The cold season, which has thankfully gone by but which will surely return, sees a lot of children catch colds. While everyone can catch a cold at any time regardless of the season, children are more prone to it because they have an immune system that is not fully developed.
The common cold is more frequent during the cold season because the rhinovirus which causes colds becomes more active in freezing temperatures and hibernates in warm weather. As you can see, colds are caused by viruses, not bacteria, just like Zika And Flu.
While you can’t treat it, there are ways you can manage it to make your children a little bit more comfortable as you wait to go away on its own.
Hot shower
The steam from a hot shower can help decongest your child’s blocked nose naturally. Make sure the temperatures are not scalding hot when you put them under the shower.
The steam will liquefy the mucus blocking their noses to enable them breath with less difficulty. For toddlers, build the steam in the shower before letting them in and then giving them a warm bath.
Never allow your children, even the older ones, to have a cold shower when they are suffering from a cold. It aggravates the symptoms and takes them longer to recover.
Rest
Rest is important to prevent the spread of the virus to other people as well as hasten the recovery process.
The body is able to fight the virus better when physical exertion is minimized. Your child needs to rest when they are suffering from a cold so do not force them to go to school or help around with household chores. If need be, give them a bed rest with a few minutes basking in the sun daily to boost their body’s immunity.
Plenty of fluids
Give your children plenty of fluids especially warm beverages and soups when they are under a cold. This helps them stay hydrated as well as providing them with the energy they need to fight off the virus.
Furthermore, warm beverages with drops of honey soothes the sore throat that often accompanies a cold and also helps with nasal decongestion.
Do not give antibiotics
As a good parent you always want to ease the suffering of your children but giving them antibiotics when they have a cold does them more than good. Antibiotics treat bacterial infections but colds are viral infections so it is ineffective.
The problem with using antibiotics incorrectly is that the body builds up a resistance to the drug so that when a bacterial infection strikes, it can’t treat it and you have to resort to stronger alternatives.
The best you can then do is give the painkillers under the prescription of a doctor to help lower their fevers.
Prevention
The virus is passed on when you touch any object touched by someone suffering from a cold or through inhalation. So encourage your kids to wash their hands before eating and keeping them away from their peers when they have a cold to prevent them from spreading it to others.
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