viruses or bacteria of a sick person.

If your child visits a kindergarten, the caregiver needs to talk about any symptoms of a cold and ask him if the child can not stay at home that day.

Make sure that your child has received all the recommended vaccinations. Although vaccines do not work in the prevention of colds, they will help prevent some complications, such as bacterial infections of the ears or lungs.

Colds in children - of course, cause for concern of parents, but this is not a reason to sit idly by. Simple methods of prevention and timely access to a doctor can protect your child from a cold or its complications.