First signs of a cold in children

Unlike adults, children suffer from colds much more often. This is due to the underdeveloped immune system and the vulnerability of the child's body to various viral and bacterial agents.

The peak of colds occurs when a child starts attending kindergarten or primary school. In a large group, viruses actively circulate, infecting children. It should be taken into account that each case of illness is a test for the immune system, which subsequently resists such infections.

Children's colds have a number of features:

• Sudden onset with increased body temperature.
• Increased anxiety and capriciousness in the child.
• Poor appetite and sleep.
• Tearfulness.

Treatment of a cold should be started when its first symptoms appear. However, therapy should not be postponed, relying on the immune system's own strength. To draw up an effective treatment plan, you should consult a pediatrician. Before visiting a doctor, the child should be provided with plenty of fluids and bed rest.

Symptoms the first symptoms of a cold in a child

An immature immune system is the main reason why children often get respiratory diseases. Often, infection occurs through contact with a sick person, hypothermia, or poor hygiene.

The first signs of a child's cold include:

• Increased body temperature.
• Feverish condition.
• General malaise.
• Nasal congestion and runny nose.
• Sore throat.

If the temperature above 38 °C persists for more than 3 days, it indicates a complication of the disease. If the baby has frequent loose stools and vomiting, these are signs of dehydration. To prevent this symptom, it is very important to provide the child with plenty of fluids during a cold. Frequent complications of the disease include difficulty breathing and changes in the child's behavior.

In infants and children in the first years of life, respiratory infections are severe and there is a high risk of complications. In preschoolers and schoolchildren, the disease makes itself known 6-8 times during the cold season. Its duration is from 5 to 14 days.

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Treatment the first symptoms of a cold in a child

Children's bodies are more susceptible to colds than adults. When viruses and bacteria enter the respiratory tract, the immune system is activated and resists, which is manifested by an inflammatory process. This causes a sharp increase in temperature, sore throat, nasal congestion, and sneezing. If treatment is not started at this stage, the disease will progress.

What to do at the first symptoms of a cold in a child?

To help your child cope with a cold, you need to follow these recommendations:

1. Provide your child with bed rest and peace at home. Do not take him to kindergarten or school for 2-3 days in order to limit contact with other infected people.
2. Regularly ventilate the child's room, ensure sufficient air humidification (dry air irritates the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx) and carry out wet cleaning.
3. To speed up the elimination of pathogens, you need to drink plenty of fluids. This starts the detoxification process and shortens the duration of the disease. You can drink warm water, tea with honey, warm milk, compotes and fruit drinks, herbal decoctions, infusions, herbal teas, broths.
4. In the first days of illness, the child may have a poor appetite, so do not force him to eat. At the same time, the child's diet should be balanced so that the body receives a full range of useful micro and macro elements.
5. If you have a sore throat, gargling with a solution of soda, iodine and salt will help. You can also use a decoction of chamomile or pharmacy antiseptics - Furacilin, Miramistin. If you have a runny nose and difficulty breathing through your nose, then steam inhalations with eucalyptus oil or boiled potatoes, rinsing your nose with a weak solution of sea salt will help.

If, while following the above recommendations, there is no improvement in the painful condition and the symptoms increase, you should contact a pediatrician. In particularly severe cases, you need to call an ambulance.

What should a child take at the first signs of a cold?

Due to an immature immune system, children catch colds much more often than adults. The first signs of the disease are an increase in body temperature, which can persist for three or more days. Against the background of general malaise, a runny nose and sore throat are observed, as well as a deterioration in appetite. Infants tolerate respiratory infections much more severely than older children.

Treatment of the child should be comprehensive:

1. First of all, provide the baby with peace and bed rest. Air the room daily and do wet cleaning. During the period of illness, a dairy and plant diet is recommended. If the child refuses to eat, then do not force him.
2. Before using medications, pay attention to medicinal herbs. At the first painful symptoms, infusions based on chamomile, rose hips, coltsfoot help well. Fruits and juices, tea with honey and raspberries will be useful.
3. Among medications, preference should be given to immunostimulants, which support a weakened immune system and stimulate the production of the child’s own interferon in the body.
4. If the child has a runny nose and nasal congestion, then vasoconstrictor drugs are used. At elevated temperature, antipyretic drugs are prescribed, most often based on paracetamol. They reduce fever, relieve headaches and other unpleasant symptoms. For children under 12 years old, drugs based on acetylsalicylic acid are contraindicated. This is due to the risk of developing adverse reactions. NSAIDs are prohibited, since they put a high load on the child's liver.

The main mistake many parents make when treating a child is overheating the patient. If the baby's temperature has risen sharply due to a cold, it is necessary to provide coolness in the room. Wrapping up, covering with thick blankets and additional heating of the room can lead to heat stroke.

Antibacterial agents are prohibited, especially if they are not prescribed by the attending physician. Antimicrobial drugs are ineffective against viral infections, they are used when complications or diseases of bacterial etiology develop.

A comprehensive approach to treatment allows you to prevent further development of cold pathology, thereby protecting the child from its complications. Particular attention should be paid to preventive measures. Provide your child with protection from hypothermia, limit contact with sick people, adhere to personal hygiene rules. Also, do not forget about a balanced diet and a rational daily routine.

What to give when a child has his first cold?

People of all ages face colds, and the disease does not bypass even the very young. In infants, the disease is more severe than in older children. For some parents, the first child's cold causes real panic and, in an attempt to help their child, they rush to the pharmacy in search of an effective medicine.

Today, the pharmaceutical market offers a variety of drugs for the treatment of colds in both adults and children. They can be divided into two large groups:

1. Etiotropic drugs – affect pathogenic agents and increase immune defense.

• Immunomodulators – strengthen the immune system, allowing it to fight the disease on its own. Babies are most often prescribed Amiksin or drugs with interferon, which inhibit the reproduction of viruses and bacteria. Of the latter, the most popular are rectal suppositories Viferon 1.
• Antiviral drugs – affect the virus, disrupting its life cycle and stopping its spread. Patients are often prescribed drugs based on oseltamivir, zanamivir.

2. Symptomatic therapy

• Antipyretics – high temperature promotes the production of special substances in the body – interferons, which help fight infection. It should be brought down when it is above 38°C. For this, paracetamol-based medications are used. Ibuprofen and Acetylsalicylic acid are not prescribed for children due to the risk of developing side effects.
• Vasoconstrictors - prescribed for a runny nose, quickly relieve swelling and facilitate nasal breathing. The duration of use of such drugs should not exceed 5-7 days. Longer therapy can provoke drug-induced rhinitis.
• Antitussives - in some cases, a cold is complicated by coughing fits, for their treatment, non-narcotic antitussives of central action are used. For a wet cough, agents are used that thin the sputum and facilitate its removal.

Parents should ensure that the child stays in bed and drinks plenty of fluids. If there is no improvement on the fourth day of the illness, then it is necessary to call a doctor. Medical care is necessary for severe hyperthermia, severe cough, intense pain in any part of the body, skin rashes.

Any medications for treating colds in children should be selected by a doctor. The doctor takes into account the child's age, painful symptoms and the nature of their origin. The interaction of medications and the risk of developing side effects are also taken into account.