Knowing When to Contact the Pediatrician If Your Child Has a Cold
Most children experience more colds or upper respiratory infections than any other illness. In fact, statistics show that children contract eight to ten colds from birth to age two.
If your child is in day-care, or lives with older brothers and sisters, he or she may even come down with more colds than average due to the close contact he has with other children. While all illness is worrisome, colds usually are predictable in their severity, their effect on your child and the duration of the illness. While remaining vigilant, parents must also keep in mind that colds in children rarely lead to other truly threatening medical problems.
A cold is caused by a virus being spread from one child to the next. The cold virus is often spread directly from child to child through sneezing and coughing.
The virus can also be spread when a child with a cold covers his cough or sneeze with his hand, then touches an uninfected child’s hand. When the uninfected child touches his own nose, the virus is then introduced into a new body which becomes infected and, in this way, transfers the cold virus from child to child.
The easiest way to protect your infant from catching a cold is, simply, to keep him or her away from children and adults who have colds.
It is important for parents to remember that the relatively mild cold in older children may cause a more serious illness in a newborn. Parents should not hesitate to contact your pediatrician if your infant’s cold progresses into an upper respiratory infection. Let your doctor assess whether your child is possibly developing bronchitis, croup or pneumonia as a result of a cold.
Many experts recommend you contact your pediatrician when your child’s cold results in any of the following symptoms:
�· Your child develops a persistent cough.
Ã?· Your child’s appetite decreases and he or she refuses several feedings.
�· Your child runs a fever. Anytime your baby (under three months of age) has a rectal temperature higher than 101 degrees Fahrenheit, you should contact your pediatrician.
�· Your child seems excessively irritable.
�· Your child seems unusually sleepy or hard to awaken.
As we all know, there is no cure for the common cold. Antibiotics work well against bacterial infections, however, have no effect against viruses such as the cold virus. So, when your child develops a cold, the best a parent can do to keep your child comfortable is make sure he or she gets extra rest and drinks increased fluids.
With your pediatrician’s approval, a child with a fever may be given aspirin-free medicines. Never give a child over-the-counter cold medicines without the approval of your pediatrician as there are often side effects which accompany use of these products. Plus, many of these products are not sold as medicines to be given to young children.
In particular, over-the-counter cough medicines should never be given to a child under three years unless prescribed by your pediatrician. For coughing allows a child to clear mucus from the lower part of the respiratory tract and there is often no reason to suppress it.
When your infant has a cold he may have trouble nursing because of nasal congestion. Suctioning your baby’s nose with a rubber suction bulb prior to nursing might provide relief for the baby. Normally, this procedure works well for children under six months. After that, your increasingly independent baby may fight his being suctioned.
Also, your child may receive temporary relief from a cool-mist humidifier/vaporizer. Placing the humidifier close to the child’s crib or bed will keep his nasal secretions more liquid and make your child more comfortable as it becomes easier for your child to breathe.
Remember, all humidifiers must be thoroughly cleaned each day to prevent bacteria or mold from forming inside. Also, hot-water vaporizers should never be used as they could burn or scald your child if they are overturned.
Caring for your child when he or she has a cold becomes second nature to all parents. Common sense is critical, however, so that parents recognize when to receive guidance and monitoring from your pediatrician to prevent your child’s routine cold from developing into a more serious illness.
