Over the counter cold symptoms are no longer available for children under the age of 4. Most Pediatricians don't want you to give them to children under the age of 6. Prescription cold medications are also now under fire. What is a parent to do for their sick child?
My advice to parents hasn't changed over 20 years. The first line of defense is to increase fluids. This primarily means giving water. Fluids with vitamin C are also helpful, such as fruit juice. Chicken, beef or vegetable broth, and occasionally soda, are also good choices. However, fruit drink is not. Also, this advice, does not mean using soda pop as a primary fluid. Friut drink, sport drinks and soda pop have excessive amounts of sugar and should be avoided. I use soda pop in limited amounts for the child who refuses all other liquids. Diet sodas offer no advantage over water, and I see little reason to offer them.
A second line of defense is to run a humidifier. Several types are available. I usually recommend a cool mist vaporizer. Several studies have shown that they improve pulmonary function in children with asthma better than warm mist vaporizers. In all children, cool mist vaporizers have a lower risk of scald injuries, if overturned. Recently, there have been some adverse reports concerning use of ultrasonic vaporizers. If you are concerned about this, don't use an ultrasonic vaporizer. Always clean your vaporizer daily while in use.
Mentholated rubs have been shown to reduce the severity and length of cold symptoms. These may be applied to either the chest or feet of affected children. If you are applying this to your child's feet, please put socks on afterward. This rub is hard to get out of carpet or off of hardwood floors. (Not to mention it can increase your child's risk for a fall). Do not apply to the nose, or ingest the rub at any time.
Fever reducers should not be used routinely, and are addressed in a seperate post.
Please keep in mind that most children get 10-12 colds a year, 6 of which require a physicians attention. Most colds last 2-3 weeks, the worst part being the first 5-7 days. For a cold that is lasting longer than 2 weeks, or is getting worse after 2 weeks, please contact your Personal Medicine provider.
Dr Nan N
House Call Pediatrician, Overland Park, KS
http://FiresidePediatrics.com
http://PersonalMedicine.com
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