Common Cold | Understanding Diseases and Health

The common cold has for a very long time been the most common illness among adults and children alike. The good part about this statement is, that the common cold is really common and not something that you should be panicking about. With the right amount of care and treatment, common colds are easy to cure.

Parents can get really worried when something affects their child’s health. Watching their kids suffer from a common cold can be quite harrowing but there really isn’t any need to get alarmed! To begin with, get your kids to understand the importance of using preventive measures such as using a napkin or handkerchief when sneezing or coughing, especially between the third and fourth day of the infection when it is most contagious.

Here are some simple home remedies to ease the suffering from common cold:

Salt water works wonder on a blocked nose. Put a drop or two into your child’s nose to unclog it. Saline water is also available in most medical stores and pharmacies.
Let your child inhale steam to ease chest congestion and blocked nose. You can place boiled water into a vessel and let your child take the steam from this. However, make sure that the vessel is safe and doesn’t spill!
Stock up on cough drops. They can really relieve your child from throat ache and coughs. However, these should only be given to kids who are older than three years of age.
The skin just beneath and around the nostrils tends to get hard and cracks during a cold. Apply petroleum jelly to keep the area soft and pain free!

Signs to Seek: Children’s Health

: Image via Wikipedia

You are not a worrier. You take pride instead in understanding the differences between the common cold and genuine illness. You do not panic at the first flush of a fever. You do not scramble toward the hospital when a cough suddenly appears. Your choices are deliberate and your responses are calm…. except when it comes to your children. When they offer a less than happy stare, you’re instantly prepared to consult every doctor in town.

This is, naturally, not sensible. You know that you can’t race to the emergency room for every scrapped knee and snuffle. There have to be boundaries. There have to be rules. And the knowledge that children attract illness as easily as mischief must be understood. Your son or daughter will one day be sick. That is not a question. The answer, however, may depend on the symptoms they offer.

There are warning signs all parents should learn to recognize. These represent potential problems that warrant seeing a doctor:

1. Fever. All children are susceptible to flushed cheeks and hot temples. You must be wary, however, if the temperature continues to climb. If a thermometer reads 102 (or above), seek out assistance immediately. Do not wait.

2. Sore throats. The strains of laughter or tantrums can agitate any throat. Should those agitations become persistent, however, then you should consult a physician. This can suggest possible infections or other illnesses.

3. Breathing abnormalities. All children become winded after hours of playing. Not all children, however, remain winded. Watch your son or daughter carefully to monitor how long it takes them to recover and if they suffer from gasping, coughing or other breathing difficulties.

4. Sleep loss. Nightmares are common and can force any child to have the occasional bad night. If your child is suffering from frequent sleep disruption, however, than the cause may be a greater problem–whether psychical or emotional. Help is needed.

Illness is a certainty for children. The severity of that illness, however, depends on how early it is caught. Look for these symptoms and understand their importance.

When kids suffer from common cold

Signs to Seek: Children’s Health

Categories

Recent Posts