Colds in a child: how to avoid mistakes in treatment and avoid complications? The best children's cold medicines. How to help a child with colds and flu First treatment for a cold in a child

A child's cold is a viral infection upper respiratory tract disease lasting no more than one week. A cold is not a threat to the baby’s life, but even despite this, young mothers often panic, which in no case should be done. Therefore, parents should not sound the alarm if their child often suffers from colds.

A cold can be dangerous if complications arise. To protect against this, mothers must surround their child with warmth and care, providing him with proper care.

Often, a sharp rise in temperature, especially at night, signals the onset of a cold. This may be evidenced by the baby’s primary condition if he has become capricious, restless, has a poor appetite, gets tired quickly, is drowsy, has sudden mood changes and refuses to play.

The baby sneezes;
Eyes turn red;
Tearing;
Stuffy nose;
Enlarged submandibular, cervical and axillary lymph nodes;
and malaise.

A cold in a baby under 1 year of age can manifest itself as a change in skin color, difficulty breathing, sweating, a change in feeding regimen, and the appearance of a rash.

The most An early sign of a cold is a runny nose, which must be resisted initially, because very young children do not yet know how to blow their nose. Cough is the second sign of the disease. In this case, the baby must be shown to the doctor, since its underlying causes may be different.

A cold is also characterized by an increase in body temperature. When the temperature is above 37, this signals the onset of inflammation and the fight of the immune system against viral pathogens.

Treatment

The cold is a self-healing disease. Basically, there is no need to treat it with specific methods; it disappears on its own.

Home care

At home treatment is intended to relieve symptoms and prevent their complications. Treatment should consist of the following measures and actions:

Ventilate the room to make it easier for the child to breathe (at the same time, move him to another room for a while);
Change of bed linen 2 times a week (more often when sweating);
Infants need to be turned from one barrel to another to avoid congestion in the lungs;
Drink plenty of warm drinks and ensure proper rest;
The diet should be rich in carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables.

Antiviral drugs

Before giving your child antiviral drugs, consult your doctor, because he will prescribe exactly the tablets that are suitable for your baby. Before you buy antiviral tablets, syrups and similar medications, it is necessary to take into account the main rules for their selection:

You know your child’s body better and after studying the instructions you decide that these drugs and medicines are not suitable for him, contact your pediatrician again;
There is no need to give your baby all the pills at the same time according to the principle “the more medicine, the better.” It is not possible to cure a cold using this method;
Know that just because pills or other drugs are sold without a prescription does not mean they are safe;
Symptomatic treatment includes various cold medications and tablets, so it is necessary to consider how these drugs interact with each other.

Tablets and medications based on Paracetamol help restore normal temperature levels (if the reading reaches 39C) in children. If you have a cough, you can take Gedelix tablets or syrup.

The most popular cold medicines for children, including the following tablets:

Anaferon for children;
Donormil;
Rinza;
Remantadine;
Rinicold;
Barralgetas;
Grammidin.

Homeopathic medicines

Homeopathy is a new method of treatment according to the rule “like can be cured by like”, which has achieved enormous fame. Homeopathy is recommended for children and pregnant women, since synthetic tablets can cause side effects, and homeopathic medicines eliminate them.

Homeopathy, as a medical science, states that medicines should be made from natural substances. Homeopathy includes various drugs for the treatment of many adult and childhood diseases, but they must be prescribed by an experienced specialist with appropriate education.

Children's homeopathy for colds includes in the medicine cabinet such drugs as Aconite 30, Belladonna 30, Pulsatilla 30, Nux Vom 30, Bryonia 30, Cuprum met and many others.

Candles

Candles – preparations are cone-shaped, in a solid state, but in the presence of temperature they tend to melt, then the medicine is absorbed through the rectum and is quickly absorbed, which is the main advantage of the drug.

Doctors recommend suppositories based on their benefits:

Using suppositories is effective, since a child cannot always swallow tablets;
Drug absorption is consistent;
In the fight against viral diseases, suppositories can be used from birth, but most often rectal suppositories are prescribed to infants and children under 3 years of age.

The most famous and effective suppositories for children's colds:

Calpol;
Efferalgan;
Anafen;
Genferon;
for children.

Drops

The use of vasoconstrictor drops helps relieve a runny nose. For children under one year of age, these drugs can be used as a 0.01% solution diluted with boiled water. Vasoconstrictor drops have antimicrobial and antiviral effects.

The most popular of them are drugs:

Pinosol;
Collargol;
Polydex;
Protargol.

Doctors do not recommend using drugs such as Xymelin and Tizin more than 4 times a day. You should not overuse the use of nasal drops, as they make breathing easier for the first 3 days and lead to addiction, so then it is necessary to rinse the nose.

Nasal rinsing

A runny nose is the beginning of any cold. To clean the nose of children under 1 year old, use cotton wicks moistened with a soda solution before feeding.

An effective remedy for a runny nose is aloe juice, which is diluted with water. This remedy is instilled into the baby 3 times a day, 4 drops. You can rinse your nose with a solution of sea salt - Aquador, or treat a runny nose with a small concentration of antiseptics (Miramistin). It is most convenient to use these products in the form of sprays.

Ointments

Treatment of colds in children should be comprehensive, therefore topical external preparations are used - namely ointment.

Most often, pharmacy chains offer parents the following products:

Anti-cold ointment Doctor IOM;
Oxolinic ointment;
Ointment Vicks Active Balm against runny nose;
Dr. Tice Cold Ointment;
Pulmex Baby ointment for babies up to one year old.

Oxolinic ointment is the most effective and popular; it is used both for medicinal purposes and for the prevention of colds in children. The ointment is applied 2 times a day, mainly before going to kindergarten, school, or if there are infected people at home.

How to apply

In order to cure a runny nose in a child, this ointment is applied in a thin layer 3 times a day for 4-5 days.

Ointments Doctor IOM and Doctor Tais are prescribed for children aged 2 years and older. They are characterized by antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and expectorant effects.
Vicks Active Balm ointment is intended to treat runny nose and cough due to inflammation of the respiratory tract.
Pulmex Baby ointment is recommended for use as an adjuvant to cure colds and coughs in infants after 6 months of life.

Powder preparations

It is impossible to cure a cold using powdered medications, since these medications only help relieve symptoms. When taking such medications, you must follow a strict regimen. Often, powders are prescribed for a child to take along with a provitamin complex, which helps cure the disease.

Fervex for children;
Panadol baby and infant;
Children's Efferalgan;
children's

Specified powders have analgesic, antipyretic, antihistamine and restorative effects. Children need to make solutions using powders that must be taken orally.

Folk remedies

To protect your baby from viral diseases, you need to strengthen his immunity. Folk remedies are widely used both in the prevention and treatment of colds. If you notice that your baby is sneezing, you need to make teas from natural remedies.

Ginger is an effective remedy for colds. Tea containing ginger helps the body fight the virus. To prepare it, just use ginger, lemon, and honey. Since ginger, you can drink tea, in which the main ingredient is viburnum.

Viburnum is very effective at temperature. Viburnum is ground with sugar and placed in the refrigerator along with the seed. You can drink healthy tea in winter. For children under 5 years old, when preparing tea, adhere to the following proportion: 1 coffee spoon of any berries per 200 ml of water. P It is useful to make tea from linden or strawberries. You can prepare herbal infusions from mint and lemon balm.

Prevention

Preventing colds in children will help protect against all kinds of infections and illnesses. You bring your child to kindergarten and notice how a girl from his group is sneezing, in this case you need to act, otherwise tomorrow you will see how your baby has become infected and is not feeling well.

Colds are one of the most common diseases. Many children get sick several times a year, often feel very bad and do not attend educational institutions. However, during illness, children develop immunity, making it easier for them to tolerate similar conditions in the future. It is important to choose the right therapy in order to get rid of the disease as quickly as possible and prevent complications.

Characteristic signs of a cold

Colds usually start abruptly. The child wakes up with a runny nose, sneezes, and sometimes has a fever. The baby may be irritable, complain of a headache, a cough develops over time, and nasal mucus becomes thicker and darker. The main signs of acute respiratory infections also include:

in most cases - increased body temperature;
weakness;
sore throat and pain when swallowing;
irritability;
sometimes - vomiting and diarrhea.

A one-year-old child may have other symptoms:

significant loss of appetite;
tearing and redness of the eyes;
fatigue.

If a child has a cold, he or she will have a temperature above 38°C for about three days. Most often, unpleasant symptoms in the form of swelling of the nose, vomiting, and headache appear when the thermometer readings begin to decrease. The disease almost always begins with rare clear snot and cough.

What symptoms are most dangerous for a child?

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Parents should definitely know the symptoms of a cold, which require immediate medical attention. In babies under one year of age, dangerous signs are:
strong cry;
cold sweat;
sudden lethargy;
a sharp decrease in body temperature;
rashes (pimples and spots that do not change color when pressed are especially dangerous).

Signs of complications in older children may include persistent loose stools and frequent gagging. In this case, the child needs to be given a solution containing a small amount of soda, salt and sugar to restore water balance. The following manifestations are also considered dangerous:
fainting;
forgetfulness and inappropriate behavior;
sudden hoarseness of voice;
breathing problems;
swelling in the head and neck area;
sharp pain in the abdomen.

Dangerous symptoms are rare. They talk about a threat not only to the health, but also to the life of the child. Hospitalization is the only way to provide the necessary help.
It is also important to distinguish a common cold from the flu:
with a cold, a runny nose and cough, discomfort in the throat first appear, and only after 1-2 days the thermometer rises to 38°C (usually no more);
the flu begins abruptly and immediately with a high temperature - the child suddenly begins to shiver, coughs, and the temperature rises to 40°C.

Treatment with medications
Nasal rinsing preparations have a good effect, they allow you to clear the nasal passages of secretions and mechanically remove pathogenic microorganisms. Products based on sea water are not addictive and do not cause harm:
Morenasal;
Fluimarin;
No-salt;
saline sodium chloride solution;
Aquamaris.

If, nevertheless, it was not possible to avoid the disease, and the child’s cold is actively developing, it is necessary to resort to the use of stronger drugs. It is worth following certain recommendations in treatment:
For children under 3 years of age, it is better to give the medication in the form of syrup and drops; it is recommended to reduce the temperature with rectal suppositories.
Children from 4-5 years old can be taught to gargle using herbal decoctions. Children can easily swallow capsules and tablets and can dissolve lozenges, so the list of medications is expanding significantly.

The following drugs are often used in therapy:
Drug name Action Features of application
Genferon, Derinat Antiviral agents. Effective in the early stages of the disease
Nasal drops Collargol, Pinosol They are used for the accumulation of purulent discharge and have an antimicrobial effect. It is not advisable to use longer than 7 days - they are addictive
Doctor Mom, Hexoral, Herbion, Alteyka, Bo the Bear Ready-made pharmaceutical syrups for different types of cough It is advisable to use it in a minimal dosage. The drugs simultaneously have a mucolytic, antitussive and anti-inflammatory effect
ACC, Ambroxol, Bromhexine (we recommend reading:) Used for wet coughs They do not suppress the cough reflex and act effectively by diluting sputum.
Efferalgan, Paracetamol, Nurofen, Ibufen, Ibuprofen, Panadol syrup (we recommend reading:) Reduce temperature It is recommended to lower the temperature above 38°C
Chlorophyllipt, Lugol Used to destroy bacteria, relieve inflammation and cleanse mucous membranes It is necessary to treat the mucous membrane of the throat
Isofra, Polydexa Antibiotics Very rarely prescribed
Anaferon, Viferon Strengthening the immune system It is better to use after consultation with a specialist

It is worth remembering that as long as the child feels normal, there is no need to rush into taking pills or syrups - the body will cope with the disease itself. Some features of the use of drugs:
It is better to crush tablets that have a bitter taste to powder and mix with jam and honey.
When using syrups, it is not advisable to drink water or eat within 20 minutes after administration.
Aspirin should not be used as an antipyretic for children under 12 years of age. Tablets can cause severe side effects.

Treatment with folk remedies
If a child has a cold, most parents treat the baby’s condition as inevitable and hope that he will recover in 7-10 days. However, the disease can be cured at the initial stage, quickly, without pills and other medications. Traditional medicine recipes can also be used at an advanced stage of the disease as additional therapy.
At the first signs of a cold, when the body begins to be overcome by microbes, you need to use products that help quickly remove toxins. Fruit drinks made from berries are ideal for this purpose. To replenish vitamin C, children can be given sea buckthorn and rosehip teas, and also add parsley, oranges, and kiwi to their food.

Tea with raspberry jam in a loading dose can “strangle” the initial manifestations of a cold
You can cure a cold in 1 day:
At the first manifestations, inhale with hot water with added salt/soda (1 tsp per glass of water). Rinse your nose and gargle with the same solution.
Make a foot bath for 10-15 minutes with mustard, gradually increase the water temperature to 40 degrees.
Drink a cup of tea with raspberry jam, linden blossom infusion. Lie in bed, wrap yourself up, breathe hard and sweat for half an hour. Free your head from the blanket, wrap it in a towel and sleep until the morning.

Runny nose
What should parents do if their baby suffers from a runny nose? There are several effective ways to combat nasal discharge:
Make steam inhalation - add 3-4 drops of menthol or eucalyptus essential oil to boiling water. Bend over the bowl and cover with a towel, breathe for 15 minutes. Adding dry cinnamon to the water will help you sweat, and cayenne pepper will improve blood circulation and relieve nasal swelling.
Steam your feet before going to bed for 10-15 minutes. Blood will flow to the lower extremities, and the vessels of the head will narrow, which will lead to a decrease in swelling of the mucous membrane. Do not keep your feet in hot water for too long, otherwise the opposite effect will occur. Fever is a direct contraindication to the procedure.
A runny nose in both a one-year-old baby and an older child can be treated with carrot or beet juice. Pour boiling water over fresh vegetables, grate and squeeze out the juice. Apply 2-3 drops up to 4 times a day.
Prepare onion drops. Mix fresh onion juice with boiled water in a ratio of 1:20. Instill 2-3 times a day.

Provided the temperature is normal, to get rid of a runny nose, you can steam your feet for 2-3 evenings in a row and sleep in woolen socks
Cough
The following folk recipes are suitable for treating cough:
Mix licorice root, chamomile, mint, calendula, coltsfoot in equal proportions. Pour 2 dessert spoons with 0.5 liters of boiling water, let stand for an hour. Give the baby 50-100 ml three times a day after meals.
For dry cough, lemon balm and chamomile (1 tsp each) are poured with half a liter of boiling water. The drink should be given warm 4-5 times a day, 2 tablespoons.
An effective remedy is milk (250 ml) with honey (1 tsp) and butter (1/2 tsp). The liquid should be warm, but not hot, otherwise honey will lose its beneficial properties.
A hot compress of water and apple cider vinegar in a 3:1 ratio. Apply to the throat and chest for 15-20 minutes.

Sore throat
If your baby has a cold, he will definitely have a sore throat for 2-4 days. Rinsing will help you cope with discomfort:
add 1 tsp to 200 ml of boiled water. propolis tinctures;
per glass of water – 1 tsp. salt and 3 drops of iodine;
pour a mixture of equal proportions of chamomile, calendula and sage into a liter of boiling water, leave for 40 minutes;
Add 3-4 drops of thyme, cypress or eucalyptus oil to a glass of warm water.

You can gargle up to 6 times a day, preferably at equal intervals. The antibacterial effect of these products will help quickly overcome the infection.
Mistakes when treating a cold in a child
An increase in temperature is a normal reaction of the immune system to the penetration of a pathogen and the onset of illness. However, it is worth understanding that symptoms of a respiratory disease can appear even when there is no trace of a cold. Snot and cough can be caused by a foreign body in the respiratory tract, irritation from dust and smoke.
If parents think that the child has an acute respiratory infection, but the disease occurs without fever, then this is either an allergy or a foreign body in the nose or throat. In this case, it is useless to treat the baby for a cold. However, the absence of fever can sometimes indicate a mild form of the disease.
When treating a cold, many parents resort to medications that are not necessary. Let's look at the main mistakes in therapy:
Use of antibiotics. They can only be used if indicated, otherwise the drugs destroy the natural microflora. This will only increase the symptoms of the disease.
Use of antipyretic medications. If you give them to your baby at a temperature of 37-37.5 degrees, the baby’s immunity will not develop correctly (we recommend reading:).
Antitussive drugs. You should not give them just because you want to quickly eliminate this unpleasant symptom. Coughing is a natural reaction of the body, which is trying to remove mucus from the bronchi.
Using all medications at the same time. When combining drugs, it is worth studying the instructions and taking into account the indications. Ignoring these factors will lead to a backlash.

When treating a cold, it is important not to overdo it with medications and use potent drugs only as prescribed by a doctor.
If the baby has a cold, then at the first signs of illness you need to create the most comfortable conditions for him:
You should not place your child in a warm and stuffy room - he will get worse. The air temperature should be no more than 23 degrees.
It is necessary to maintain the humidity in the room at 60-70%. If your baby is cold, you need to dress him and not turn on the heater.
You should not force feed your child if he refuses to eat. Give him tea, juice, fruit drink, milk - the majority of microorganisms and toxins are removed from the body with liquid.
Bed rest is required. It is highly not recommended to endure the disease “on your feet”.

If a child is ill, he needs to be bathed - during the hygiene procedure, he breathes moist air, which helps moisturize the mucous membranes of the nose and throat (we recommend reading:). The ban on bathing comes from the times when children were washed in a trough and were afraid of getting too cold. The procedure is prohibited only at high body temperature. You can also walk outside. It is important to dress your baby for the weather and minimize contact with other children.

During the period of a cold, provided there is no elevated body temperature, you can and should walk in the fresh air, dressing for the weather
Cold prevention
It is better to prevent the development of the disease than to treat a child who has a cold. In unfavorable epidemiological conditions, it is necessary:
avoid handshakes;
try not to be in crowded places (public transport, shops);
limit contact with sick people;
wear a gauze bandage, changing it every 2-3 hours;
try to spend more time outdoors, walk in the park.

Daily work on developing immunity and improving health will help prevent colds and flu:
choose healthy foods (fresh fruits, vegetables, fermented milk);
buy clothes made from natural fabrics;
exercise;
maintain optimal temperature conditions;
harden the child from an early age.

It has been proven that during the day, a person’s hands come into repeated contact with discharge from the mouth, eyes, and nose. A huge number of pathogens are transmitted through the hands, since a person touches door handles, handrails, money, etc. every day. It is advisable to give the child an antiseptic, wet wipes and remind him to wash his hands before eating, after going to the toilet and immediately after returning from the street.

A cold in a child is perhaps one of the most common reasons for visiting a pediatrician: children get colds 3-5 times a year, and many kids go on sick leave even more often. It is believed that this disease does not pose a particular danger to the child, but this does not mean that it does not need to be treated. A disease left unattended can lead to complications, especially when it comes to a small, fragile organism. Therefore, it is important to know how to treat colds in children and whether it is possible to protect the baby from this disease.

Where do colds come from and why are they dangerous?

Before you figure out how and what to treat a child with a cold, you need to understand what kind of disease it is and how it differs from ARVI and influenza. You must understand that in medicine there is no diagnosis of a cold. Instead, doctors use the well-known abbreviation ARD, which covers a wide group of respiratory diseases.

Colds are caused by hypothermia, which weakens the child’s immunity. This largely explains why children begin to catch colds more often in the fall and winter. As soon as the body’s defense system weakens, the harmful work of pathogenic microorganisms begins, which, with strong immunity, live peacefully on the mucous membranes of the nose and throat. When microbes multiply, they cause the characteristic signs of a cold in a child - runny nose, sore and red throat, cough, fever.

Another sure symptom of a beginning acute respiratory infection is weakness and fatigue, accompanied by worsening sleep and loss of appetite. A baby with a cold becomes apathetic, refuses even his favorite games, is endlessly capricious and strives to spend more time in his mother’s arms.

This is also due to the pathogenic activity of bacteria and viruses, which cause intoxication of the child’s body.

An acute respiratory infection in itself does not pose a great danger to children: if you notice the onset of a cold in a child in time and begin treatment, then the unpleasant manifestations of the disease can be eliminated in 5-7 days. Much more dangerous are the complications that an infection developing in the respiratory system can cause. Especially often, complicated colds occur in a small child - an infant or a one-year-old baby. At this age, after suffering an acute respiratory infection, children often develop ear inflammation - otitis media. The infection can also cause sinusitis, bronchitis, tonsillitis, and pneumonia.

Whether the baby will develop complications largely depends on how strong his body is. But no less important are the correct actions of parents who want to help their baby cope with the disease as quickly as possible. If mom and dad know how to cure a cold in a child and use this knowledge properly, the risk of complications is significantly reduced.

Experts strongly recommend: do not neglect a visit to the pediatrician if your child has a cold. The signs of acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections are in many ways similar, but the treatment of these two diseases is somewhat different. Only the attending physician can determine what exactly the baby is sick with.

Using any medications to eliminate colds in children without a pediatrician’s prescription can be very dangerous for children’s health, because not every parent takes into account possible contraindications, side effects and the required dosage of cold medications.

Treatment methods for colds in children have not changed for many years. First of all, symptomatic drug therapy is used.

It is aimed at alleviating the baby’s condition and eliminating the manifestations of the disease - cough, sore throat, runny nose, fever. Thus, in case of fever above 38.5°C, doctors recommend that the child be given an antipyretic, to relieve nasal congestion they suggest dripping vasoconstrictor drops and rinsing the nasal passages with salt water, and to treat the throat they usually prescribe anti-inflammatory sprays and antiseptic solutions. When treating a cough, pediatricians will definitely take into account its nature (dry or wet), since antitussive drugs have different effects.

The doctor will not only tell you how to treat a child’s cold, but will also give valuable recommendations regarding daily routine and nutrition. Treatment of colds in children involves mandatory bed rest and changes in diet. The children's menu during illness should be as light and healthy as possible, so that the little body spends energy on fighting the disease, and not on digesting heavy food, but at the same time receives all the necessary substances. It is very important to ensure that the baby drinks enough liquid - at least 1.5-2 liters per day. Due to the heat and lack of moisture, children can quickly become dehydrated, and this is very dangerous for babies. Drinking should be healthy: berry fruit drinks and herbal infusions are perfect for this.

When should you call an ambulance?

Many parents proudly declare: “We always treat a child’s cold at home and manage it just fine without doctors!” Indeed, often mothers and fathers do not trust pediatricians or simply do not want to go to the hospital once again and give the baby medications that may not seem so safe to them, and they have every right to do so.

It is actually possible to cure a cold at home, but there are situations that require an immediate call to an ambulance:

The disease develops suddenly, the child has been lying with a temperature above 38.5°C for several hours, and antipyretic drugs do not help. This is how incipient flu can manifest itself, which cannot be cured on its own.
The baby began to have severe headaches accompanied by vomiting. This is one of the signs of a serious complication – meningitis.
The baby begins to choke, while his breathing becomes noisy and is accompanied by a “barking” dry cough. This symptom is associated with the development of false croup, which is extremely dangerous for children.
The child experiences a lack of air, and when he coughs, there is an admixture of blood in the sputum. This may be evidence of severe damage to the respiratory system - pulmonary edema.

Any of the listed symptoms means that parents need to urgently “fly” to the hospital or get emergency medical care at home, since time in such situations counts by hours, and sometimes even minutes. Careful monitoring of the child and proper timely treatment will help to avoid such troubles.

Folk remedies for fighting colds in children

If the diagnosis does not raise doubts among parents, they may well treat colds in children with folk remedies. By the way, in the absence of contraindications, this method of eliminating colds can be combined with traditional medicine.

When used correctly, folk recipes are considered absolutely safe for children and can become a worthy addition to the main treatment, enhancing its effectiveness and accelerating recovery.

People have a huge number of methods for treating runny nose, cough and sore throat in children. You can try the following cold remedies:

As an immunomodulatory medicine, children are given rosehip infusion prepared from the dried fruits of the bush. For 100 g of berries you will need 1 liter of boiling water. The rosehip is poured with water and left in a water bath for 15 minutes, after which it is infused in a thermos for 12 hours. This drink can be used instead of tea, adding a little honey to it for sweetness (provided that the child is not allergic to this product). Rosehip infusion is not only an effective remedy, but also an excellent prevention of colds. To increase the body's defenses, you can also give your baby an infusion of chamomile, linden, St. John's wort, lemon balm, and fireweed.
When the temperature rises, you can start treatment with raspberries if the child is not allergic to these berries. 2 tbsp. l. dry fruits should be brewed in 200 ml of boiling water, cover with a lid and leave for 10 minutes. Add 1 tbsp to a warm drink. l. honey and give the patient a drink before going to bed at night. If your baby is intolerant to one of the components, it is recommended to use dry burdock leaves. The chopped herb (1 tbsp) should be poured with 1 glass of hot boiled water and, closing the lid, put in a water bath for 15 minutes. The finished broth is cooled, filtered and given to the child 1 tbsp. l. 4-6 times a day after meals.
A good recipe to help with a runny nose is fresh beet juice. It is easy to obtain by squeezing the grated vegetable through cheesecloth. The juice should be dripped into the nose 3 times a day, 2-3 drops in each nostril for 5-6 days. It is allowed to dilute the product with a small amount of water, honey or fresh carrot juice.
For a sore throat, gargling with sage is a great help. Prepare a decoction for rinsing, pour 1 tbsp. l. dry herbs with 1 cup of boiling water and infuse this mixture in a thermos for half an hour.
When coughing, steam inhalations with the addition of chamomile or sage are very useful, however, such procedures are better for older children. Treatment with badger fat is more suitable for children. Rub your back, chest and feet with this product, dress your baby in cotton clothes and cover him warmly with a blanket.

Any folk remedies for colds in children should be used very carefully, since children are especially prone to allergies to herbal medicines. If parents notice manifestations of an allergic reaction, they should immediately stop treatment and consult a pediatrician.

How to protect your baby from colds

Preventing acute respiratory infections in children is always easier than treating them, so it will be useful for every parent to know how to prevent a cold in a child. Regular prevention can help your baby not catch a cold. It is recommended to carry out preventive measures all year round, but they are especially necessary during the season of increased incidence - autumn and winter.

The best way to protect your baby from acute respiratory infections is to constantly strengthen children's immunity. This means that parents should monitor the child’s nutrition and physical activity all year round, engage in hardening and use traditional or folk methods of increasing defenses. Hardening can be carried out at any time of the year, resorting to natural resources - air, sunlight and water.

Effective prevention of colds in children of all ages is impossible without observing basic hygiene measures.

If a child learns to wash his hands every time after visiting the street and public places, this will help him protect himself from viruses and germs entering the body through the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose.

It is important to understand that it is impossible to completely insure your baby against colds - these are the characteristics of the child’s body. But mom and dad are able to do everything necessary to ensure that their child suffers from acute respiratory infections as rarely as possible.

In this article we will talk about what a cold is, what its symptoms and treatment methods are in children, since the relevance of this topic is obvious. Autumn comes, along with it the inevitable runny nose, and every parent, having bought a bunch of syrups, drops and tablets at the pharmacy, asks the question: “Am I treating my child’s cold correctly?”

Before answering this question, let's consider what a cold is? From a medical point of view, “cold” is an incorrect term; this word, widespread in everyday life, mainly refers to acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI).

Those. cold is a group of acute inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract (nose, pharynx, larynx), which usually develop against the background of hypothermia under the influence of various viruses (respiratory syncytial, adenovirus, rhinovirus, parainfluenza virus) and manifest themselves with similar clinical symptoms.

The incidence of colds increases in the autumn-winter and spring, when the risk of hypothermia increases and natural immunity decreases. The transmission of the virus from a sick person to a healthy person is carried out by airborne droplets, that is, by inhaling an aerosol containing virus particles released by a sick person when coughing or sneezing. Less commonly, the virus is transmitted by contact, by kissing or shaking hands. The highest incidence is observed among children in the first years of life attending preschool institutions, which is due to the peculiarities of contact and behavior of young children (they cough without covering their mouths, do not know how to blow their nose correctly, put toys in their mouths, more often come into tactile contact, etc.) . It is noteworthy that in the first months of life, children practically do not get colds (ARVI): it’s all about passive immunity, transmitted in the form of ready-made antibodies with mother’s milk, and in relative isolation (the child is mainly at home, in contact only with family members).

Cold symptoms in children

The first signs colds in a child, causing the question “what to do?” parents usually have a runny nose, sneezing and symptoms of general intoxication. A runny nose and sneezing are associated with the reaction of the nasal mucosa to the introduction of the virus: by increasing the production of mucus and throwing it out when sneezing, the body tries to mechanically remove the virus. Symptoms of general intoxication include fever, weakness, headache, loss of appetite, and muscle pain. A little later, a sore or sore throat and cough develop.

Cold symptoms can vary slightly depending on the type of virus that causes the illness. So, with parainfluenza A runny nose is rare, and mainly the larynx is involved in the pathological process with the appearance of all the typical signs of laryngitis: a barking hacking cough, hoarseness, and in severe cases, difficulty breathing. Adenovirus affects the mucous membrane of the pharynx, palatine and nasopharyngeal tonsils, causing pharyngitis, tonsillitis and the well-known adenoiditis. Rhinovirus infection flows more easily, is usually limited to a runny nose and rarely causes serious complications.

Why is a cold dangerous?

If the body has a good immune response, a gentle protective regimen is followed, and treatment is started for the child at the first sign of a cold, it usually goes away without consequences in 6-8 days.

But if for some reason the body cannot cope with the virus, complications may develop. Most often this is the addition of a bacterial infection that causes bacterial(sometimes even purulent) inflammation in the organs of the upper respiratory tract and organs nearby: if an infection from the pharynx penetrates into the auditory tube, it occurs otitis(inflammation of the middle ear), if in the paranasal sinuses - sinusitis(sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, ethmoiditis), if it settles on the tonsils - tonsillitis or adenoiditis, if “goes down” – bronchitis or even pneumonia(pneumonia).

Respiratory syncytial virus can cause such a serious complication as acute bronchiolitis– damage to the smallest bronchioles in the lungs, leading to the development of progressive respiratory failure.

With parainfluenza affecting the larynx, in severe cases, severe swelling and narrowing of the subglottic space (functional stenosis of the larynx or “false croup”) can occur, making normal breathing impossible, and if untimely medical care can even lead to the death of the child.

Children's colds: how to treat

When the first signs of a cold appear in a child, the question of “how to treat it” can be difficult for parents. As a rule, you want to treat a child’s cold quickly, so that not a trace remains of it the next day. Here I remember the famous phrase that “without treatment, a cold goes away in seven days, and with treatment, in a week.” Of course, this is not entirely true, because timely treatment measures help alleviate the course of the disease and reduce the risk of complications, but of course you won’t be able to get better in a couple of days - the disease must go through certain phases.

Modern pharmacy offers a lot of cold remedies, sometimes occupying a separate shelf in the pharmacy, and television advertising is replete with them. And of course, it is difficult for the average consumer to determine which of these products guarantee effective treatment of colds in children. Let's try to figure this out.

Antiviral agents

All antiviral agents used for ARVI can be divided into five main groups.

Drugs that destroy the virus. On the modern medicine market, antiviral drugs acting on parainfluenza viruses, rhinoviruses and adenoviruses are practically absent. Of those that exist, most are contraindicated for children. In pediatric practice, perhaps only umifenovir is widely prescribed. But only for children over 3 years old! Taking these medications should be started no later than 3 days from the moment the first signs of the disease appear: having launched a cascade of pathological reactions, the virus is eliminated (removed) from the body after 48-72 hours, so prescribe drugs that destroy the virus on the 5th day of illness there is no point - there is no point of application.
Preparations containing interferon. A great variety of analogue drugs are produced (in suppositories, drops, sprays, tablets), their names, as a rule, have the ending “-feron”. The undoubted advantage of drugs in this group is that they can be used from birth (except for tablet forms), because have virtually no side effects.
Drugs that promote the production of interferon A. They potentiate the formation of a protective protein in the body - interferon, which reduces the susceptibility of cells to the virus. Most of them are allowed for use only from three years old, and some from six or seven.
Other synthetic drugs that activate the immune response. They have proven their effectiveness in the treatment of acute respiratory viral infections and have been widely used in recent years, but children can only take them from the age of thirteen.
Antiviral drugs of plant origin, promoting the activation of cellular immunity and having a powerful phytoncidal (destructive for viruses and bacteria) effect. Evidence-based medicine questions the effectiveness of these remedies for colds, but despite this, they have not lost their popularity over the years.

Speaking about antiviral medications, it is worth mentioning homeopathic medicines(homeopathy - treatment with ultra-low doses), opposing
manufacturers as effective treatments for ARVI. But before you treat a child at the first signs of a cold with homeopathic remedies, you should take into account the fact that evidence-based medicine, as a result of numerous studies, has come to the conclusion that these drugs are ineffective for colds. Some of them (such as the well-known duck liver drug) have even been included in the US Food and Drug Administration's list of fraudulent products.

Treatment of colds in children is always accompanied by prescription vasoconstrictor drops and nasal sprays, because its most frequent companion is a runny nose. Unfortunately, many of them are contraindicated under the age of 3 years.

Those containing naphazoline are the most affordable. Also, their undoubted advantage is the possibility of administration to small children (over 1 year or 2 years - depending on the manufacturer).
Containing xylometazoline. Can only be used in children over 6 years of age.
Containing oxymetazoline. The advantage of drugs in this group is their long-lasting action – up to 12 hours. But just like xylometazoline preparations, they are not prescribed to children under 6 years of age.
Containing phenylephrine. Contraindicated for children under 4 years of age.

When using vasoconstrictor drops and sprays for treatment of childhood colds, in order to avoid the development of side effects and addiction syndrome, two main rules should be strictly observed:

Duration of treatment – no more than 7 days;
frequency of administration – no more than 4 times (for drugs of medium duration of action) or no more than 2 times (for drugs of long action) once a day.

How to cure a cold in a child without antipyretics

Of course, if a child’s cold is accompanied by fever, parents will certainly resort to these medications. The main thing to remember is that if you have a fever below 38 degrees, there is no need to reduce C - you should not suppress the protective reaction of the body, which is actively fighting the virus by creating an unfavorable high temperature for it. On the other hand, it is dangerous not to give a child an antipyretic drug if the temperature rises above 39 degrees C - this may threaten the development of febrile seizures.

Saline solutions. Having excellent antiseptic and anti-edematous effects, they can serve as a good addition to antiviral vasoconstrictor drugs, facilitating faster treatment of colds in a child. Saline solutions are widely available in the pharmacy chain in the form of various drops, sprays, rinsing solutions and nasal douches. It should be remembered that pharmaceutical preparations contain sea salt, and you should not try to prepare a saline solution at home from table salt - it can “burn” the delicate mucous membrane of the child’s nose.

When answering the question, “how to cure an incipient cold in a child?”, it is also worth mentioning local antiseptics. These drugs have both antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal effects. They are used for local treatment of the mucous membrane when a cold causes inflammation of the throat. Available in the form of sprays, tablets, lozenges. You can also use sprays with herbal composition (based on eucalyptus, sage and peppermint), but you should be aware that they can cause a severe allergic reaction with severe swelling of the mucous membrane, which will further aggravate the pathological process.

How to treat a cold in a child if complications occur? If a bacterial infection occurs, there is a need to take systemic antibacterial drugs - antibiotics. Today, there are many antibiotics with different spectrums of action, some of them are contraindicated for children, and only a doctor can determine which medicine is needed. If a child develops bronchitis due to a cold, then in addition to antibiotics, antitussives. If serious complications such as laryngeal edema, pneumonia or bronchiolitis occur, the child needs emergency hospitalization.

Separately, I would like to talk about such a device as nebulizer. This is an inhalation device that, using ultrasound or mechanical action, converts a drug solution into an aerosol containing ultra-small drug particles. Due to such a small particle size, the medicine penetrates better into the respiratory tract, and accordingly the effect of its use is higher. Pediatricians recommend using a nebulizer for inhalation of antiseptics and antitussives when a cold occurs with symptoms of laryngitis, sinusitis or bronchitis. The recommendation is good, but when implementing it you need to know the following about nebulizers.

It is advisable to use a compressor nebulizer rather than an ultrasonic one, since ultrasound can destroy drug molecules.
It is advisable to use a device capable of creating particles of different sizes: medium (for laryngitis and sinusitis), small (for bronchitis) and ultra-small (for pneumonia). The fact is that an aerosol can carry with the air flow not only drug particles, but also microbes. Accordingly, if the device is equipped only with an element for creating ultra-small particles, the air flow will carry the aerosol from the upper respiratory tract to the lower, and with it the infection.
Before inhalation, you need to heat the medicinal solution in a water bath. This is necessary because when the solution is sprayed, it cools, and the entry of cold air into the respiratory tract can aggravate the inflammatory process. It should also be borne in mind that not all medicines can be heated, as this may destroy them.

How to treat a cold in a child besides pills

Many people are interested in how to quickly cure a cold in a child without resorting to medications? Of course, you won’t have to do without them completely, but using them will help reduce the duration of taking medications, alleviate the symptoms of the disease and reduce the risk of complications. physiotherapeutic methods treatment.

People of the older generation remember mustard plasters and jars well. The point of using cupping was to create artificial intradermal hematomas (bruises), the resorption of which activates the immune system, which makes it possible to destroy the virus and reduce swelling and pain in the area of inflammation. The therapeutic effect of mustard plasters is aimed at reflexively increasing blood flow, dilating the bronchi, and also destroying viruses under the influence of deep heating.

Currently, the need to use mustard plasters has disappeared thanks to the use of modern physiotherapeutic devices heat therapy. Their action is based on local heating of the diseased organ: if you have a runny nose, the nose warms up, if otitis media occurs, the ear warms up, if bronchitis occurs, the chest warms up.

Today, the medical equipment market even offers heat therapy devices that can be used at home. And this is their absolute advantage: there is no need to take a sick child to the clinic or take a break from procedures on weekends. Some of these devices are equipped with several attachments at once (for the ear, nose, paranasal sinuses, chest), which can be applied simultaneously if two organs are affected at once.

In addition to heat therapy devices, there are also portable appliances for home use, in which, in addition to heating elements, there are elements emitting a magnetic field and infrared light. This combination of several physical factors allows you to achieve better results in the treatment of colds. The only thing to remember is that for rhinitis (runny nose), physiotherapy can be carried out in the acute phase, but for sinusitis, otitis, tonsillitis and bronchitis, heat therapy can be used in the attenuation phase of the acute process. Procedures should also not be performed during fever.

The undoubted advantage of heat therapy devices is the possibility of their use during periods of increased incidence of acute respiratory viral infections to prevent colds. And prevention, as we know, is the key to health!

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With the onset of autumn, we increasingly begin to encounter such a phenomenon as a cold. It’s damp outside, a piercing wind is blowing, and now the child comes home from school with a runny nose and cough. Not far from temperature. Therefore, every caring parent tries to prepare children's cold medicines in advance. Let's look at what means you can protect your body from seasonal illnesses, as well as how to help if the disease has already begun to manifest itself.

Easier to warn

Everyone knows this rule. Respiratory diseases most often occur in autumn and winter. Children's are especially popular at this time. However, in one family they are used from September to May, with a short break, while in another they are hardly used. Because one child’s legs got a little cold, his throat immediately turned red and a cough began, while the other’s body did not react at all. It's all about immunity.

Strengthening the immune system

If you don’t want your child to get sick, strengthen the body’s immune system. Start the day with exercise, and then take a contrast shower. Warm - cold, but you must finish warm. The child himself most likely will not want to do the exercises, much less douse himself with cold water. Therefore, you will have to carry out all the activities together with him.

Sport is the second component of a healthy lifestyle. Swimming, skiing or running - take your pick. Children especially love to visit the pool. They do not perceive training with a trainer as a serious physical activity.

And the third component is proper nutrition. You will have to work hard to explain to your child that he needs to eat fresh vegetables and fruits, meat and fish, cereals and dairy products every day. Then you simply won’t need children’s cold medicines.

Let's help our body

If the immune system fails, then it needs support. Echinacea tincture is great for this. Just remember that it is good for prevention, and not when the baby is already sick. In winter, make it a rule to lubricate the nasal cavity with oxolinic ointment before leaving the house. This will protect the body from unwanted infections.

With the onset of winter cold, you want to wrap your child warmly before leaving the house. Unfortunately, this not only does not save you from colds, but often accelerates their onset. If, upon returning home, you find that your T-shirt is damp, then you need to wear one less blouse next time. And of course, immediately change your child into dry clothes. Even a slight draft for a sweaty child can have serious consequences.

Children's cold medicines can remain on pharmacy shelves if you take proper preventive measures. And the simplest procedure can be called hardening the throat. To do this, just keep boiled water in the refrigerator. In the morning, after washing your face, take a sip of cold water. Start with a tiny sip. Some parents offer their baby kefir and milk straight from the refrigerator. The sooner you start this practice, the greater the chance that a cold will bypass you.

Traditional methods of treatment

The best children's cold medicine is sold not in a pharmacy, but in an apiary. At the first signs of the disease, immediate action must be taken. If your child is hypothermic, you should immediately give him tea with linden honey. If you don’t have it on hand, you can replace it with raspberry jam. These are essential products that contain plant salicylic acid. After this, it is important to cover yourself with a blanket and lie down for several hours.

If this measure does not help and your throat hurts, start gargling it with a solution of salt or soda. An infusion of eucalyptus will help ideally. The healing power of this plant lies in its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. It is not for nothing that children’s medicines for colds and flu often contain extracts of this plant.

Warming up the legs also worked very well. Place the child on a chair and place his feet in a bowl of hot water, stirring mustard powder in it. After slight redness of the skin on your feet, dry them with a soft towel. Now put on woolen socks and place your baby under the blanket. Regular onions and garlic will also be excellent helpers in the fight against cold and flu symptoms. To do this, cut the onion and offer to breathe in its vapors. The second way is to lubricate the nasal passages with boiled and cooled vegetable oil infused with onions and garlic.

If the little one is sick

If the baby is breastfed, he is most often protected by the mother's immunity. Therefore, colds are usually not scary for him. But if a source of infection appears nearby, then you need to be on guard. A cold in a baby very often causes complications on the kidneys and heart, and can cause nervous system disorders. Therefore, we constantly monitor the condition and consult a doctor on time.

Almost all children's cold medicines are for children from 3 months, but the attending physician can choose the optimal dosage for the youngest. Most often, the specialist's choice is antiviral drugs. Usually these are interferon inducers: “Ranferon”, “Nazoferon”, “Viferon” and many others. They significantly alleviate the child’s condition and shorten the course of the disease by several days. Since they are well tolerated and have minor side effects, the doctor often begins treatment with them.

High temperature

Acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections rarely do without this unpleasant symptom. Children's cold and flu medications must include antipyretics. Today these are often combined drugs that help relieve swelling, nasal congestion, and weakness. They are used as suspensions or tablets. These include Coldrex, Theraflu, and Fervex. The latter is considered the safest and is prescribed to children from the age of six. The drug "Coldrex" is milder, its base is paracetamol. If the condition is not too severe, you can use this medicine. Children are prescribed medications in the form of syrups. These are Ibufen, Nurofen and a number of analogues.

These drugs also have a disadvantage. They cannot cope with inflammatory phenomena, but only temporarily eliminate pain and fever. Therefore, you can replace them with “AntiGrippin”. It also eliminates unpleasant symptoms, but does not cause harm.

Viruses or bacteria

Today, children's medicines for colds and fevers are so widely advertised that the true culprit of these diseases is already forgotten. All colds are divided into two categories: viral and bacterial. But here too there are difficulties. The flu is a virus, but when a child gets sick, the immune system weakens and secondary bacterial damage begins. Therefore, it is important to start therapy as early as possible and prevent such developments.

“Arbidol” will be an effective assistant. It can be given for prevention, especially in the off-season. It will shorten the duration of the disease and reduce the likelihood of complications. The medicine has no side effects and helps fight the flu. The child drinks the medicine with pleasure, which is an additional plus.

If it is determined that the cause of the development of symptoms is the activity of bacteria, then antibiotics must be selected. There are a huge number of them today, but it is not recommended to make a choice based on the experience of friends. This is a powerful weapon, but it should only be used under medical supervision. The effectiveness of treatment will depend on how resistant the microorganism is to the drug used.

Cough treatment

If children's medications did not help, and symptoms begin to develop, most likely, a cough will follow the increase in temperature. At the very beginning it is dry, as its cause is a sore throat. During this period, you need to take mucolytics. The list of children's cold medicines is endless. Most often, children are prescribed:

"ACC."
"Ambroxol".
"Bromhexine."
"Lazolvan."

All these drugs thin the mucus. The consequence of their use is that the cough becomes more moist, expectorant and successfully removes mucus from the lungs and bronchi.

Herbal infusions

Fast-acting and inexpensive children's cold medicines are herbal infusions or preparations based on them. Today at the pharmacy you can buy them in the form of syrups, teas, as well as dry herbs that can simply be brewed. This could be chamomile or linden blossom, as well as a special breast mixture.

Black radish is considered an excellent children's medicine against flu and colds. You need to cut out the center of the fruit and fill it with honey. Leave for a day, then drink a tablespoon on an empty stomach.

Treatment of a runny nose

At the first signs of nasal congestion, Sanorin and Naphthyzin are usually prescribed. However, you should not get carried away with these drugs. Usually doctors prescribe them for a course of no more than a week. Their task is to relieve swelling of the nasal mucosa and improve breathing. More gentle preparations are Otrivin and Aquamaris sprays. They help effectively clear mucus from your sinuses. These medications make nasal breathing easier, but they are ineffective in treating colds.

To improve respiratory function, natural children's medicines can be used to prevent flu and colds. It could be aloe juice. It is mixed with water and instilled 3-5 drops several times a day. Carrot juice is used in a similar way.

Main categories of drugs

Let's now systematize the data obtained a little. The first group are medications for symptomatic treatment. These drugs cope with high fever, muscle pain, cough and nasal congestion, headache and general loss of energy. In total, this group includes three categories of drugs:

Painkillers and antipyretics. These are usually paracetamol-based drugs that have a moderate analgesic effect.
Antihistamines. They are taken to reduce swelling of the mucous membranes, relieve lacrimation and itching. Most often these are Fenistil and Suprastin.
Vasoconstrictor drugs to relieve nasal congestion.

All these drugs do not eliminate the cause of the disease, but successfully alleviate the painful symptoms. The course of treatment is 3-5 days.

Antiviral agents

The second group is drugs that affect the immune system and the virus. They should only be prescribed if it is certain that the cause is a virus. That is, the simplest form of life that has a protein shell. Drugs are classified according to their mechanism of action:

Neuraminidase inhibitors.
Viral protein blockers.
Interferon inducers.

Depending on the case and condition of the patient, the doctor should choose the most effective children's cold medicine. Powder, suspension, syrup - these are the main dosage forms that are most convenient for treating children. Most often, the choice of doctors is “Anaferon”, “Arbidol”, “Grammidin”, “Kagocel”, “Remantadine”, “Rinza”, “Rinicold”. This list is enough to relieve the main symptoms of the disease.

Procedure

First of all, parents should make sure that the child does not have a fever. Otherwise, you should give an antipyretic and call a doctor. If the forehead is cool and the condition is satisfactory, you need to pour the powder and wrap the baby well in a woolen blanket. What happens next depends on how the baby’s disease progresses.

The symptom that lasts the longest is a runny nose. It would seem that it’s terrible. But for a child who does not yet know how to blow his nose, this can be a very unpleasant phenomenon. Therefore, we regularly rinse the nose and suck out the contents using a small bulb. Sodium chloride can be used as a cleaning solution. At the same time, continue irrigating the sore throat with medicinal herbs. For this you can use chamomile and sage, eucalyptus. An inhaler will help cure your throat and cough. It is filled with mineral water, herbal decoctions and some medicinal solutions (on the recommendation of a doctor).

Instead of a conclusion

Every mother is concerned about the health of her child and usually has a certain supply of medicines at home to treat colds. The range of medications today is very large, so the choice of a specific medicine should be left to a specialist. As long as the symptoms of a cold are not too bright, you can correct them using folk remedies. If the condition worsens and the temperature rises, call a doctor. Consult him about analogues. Often the same active ingredient is sold under different names. Accordingly, the cost also differs.