When a cold affects children, in principle, this cold will strengthen their immune system for years to come, and therefore their physical strength and resistance against viruses will increase, but all parents when their children They get cold and worry and this is normal.
It is important that if you have another child at home, you should also take care of him because a cold is contagious in the first 3 days and can be transferred to your other child. Your sick babies will cry and fuss more than you think in the first 3 days.
He has a noticeable loss of appetite and may even have a fever. Don’t forget one thing, if your child is under 3 months old, you should take him to the pediatrician even for a fever of 38 degrees and don’t rely on phone advice.
On the second and third day, you will see a runny nose. This runny nose means that your child’s immune system has reactivated and is busy fighting the cold.
The water coming out of your baby’s nose is clear and usually in the first 2-3 days this runny nose continues constantly.
If your child is a baby, you have no choice but to wipe his nose with a tissue, but if he is a little older, ask him to blow the mucus out. This movement will speed up his healing process and of course, his runny nose will be less.
From the third to the sixth day, the baby’s fever should be stopped. Your child is less restless and of course his appetite has improved. His runny nose has decreased and its color is slightly yellow.
From the sixth day to the ninth day, the cough usually starts with a cold. In fact, when your baby lies on his back during a cold, the mucus that comes out during a runny nose goes to the throat through the nasal passages and causes coughing.
Inevitably, your child does not sleep well at this stage of a cold, and cough and dry lungs and chest bother him.
From the ninth day to the twelfth day, the runny nose is much less, and the water that comes out of your child’s nose is no longer thin and has become a little hard and dry. The child is almost back to normal and eats well as before and does his usual activities very easily. It is better to strengthen him even more these days with fruit juice and hearty soups.
The condition that was said is for a cold, but sometimes the situation is beyond a cold and it is known that the flu has come. It is better to know that influenza is one of the diseases that may occur not only in autumn and winter, but also in the early months of spring, i.e. April. However, if this disease is supposed to show itself in the cold season, it will usually be found in November and December more than other times, and in a limited time, maybe a few weeks, its virus becomes so widespread that most children die. He captures himself. This disease is contagious one day before its symptoms appear in a child who is infected with it, and its contagious state remains up to two weeks, that is, the entire duration of its infection.
Influenza has certain symptoms that older children may be able to report these annoying symptoms, but babies have no other way to express such symptoms except by crying, and this is exactly why parents should definitely visit a pediatrician for their baby’s crying for no reason.
◉ The main characteristic symptoms of influenza in babies:
– Severe and sudden fevers that sometimes reach 40 degrees or more
– Feeling of pain and bruises in the muscles of the body
– Feeling weak and numb (infants and young children cannot express)
– Heavy headaches (infants and young children can’t say)
– Feeling of pain in the area behind the eyes (eye sockets) (babies and young children cannot describe it)
– Sore throat (infants and young children cannot describe it)
– Dry and painful coughs
◉ Influenza comes very quickly:
Remember that influenza in children has far more severe consequences than in adults, and physical weakness in children is much greater than in adults, so that it may completely disable them for a few days, and of course, the younger the child, the more severe these symptoms are. There will be more that this slowly manifests itself, but the flu comes very quickly and shows its symptoms. You may not believe it, but the influenza virus has the ability to enter your child’s body within a few hours and, of course, show itself in a short time.
– The fever in influenza may last more than 2-3 days and even if the fever stops, there is still a possibility that your child’s condition will not improve despite the fever stopping.
– You can clearly see numbness and weakness in your child. He gets so upset that he sits in a corner and even his favorite toys no longer appeal to him.
– Your child’s appetite will be strangely reduced due to influenza.
– Coughs that occur in influenza are much more intense and of course drier than cold coughs.
– Babies and children aged 2-3 may even experience diarrhea and vomiting in this disease. Finally, the flu is completely different from a cold.
Influenza has certain symptoms that older children may be able to report
◉ What to do for treatment?
There are many ways to treat colds and flu, of course, it is better to have them all with the diagnosis and opinion of a pediatrician. In addition, antibiotics have not always been able to have a special effect against all viruses.
Not all antiviral drugs have the ability to increase the body’s resistance against some types of influenza.
Research on the human body has also shown that the combination of anti-congestion drugs and antihistamines may not have an effect on children as they should, and perhaps such drugs may cause other unpleasant consequences for children, such as nervousness and poor sleep. Therefore, most doctors refrain from prescribing such drugs, especially for babies, and of course, if they have to prescribe these drugs, many of them recommend a very small dose and amount of this drug for slightly older children.
Always remember that this doctor is your child’s specialist who, due to the full knowledge of your child’s physical conditions, can treat diseases such as influenza or colds with any medicine that is suitable in his opinion. In these cases, it is better to trust your pediatrician and leave the treatment to him, and of course, do not go for self-treatment!
◉ Necessary recommendations:
1. During the cold and flu season, be sure to have children’s acetaminophen and ibuprofen at home so that you can use them in case of severe and sudden fevers and of course consult your doctor. At the same time, don’t forget that the dose of the medicine used by the child changes according to the child’s age. So it is very important to consult a doctor in such cases.
2. As soon as your child’s nose starts running, be sure to use a humidifier in his room. In this case, you have helped his nasal passage not to dry and remain moist.
3. Rinsing the nose with salt water is one of the measures that will be effective in relieving your child’s illness. If your child’s nose is blocked due to a cold, salt water will help to open his nasal passages.
4. During a cold, raise your child’s head as much as possible while sleeping. With a small extra pillow, his head will be slightly higher and in this way, the mucous liquid that comes out of his nose will no longer go to the throat and lungs of the child.
5. Don’t forget the chicken soup. Chicken soup, even if it is prepared only with chicken broth, will be very effective in treating flu and colds. Even if the kids don’t want to eat it, use every trick you can to make them drink this soup.
6. It is better for children to rest more during the illness because rest is one of the ways that accelerates their treatment process.
7. Keep your child away from friends and people who have cold or flu
◉ Prevention of colds and flu
1. At the beginning of the seasons in which such diseases appear, go for influenza vaccines. However, you may not be able to prevent colds, but at least you can minimize the possibility of your little one catching the flu.
2. Keep the child away from people who have a cold or flu. Of course, this is not always possible, but at least you can try!
3. Teach your children even at the age of 2-3 to wash their hands regularly and several times a day. Soaping prevents the spread of mass and bacteria. Teach your child to lather his hands with soap to make sure that this job is complete. For example, you can ask him to read one of his favorite poems while soaping his hands so that he has spent enough time for this.
4. If you yourself have a cold or flu, be careful not to get close to your child and let your wife take care of the children. Of course, if you are one of the mothers who breastfeed, you can continue this work. But use a mask and be careful not to sneeze or cough near your little face. In such cases, wash your hands more often. Doctors Without Borders
Source: Shafa online
