Tips for Treating a Cold

There are things you can do and things you should be weary of when nursing sick children back to good health.

Even the best prevention techniques are not foolproof. There are things you can do and things you should be weary of when nursing sick children back to good health.

The medical community has been pushing harder toward the complete removal of all over-the-counter cold medicines because doctors believe the medications have not been effectively tested on children.

Parents will lament the helpless feelings that come with a young child having a cold, but doctors warn that giving cold and cough medicines can be more dangerous than previously thought. So far more than 800 cold medicines have been removed from the market and that is not all of them. Parents need to be cautious when treating children with colds.

Children’s cold medicine is not cheap, and, in the event a child does suffer additional problems because of a medication, it does not make sense to keep using it. If you have ever purchased any type of children’s over-the-counter cold medicine, you’ve no doubt noticed the many combinations of treatments on the packages. For instance, one medicine helps with coughing and sore throat, while another helps with runny noses and congestion. Since many kids have multiple symptoms, parents treat them with several medications. These medicines have many active ingredients that, when combined, can prove to be harmful to a young child’s health.

What can you do to effectively treat a cold or the flu without over-priced medications, expensive equipment or costly pediatrician visits?

Here are some tips for caring for sick children without harmful medicines and all of the other hoopla:

Get Vaccinated

Young children are susceptible to colds and flu and, being in environments such as daycare and school, it is likely a child will often catch what is going around. In order to keep serious flu-related sicknesses at bay, have your children vaccinated for the flu.

Don’t Smoke

Smoking in the house around your kids increases the amount of irritants in the environment. Quit the habit for your kid’s health or, at least, take your butt outside.

Add Humidity

When the seasons change and the moisture is gone, add a humidifier to your child’s room to prevent dry air. Dry air dries out the membranes inside a child’s nose, leaving no roadblock in the nose to keep out infections. If noses do get dried out and sore, use saline drops to keep them moisturized and help keep mucus loose and easy to get out.

Add Water and Sleep

Going back to Mom’s advice, give the kids plenty of fluids and do your best to keep them resting as much as possible.

Hygiene Is Important

Washing hands correctly is a necessary lesson for all little kids. When kids are sick, they need to understand how important it is to keep germs away. Have them wash their hands before they eat, and after coughing and sneezing. Parents also need to wash their hands frequently when caring for sick kids.