cold Archives - Tammie's Take~

How To Manage Common Cold in Children

Reviews · May 31, 2018

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.

4 Ways to Keep Warm During the Colder Months

Reviews · January 15, 2018

Sometimes it doesn’t matter what we seem to do, we feel the cold. That’s especially true for the ladies who tend to stay colder than men, especially in their extremities. To avoid getting sick in the first months of the year while the temperatures are often frigid, here are a few tips to stay warmer.

Keep the Fireplace Well Stocked

In homes that are permitted to have a natural wood burning fireplace, not running out of chopped firewood is priority number one. The last thing you want is to run out of prepared wood ready to burn in the late evening when the temperatures outside are less than friendly.

Finding the best splitting axe reviews is not easy, so if you don’t already own a suitable one, take care to choose carefully according to both your body size and arm strength. A quality axe that’s too heavy for you to easily swing up and down is an ineffective one; pick based on your height, arm strength and overall flexibility.

Fluffy Blankets

Gone are the days when a rough-feeling blanket is your only choice. Now there are soft, fluffy blankets with interesting designs for adults or little kids to cover themselves on cold nights. Whether using one to feel cozier while lying on the sofa in front of the TV or over the comforter to provide greater insulation throughout the night, you can never go wrong with an extra blanket, or three.

Also, consider whether you may have guests over during the colder months who are using your guest bedroom. They’ll surely enjoy the optional blanket and will feel it’s a thoughtful touch, whether they find that they need it or not. And, if you have one or more dogs in the home, they will love their own blanket too.

Play Games That Keep You Active

Playing games as a group is ideal because it creates a competitive environment to enhance gameplay. However, on colder days, playing games like Twister and other ones that involve you physically interacting with the game helps you stay warmer by preventing couch surfing or being sedentary. Other indoor games that stay away from the cold outdoors are excellent options too.

Eat Hearty Meals That Warm Your Body

A hearty winter stew or creamy chicken soups and thick, crusty bread to dip into it make for good winter warmers at the dinner table. The last thing you want is a cold salad, even it has some delicious dressing on it! Corn Chowder is another dish that remains popular to warm the heart up. Also, baked chicken pies with mash potatoes or Mac ‘n’ Cheese with cauliflower both remain favorites that are delicious when hiding from the cold indoors.

Staying warm on cold days is half the battle to avoid getting sick and developing a serious illness. The other half of the battle is feeding yourself well, so your immune system stays strong enough to ward off any winter germs flying around unsympathetically, ready to strike.

Be Smart this Winter: How to Keep Your Family Safe

Reviews · November 28, 2017

Having a family is a big responsibility, and it’s important to ensure that you do everything you can to keep every single member – children, grandparents, even pets – as safe as possible. Over the winter period, there is a lot more to think about in terms of safety around the home, and this list should give you some ideas on things to check up on before winter really sets in.

Pipes

Pipes are vulnerable to freezing and bursting during the winter, and this can lead to severe issues when it comes to having water in your home. Plus, they can be expensive to fix. So it’s better to prevent this from happening rather than having to deal with the consequences if it does. Ideally, you should disconnect your garden hoses, and drain any water that is left in the spigot. Any automatic sprinkler systems should be drained as well. One of the reasons that pipes burst is due to a pressure build-up, so if the temperature is going to drop, leave outside faucets trickling a tiny bit. That will mean the pressure can’t build up. Another good idea is to insulate your pipes using foam and special pipe sleeves.

Roof

If snow is threatening, check your roof. There might be loose, missing, or damaged tiles up there, which aren’t an issue during the warmer months and could easily go unnoticed. However, in the winter, if it snows or if there is heavy rain or storms, these problem shingles could allow a leak. Check your guttering too for any leaves or other debris that will need to be cleared.

Clear The Paths

Removing snow and ice from your paths and driveway is extremely important. This will prevent slips and falls, which can lead to broken bones in the worst cases. Prepare in advance by keeping a snow shovel or snow blower in the garage, as well as a sack of rock salt or ice melt which can be sprinkled on steps and walkways to stop more ice from forming.

Batteries

Having a good stock of batteries in the home is another essential yet often forgotten element of keeping your family safe. Power outages during the winter happen a lot more often, yet the power is required a lot more (particularly lighting since it gets dark a lot earlier). Having a good stock of batteries for battery operated lighting and flashlights will mean you can stay safe in the home and prevent additional falls. Batteries can also be used for radios which will give you updates on the weather, and will be a form of entertainment if things are really bad.

Keep Healthy

As well as checking your home’s health, it’s a good idea to check your family’s too. Don’t forget to pay a visit to the vet to check on your pet too. A place like thevet.co.uk will be able to give your furry loved ones the care they need without having to schedule an appointment. Schedule a routine check-up for everyone in the home, just to make sure that no one is coming down with anything nasty. Viruses and illness are prevalent during winter, and are especially dangerous for the very young and the elderly. However, no one wants to get sick, and one person being unwell can lead to everyone else catching the illness. It can also have a knock-on effect if the kids can’t get to school, or the adults can’t get to work.