At some point and time, every person has had a common cold and possibly the flu. No matter what age or station you’re at in life, it is possible to catch a cold or be bombarded by the flu. Although the common cold can be cured relatively easy, it is perhaps just as easy to catch. Unlike the common cold, the flu is more serious and can result in hospitalization if need be.
Usually when children first go back to school, the weather is changing and the common cold takes hold and moves from child to child due to the close quarters the children share all day. Younger children sometimes have trouble remembering to cover their mouths, which can make the common cold spread quicker than usual due to germs being sprayed into the air. Try to start teaching the practice of covering a sneeze or cough to toddler-aged children or young so that the habit can be well formed by the time they reach school age.
The most common symptoms of a common cold are fever, coughing, runny nose, and watery eyes. Some children, particularly smaller children who have less body fat, may become lethargic when a common cold attacks their immune system. Many cold remedies have been removed from the shelves as they had never been proven safe for children less than 6 years of age. Consult with your child’s pediatrician for medicinal remedies to ease your child’s cold symptoms.
It is a good practice to ensure that your child takes a multi-vitamin regularly. If you are not sure what type of vitamin, your child’s pediatrician can make a recommendation. In addition, make sure your child is up to date on their immunizations. Although there is no immunization for the common cold, there is also a flu shot that your child can receive annual which can help protect against catching the flu.
Unlike the common cold, flu symptoms are much more treacherous on children and can require hospitalization. Fever, shortness of breath, chest pains during coughing, body aches and chills and loss of appetite are some flu symptoms. If you suspect your child has the flu, take him or her to the hospital immediately. Small children, in particular, can reach a critical status quickly because of the rapid pace of their metabolisms.
Whether it is a common cold or the flu, any time your child’s temperature reaches the 100-101 mark, be sure to take them directly to the hospital as this is a critically high temperature that requires medical attention right away.
With both the common cold and the flu, offer your child plenty of fluids so that fever does not cause dehydration. Manufacturers like Pedia-Lyte now also make their products in popsicles for small children who may want something like ice instead of drinking from a cup. Likewise, there are grape-flavored cough lollipops for children who are not old enough to have mentholated cough drops.
