A child gets a cold almost every season.

Every mother should know how to react to the symptoms of respiratory diseases and what to do if the body becomes hypothermic or the child becomes infected.

For many, colds, acute respiratory viral infections and acute respiratory infections are one and the same disease, which is manifested by a runny nose, cough and high fever. ARVI is an acute respiratory viral disease, that is, it is a pathology caused specifically by a virus.

ARI is an acute respiratory disease that can occur due to all types of pathogenic infectious agents. A cold is a general name for diseases caused by hypothermia.

At the first signs of the disease, you need to react as quickly as possible to avoid complications.

Causes of colds in children

Colds in children, like any infectious disease, occur due to exposure to infectious agents.

The main route of disease transmission is airborne droplets, although viruses and bacteria are also transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person through household methods.

There are a number of factors that increase the risk of developing colds:

• weakening of the body's defenses due to acute or chronic disease;
• hypothermia;
• vitamin deficiency, lack of nutrients.

The main reason remains a decrease in immunity, which occurs due to overwork, stress, and fatigue. In this regard, experts do not recommend overloading children with developmental clubs and sports sections.

Both babies and school-age children should have time to rest and get proper sleep.

Viruses enter the body through the mucous membranes of the mouth and nasal cavity. Due to the weak functioning of the immune system, they begin to multiply intensively and affect the organs of the respiratory system, and then enter the blood.

When exposed to viruses and bacteria in the blood, the production of lymphocytes begins - blood cells, the action of which is intended to fight infection.

As a result, inflammation develops and body temperature rises, which is one of the first symptoms of acute respiratory disease.

Ways of infecting a child with colds

As mentioned above, colds in children occur due to airborne infection.

The source of viruses and bacteria is an infected person who releases the infection when they cough or sneeze. If a child inhales air containing pathogens, they settle on his mucous membranes and begin to multiply.

Sometimes infection occurs through household means using shared utensils, towels, and personal hygiene products.

The first signs of a cold in children

If a child has a cold, on the first day of illness he becomes weak and his body temperature rises. There may also be a headache, decreased activity, loss of appetite and mood.

The first signs of a cold in a child include a runny nose and sore throat.

The infant becomes pale and lethargic, plays less, smiles less, and may refuse to eat. Older children complain of a sore throat, are capricious, the forehead becomes hot due to the increase in temperature, the throat turns red, and a cough begins.

Symptoms and course of colds in children

A cold, unlike the flu, for example, does not begin quickly, but gradually, the symptoms of the disease appear after 1-2 days and intensify progressively. The disease progresses spasmodically.

At the same time, the baby gets better, then worse again. The first signs of the disease may appear 3-5 days after infection, and before that no symptoms appear.

The incubation period can last up to 10 days, usually 5. After this, a cough and runny nose appear - the first signs of a cold. If you do not start treatment, after a couple of days other signs appear.

Cold symptoms in children may vary depending on the type of pathogen and the individual characteristics of the body. Let's look at the most typical ones:

• lacrimation, redness of the eyes, photosensitivity most often occur with the development of a bacterial disease;
• tearfulness and moodiness in infants;
• possible upset stomach, loose stools;
• dehydration, which can be noticed by infrequent urination;
• enlarged lymph nodes (usually cervical);
• loss of appetite, baby refuses food, bottle or breastfeeding;
• cough, sore throat, clicking in the ears when swallowing;
• runny nose, swelling of the nasopharynx, difficulty breathing;
• redness of the throat, with sore throat - white plaque on the tonsils;
• When a child has a cold, the temperature may rise or may remain normal;
• the development of herpes and characteristic rashes on the lips or nose.

Symptoms can occur all at once or separately. The baby should be immediately shown to a pediatrician, who will make a diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment.

Treatment of a cold in a child

You need to know how to treat your child at the first sign of a cold, because the infection multiplies very quickly. You can treat your baby using medications and folk methods.

Traditional treatment should come first if a child has a cold. Traditional methods are used as adjuvant therapy.

To quickly cure a cold in a child at home, you need to use an integrated approach, only then the disease will subside in 5-7 days.

If it is not treated, a number of complications arise, purulent and inflammatory processes develop, which lead to irreversible consequences. Basic recommendations:

1. Bed rest must be observed if the illness begins. To avoid complications, you should not carry the disease on your feet or send your child to school or kindergarten.
2. You cannot stop the course of treatment prescribed by your doctor or make changes to it on your own. If parents doubt the doctor’s competence, they can contact another specialist.
3. It's important to drink a lot. Drinking plenty of fluids promotes recovery. It is necessary to constantly give the sick person tea, compote, vegetable juices, milk with honey, and warm water. You cannot drink hot drinks or carbonated water.
4. During treatment, you need to take a course of vitamins to increase immune defense and strengthen the body.
5. Treatment should begin at the first sign of a cold in children.
6. You need to install a humidifier in the room, and you also need to constantly ventilate it.
7. If adverse reactions occur from medications or there is no result or improvement after 5 days of therapy, you should consult a doctor to adjust the treatment.
8. If your baby has a high fever and antipyretic medications do not help, you need to call an ambulance. When it is hot, you should not wrap up the sick person, give him hot drinks or carry out thermal procedures (mustard plasters, inhalations).

Drug treatment

Your doctor will advise you on what medicine to give your child for a cold so that he can cure it at home on his own. No matter what symptoms appear, you should first consult a doctor. You should not self-medicate.

The basic rule for treating any respiratory disease is an integrated approach:

1. It is necessary to take tests to determine the type of microorganisms that caused the disease. For bacterial diseases (most often caused by streptococci and staphylococci), broad-spectrum antibiotics are required. If the causative agent is a fungus, then you cannot do without antifungal drugs.
2. During antibiotic therapy, it is necessary to take probiotics. These are products that contain bacteria necessary to maintain normal gastrointestinal microflora.
3. If your throat hurts, you need to use emollient medications. For children over 5 years old, lollipops can be used.
4. If the disease is accompanied by a dry cough, mucolytic and expectorant medications are needed. Their action is aimed at liquefying mucus and removing it from the bronchi.
5. When you have a runny nose, you need vasoconstrictor drops that quickly and effectively make breathing easier.
6. A child with a cold with fever should be treated with medications that relieve fever and have an anti-inflammatory effect. Most often these are drugs from their pharmacological group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. For children, medications based on paracetamol and propionic acid derivatives can be used. They have a gentle effect on the body, with minimal risk of side effects.
7. Immunostimulating drugs are prescribed to strengthen the body's protective functions.

Folk remedies

Treatment of a cold in a child using traditional methods is simple and affordable, and it has a minimum of side effects due to the use of products of plant or animal origin.

Before using this or that recipe, it is important to make sure there are no contraindications.

To treat children, compresses, tinctures and decoctions are used for drinking and gargling, rinsing the nose with solutions of salt and soda, which are strong antiseptics.

This solution not only relieves inflammation of the mucous membranes, but also fights many types of pathogens.

Among the medicinal plants, we note linden, chamomile, calendula, mint, sage, which relieve inflammation, swelling, and have a disinfecting effect.

They are used to prepare teas, solutions and decoctions for gargling and inhalation. Such methods help to quickly cure a child of a cold, reduce sore throat and cough.

For diseases of the respiratory system, a mixture of honey and butter is used. To prepare, you need to mix both products in equal proportions until a homogeneous mass is obtained.

Take 1 tsp. per day, preferably at night. Honey contains a large amount of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It is often consumed mixed with lemon, a source of vitamin C, which is essential for supporting the immune system.

For inhalation, you can use essential oils of eucalyptus, lavender, lemon or orange.

Traditional medicine helps stop the development of diseases if you start taking action at the first symptoms of a cold in a child.

Prevention

To prevent colds in children, the following recommendations must be followed:

• give your child vitamins to strengthen the immune system;
• After going outside and before each meal, you must wash your hands;
• carry out hardening, organize sports, walks in the fresh air.

At the first symptoms of a cold, you should consult a doctor to avoid complications.

Children develop immunity. This is a vital necessity. In the future, your child’s body will learn to quickly cope with viruses it has already encountered and is familiar with. During the period of illness, it is necessary to pay due attention to the child and choose the right therapy for him. After all, the outcome of the disease depends on it. It can be positive or negative: recovery or complication.

Parents often wonder: if a child (2 years old) has a cold, how to treat it? Today's article will tell you about different means of fighting infection. But it is worth remembering that any prescription must be made by a doctor. Especially when it comes to younger children.

Nature of the disease

Before treating a cold (2 year old child), it is necessary to understand the nature of its origin. All infections are divided into bacterial, fungal and viral. The latter are much more common than their predecessors. However, if not properly treated, a viral disease can cause bacterial complications. Therapy for this infection is fraught with the addition of a fungal infection. Everything in the human body is interconnected. Therefore, you should not guess from the coffee grounds what caused the baby to feel unwell. In addition, some children at this age cannot even clearly explain what hurts them.

The main signs of illness in a child: runny nose, fever, cough. If a baby has a headache and photophobia, and his parents see 39 degrees or higher on the thermometer, then most likely the baby has the flu. When after some time a child develops a dry (later wet) cough, and the temperature does not drop, this is bronchitis. A sore throat and plaque on the tonsils indicate a sore throat. Also, young children often encounter laryngitis, pharyngitis, rhinitis, otitis media and other diseases. They all have different treatment methods. Let's consider what to do if a child (2 years old) has a cold. How to treat the baby in this case?

Treatment of a runny nose

In almost all cases (with the exception of some), babies develop a runny nose. At first, the separated secretion has a transparent color and liquid consistency. Some time before this, parents may notice intense sneezing. Later, swelling occurs, breathing becomes impaired, and nasal discharge becomes thick. All these are signs of a viral infection. If after a few days the nasal discharge becomes green or yellow, then a bacterial infection has occurred. How to treat a cold (2 year old child) in such a situation? How to make breathing easier?

Without a doctor's prescription, it is completely justified that you can use saline solutions. These are products such as “Humer”, “Aquamaris”, “Rinostop”. They can be inserted into the baby’s nose up to 8-10 times a day. The drugs cleanse the mucous membrane of pathogens and eliminate swelling by drawing out excess fluid. At the earliest stages of the disease, medications such as Grippferon, Genferon, and Derinat will be effective. These are antiviral agents approved for use from the first days of life. They must be used strictly according to the instructions. Antibiotics for the nose are prescribed quite rarely. They cannot be used independently. Commonly used drugs: “Isofra”, “Protargol”, “Polydex”.

Fever: when to lower the temperature?

Almost always, children’s body temperature rises when they are sick. This symptom starts with this and how to lower the temperature correctly? It is worth saying right away that until the thermometer reaches 38.5 degrees, the mother should not take antipyretics. It is clear that all parents want to alleviate the condition of their children. But it is at this temperature that the active fight of the immune system against viruses begins. If you want your baby to acquire good body resistance in the future, then wait. The exception to the rule is children with neurological disorders. For them, the use of antipyretic compounds is necessary already at 37.7 degrees.

Paracetamol and its structural analogues (Panadol, Cefekon) are considered the safest means for reducing fever in a child. It is acceptable to use Ibuprofen or Nurofen. In exceptional cases, “Nimulid”, “Nimesulide” or “Nise” is prescribed. Remember that the dose of an antipyretic always depends on the baby’s body weight: calculate it correctly.

What to do if the temperature does not go down?

Young children often develop white fever when they are ill. This feature can manifest itself in a cold in a child (2 years old). How to treat? The list of medications to eliminate this condition is as follows:

• antipyretic (metamizole sodium-based products are more often used);
• antispasmodic (“No-Shpa”, “Drotaverine”, “Papaverine”, “Papazol”);
• antihistamine (“Diphenhydramine”, “Tavegil”, “Suprastin”).

Each component is selected according to the age of the child. The following combination is most often used: “Analgin”, “Diphenhydramine”, “Drotaverine”. In this case, the child is 2 years old, which means that he needs 0.2 milligrams of each product. The injection is given intramuscularly.

Sore and sore throat

A cold almost always manifests itself as painful swallowing in a child (2 years old). How to treat a baby in this situation? Most lozenges and sprays are still prohibited at this age. Only according to specific indications can a doctor recommend such products as “Tantum Verde”, “Inhalipt” (provided they are sprayed not in the throat, but on the inner surface of the cheeks).

It is permissible to treat a child’s tonsils and the adjacent mucous membrane with the following compounds:

• "Miramistin" (kills bacteria, viruses and fungi, cleanses).
• “Chlorophyllipt” (effective against bacterial infections, copes well with staphylococci, relieves inflammation).
• “Lugol” (cleans, disinfects, very effective against plaque and bacterial infections).

Use of antiviral agents

If a child (2 years old) often has a cold, how to treat it? Medicines with antiviral and immunomodulatory effects are now used in pediatrics left and right. Doctors prescribe them for the purpose of prevention and directly for treatment. It is known that the safest compounds are those that stimulate the synthesis of interferon. Such drugs do not interact with the virus on their own. They make the immune system work and cope with colds. Trade names of these medications: “Viferon”, “Kipferon”, “Anaferon”, “Ergoferon” and so on.

The doctor can prescribe medications for the baby such as Isoprinosine, Groprinosin, Aflubin, Oscillococcinum, Cytovir and many others. But it’s better not to use them yourself.

When are antibiotics needed?

Often, a caring mother grabs antibiotics if her child (2 years old) gets a cold. How to treat? Symptoms that your baby really needs antimicrobial agents will be as follows:

• green or yellow snot;
• severe cough;
• body temperature lasts more than five days;
• the prescribed treatment does not help, and the child gets worse;
• pain in the ears;
• A thick white coating appeared on the tonsils.

Even if your baby has all the symptoms described, this is not a reason to immediately give him an antibiotic. Be sure to show your child to the doctor. After all, only a pediatrician will be able to correctly select the necessary drug and calculate the required dose. Most often, doctors prescribe a broad spectrum of action. Preference is given to penicillin drugs and macrolides. Cephalosporins are prescribed less frequently. A specialist will indicate the trade names suitable for your baby.

Cold in a child (2 years old): how to treat it? Folk remedies)

In recent years, many parents have been trying to give up chemical drugs and tablets, preferring traditional recipes. Indeed, some of them turn out to be effective. But in everything you need to know when to stop. Do not make your child faint. If you see that your methods are not working, consult a doctor.

• You can reduce body temperature by rubbing. Use plain clean water for this. It is forbidden to rub a child with vodka or vinegar. You can reduce the thermometer readings with the help of vitamin C. Brew your baby weak, warm tea with lemon or orange slices.
• Natural antibiotics and antimicrobial agents: garlic, onions, aloe juice and so on. To increase the body's resistance, you can give your child a quarter spoon of a mixture of lemon and onion juice.
• Soaring your feet and performing thermal inhalations is only possible if the baby does not have a fever. It is worth noting that many pediatricians do not welcome such events.
• You can treat your throat by gargling. The solution is chosen at your discretion: soda and salt, chamomile or calendula decoction, and so on.
• Warm milk with a spoonful of honey and butter will help you cope with a cough. Please note that honey is a strong allergen.

Create the most comfortable conditions

If it appears first (2 years) - how to treat it? Prevention of complications and treatment of the disease involves creating the most suitable conditions for the baby. If you place your child in a warm, stuffy room, it will only get worse. The ambient temperature should not exceed 23 degrees. Humidity is set at 60-70 percent. If the baby is cold, then it is better to dress him warmly rather than turn on the heating devices.

If your baby refuses to eat, this is normal. Don't force feed your baby. It is important to drink more often. Give your baby the drink he loves: juice, fruit drink, tea, milk. After all, it is with the liquid that the main part of pathogenic microorganisms is eliminated. During illness, bed rest is indicated. But it is quite difficult for a two-year-old child to comply with it. Therefore, the responsibility is shifted onto the shoulders of the parents: come up with any calm games. Even if the baby is out of bed, try to limit his activity (do not allow him to jump or run).

Is it possible to swim and walk?

How does a cold manifest in a child (2 years old), how to treat it? You already know what the treatment should be. Parents always have a question: is it possible to bathe and go for walks? We will answer them.

Bathing your baby is not only possible, but also necessary. It is necessary to exclude water procedures only at high temperatures. While bathing, the child breathes moist air, drops of water enter the nose, helping to naturally thin the mucus and moisturize the membranes. The prohibition of bathing during the period of a cold came to us from the times when children were bathed in a trough and they were simply afraid of overcooling an already weakened baby.

You can walk, but only in the absence of fever. Even if the baby has a cough and runny nose, these are not contraindications for a walk. It is important to dress your child for the weather and minimize contact with other children.

The main mistakes of parents

You already know what actions to take if a 2-year-old child has a cold (how to treat it). Reviews from doctors report that parents themselves are often to blame for bacterial complications. Caring mom and dad treat the baby incorrectly, which leads to bronchitis, pneumonia, otitis media and other diseases. Such pathologies require more serious medications. So, what are the main mistakes parents make? If a child (2 years old) has a cold, what should not be treated?

• Antibiotics. These drugs are good for certain indications. But often mothers and fathers give them to their children unnecessarily. Antibacterial agents destroy normal microflora, thereby enhancing the negative effects of viruses. Let us remember that antimicrobial agents are powerless against viral infections.
• Antipyretics. They should be taken only at high temperatures (over 38.5 degrees). Otherwise, you do not allow the baby’s immunity to develop correctly.
• Antitussives. You should not give your child antitussive compounds, trying to quickly eliminate this symptom. Cough is a natural reaction of the body to an irritant. In this way, sputum is removed from the bronchi. It is better to use mucolytic and expectorant drugs.
• All medications at once. The medications described are good, but each separately and for certain indications. If you give a child several drugs at once, a reverse reaction will occur. When combining medications, be sure to read the instructions.

Let's sum it up

The article provides you with information about how a cold manifests itself in a child (2 years old). How you can treat it, what medications are best to use as prescribed by your doctor - described earlier. Remember that neither you nor the pharmacist from the nearest pharmacy can make a correct diagnosis. If after three days the child does not feel better, you should consult a doctor. Get well soon!

When the first signs of a cold appear in a child, parents have a question: how to treat the disease? Medicinal and non-medicinal means can help in solving the problem. Not all of them are suitable for the youngest and, often, can prolong the duration of the disease. So how to treat a cold and how to avoid mistakes in the process of providing assistance?

A cold develops for several reasons; it may be a consequence of hypothermia or a child’s contact with viruses.

The viral infection has its own specific symptoms; in children it manifests itself as follows:

1. The temperature rises, and the indicator can reach impressive levels, up to 39 degrees.
2. Worries about a runny nose, nasal congestion, as well as a cough, and it can be both wet and dry.
3. General intoxication of the body, the baby refuses to eat, drinks a lot and spends a lot of time in bed.

If hypothermia is to blame, then the symptoms are similar, but there are no signs of intoxication. That is, despite the increase in temperature, which is rarely serious, the figure does not reach 38 degrees. The baby is ready to play, run, go for a walk. The cough and runny nose do not cause him serious discomfort.

If the body temperature is not elevated, but the child has a runny nose, cough or signs of intoxication, it is worth suspecting that he has an acute respiratory infection or acute respiratory viral infection.

Among the first signs of a cold are:

• general weakness of the body, malaise;
• slight increase in temperature;
• copious or not copious secretion of mucus from the nose;
• slight decrease in activity, cough;
• may cause a sore throat;
• redness of the eyes, lacrimation, and dry mucous membranes are observed.

Much depends on the age of the child; newborns and babies in their first year of life suffer from colds and their manifestations more often. Which is caused by immaturity of the immune system.

Most often, the signs described above bother children during the off-season, as well as in winter. But colds can also occur in the summer; such cases are simply diagnosed less frequently.

What symptoms are most dangerous for a child?

The cold itself, like a viral infection, is not dangerous for the baby until signs of complications appear. A nonspecific or complicated course of the disease is easy to recognize.

It is worth paying attention to the following symptoms:

1. Body temperature rises and lasts for more than 3 days in a row.
2. Intoxication of the body increases, the child refuses food and shows indifference to it.
3. He is experiencing severe weakness, cannot get out of bed, has confusion and hallucinations.
4. There is nausea, vomiting, severe coughing that impairs breathing, and convulsions.

If the usual signs of a cold or viral disease persist for 5 days, their intensity does not decrease, then you should consult a doctor. The problem is that within a specified period of time the body must cope with the disease and overcome it.

If this does not happen, then adequate therapy is required. Otherwise, there is a high probability of complications developing.

Safe children's cold medicines

In fact, there are none in pharmacology. There is a list of drugs that will not cause serious harm to the body. But the doctor must prescribe them and determine the course of treatment.

What to do if a child cannot breathe through his nose?

For younger patients, pediatricians use the following means:

It is not always necessary to lower the temperature; if it does not exceed 38.5 degrees, then there is no need to worry. But children tolerate increased performance in different ways, so this is purely individual. If parents see that the baby is unwell, you can resort to the help of similar means, even if it does not reach the above values.

In fact, in pediatrics, all the drugs indicated in the table are allowed to be used to treat children over 3 months of age. If the child is not yet 3 months old, then it is strictly forbidden to treat him on his own; you should call a doctor at home.

Treatment of the little ones

Therapy for children under one year of age has its own characteristics and consists of an integrated approach to solving the problem. If your baby has a cold, everyone will have to treat him at once. The culprit is poor, weak immunity.

But independent selection of medications in such a situation is unacceptable. Because it is difficult to predict what reaction the body will give to drugs.

Children often suffer from colds and viral diseases, but do not panic and at the first signs of illness, “feed” the child with tablets and syrups. A cold can go away on its own, without taking medications, provided that the child eats normally, is properly cared for, and does not have serious problems with the immune system.

Non-drug remedies

A unique alternative to medications is traditional medicine. Together they “work” perfectly, helping to increase the effectiveness of the main therapy and speed up recovery.

How to treat a child who has the first signs of a cold:

How and with what to clean a newborn's ears?

What to drink when you have a cold

Since colds can be of various types, the following drinks can be used as part of its treatment:

• warm tea with honey, lemon or raspberries is a good option for older children, who can drink it warm without any particular whims;
• warm milk with butter and honey - softens the throat, helps eliminate dryness, relieve pain and discomfort;
• milk with persimmon and honey - the medicine is prepared using a blender, its consistency resembles yogurt, it is given to children in small portions, it helps soften coughs and reduce the frequency of urges;
• cranberry juice – this unique berry stimulates the body’s production of substances that have an antibacterial effect; cranberries are given to children over 3 years old, not forgetting that they can cause allergies.

The best option is to drink warm drinking water; it can be given from a spoon. Parents often add honey to the water. It will help you get over your cold faster.

Doctors say that herbal decoctions also have a good healing effect, which can be used:

If during illness the body does not receive enough fluid, then intoxication increases. Harmful substances accumulate, adversely affecting the functioning of organs and systems.

In addition, a lack of fluid leads to thickening of the mucus, it does not come out, accumulates in the bronchi and lungs, which can lead to complications: pneumonia, bronchitis. Thick mucus also accumulates in the nasal passages, thereby making breathing difficult, leading to the development of sinusitis.

Typical mistakes when treating a cold in a child

Parents, like doctors, can make mistakes when trying to help their baby get rid of the signs of a cold faster. Let's discuss the most common mistakes that moms and dads make, guided by good intentions:

Most women consider themselves specialists in three areas: medicine, cooking and raising children, so write on the topic: “How to treat a cold in a child?” - a thankless task. And yet, I will try to discuss a topic about which kilometers of text have already been written.

In medical terms, colds in children are called acute respiratory infections. viral disease (abbreviated ARVI). I highlighted the word “viral” intentionally, since it is key in the further narrative.

Signs of a cold in children are as follows: a sudden, most often asymptomatic rise in body temperature, after which liquid, clear discharge from the nose appears (in Russian - runny nose). If the discharge turns yellow or green, then this is a symptom of a bacterial infection in the nasopharynx. The cough is dry at first, but becomes wet over time. Possible appearance, as well as sneezing.

How to properly treat a child with a cold?

Every mother, sitting over the bed of a sick baby, asks the question: “What should I give my child if he has a cold?” I outline the rules that are taught to any medical student in pediatrics classes:

1. Fighting fever - .
2. Drinking a lot of water - caused by fever.
3. (contraindicated for children under 2 years of age), if there is a wet cough, expectorants (bromhexine, ambroxol, etc. see review of all).
4. After the temperature has returned to normal, physiotherapeutic methods can be used: foot steaming, soda inhalations, etc.

How not to treat ARVI in children

World statistics say the following

90% of respiratory infections (upper respiratory tract infections) in children are viral in nature. It is a viral one, which antibiotics do not work on. Unfortunately, most mothers consider antibiotics to be medicines for fever and start feeding them to the child for any cold.

There are no safe medications; taking antibacterial agents causes allergies, intestinal dysbiosis, suppresses the immune system and creates antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

Pediatricians, of course, know about the dangers of antibiotics for ARVI, but it is difficult to distinguish a cold from pneumonia, and even at the patient’s home, using only hands, eyes and a phonendoscope, especially with insufficient experience.

For most pediatricians, it’s easier to prescribe an antibiotic to a child on the first day and, as they say, “don’t worry”: the harm from them at the beginning is not very noticeable, if there was pneumonia, it will go away, and if it doesn’t go away, there is an excuse, I prescribed the correct treatment, Yes, and mom is calm.

• If the baby is red- with red hyperthermia, when the child is pink, you should not wrap up the sick baby, but, on the contrary, undress him down to his panties and leave him to cool in the air. Cruel but effective.
• If the child is pale- white hyperthermia, he should be wrapped in a light blanket and given warm liquid to drink.
• Rub the baby with vodka(not suitable for young children, especially under 1 year), it is better to rub locally - arms, legs. The evaporating alcohol will quickly cool the skin. You should not use alcohol solutions of a higher concentration than vodka. This can damage children's skin, and the child can also become drunk, since some of the alcohol will definitely be absorbed.
• Cold on the main vessels. In normal language it sounds like this: take a plastic bottle, pour cold water into it and apply it to the armpits or groin areas. The water will cool the large blood vessels passing through there.
• Do not put a hat on your child indoors, especially on the patient. This is what old-school grandmothers like to do. The head is the main source of heat loss in the body; up to 80% of the heat is removed through it, so during fever, the head must be cooled in every possible way.

During fever, the evaporation of fluid from the skin increases significantly. Therefore, the child must be given plenty of water to avoid life-threatening dehydration. Any liquid will do: compotes, fruit drinks, tea, juices and just clean water.

The story of how domestic pediatrics turns healthy children into sick ones

Characters:

• Mom is an average Russian mother who thinks she knows EVERYTHING about colds.
• The baby is a normal, healthy five-year-old toddler who regularly attends kindergarten.
• Pediatrician - recently completed his studies and was assigned to an average Russian clinic, full of knowledge about how Right treat a cold.

So. The baby returns from kindergarten lethargic, snotty, coughing and with a temperature of 38.5 0 C. The next morning, Mom calls the clinic and calls a doctor to the house.

The Pediatrician comes, examines the child and makes a diagnosis: ARVI. He was taught that at this age, 90% of respiratory infections are viral, and therefore are treated as described at the beginning of this article. He prescribes paracetamol, plenty of fluids, and ascorbic acid, and leaves with a calm soul.

But the disease does not go away, the temperature remains around 39 0 C, the child cries, refuses to eat, sniffles and coughs. Mom knows for sure that ascorbic acid is not a medicine at all, and paracetamol only brings down the temperature. She calls the clinic and swears at everyone and everything there, saying what kind of ignorant doctor you sent me.

In order not to “tease the geese,” the manager comes to see the Kid. pediatric department or deputy chief physician and prescribe an antibiotic. The motivation is clear. Firstly, so that Mom doesn’t interfere with work with hysterical calls. Secondly, if pneumonia does develop and an antibiotic is not prescribed, Mom will immediately sue. In general, we treat “not the right way,” but “the calmest way.”

As a result, a cold that could go away in 7 days lasts for 3 weeks. During the fight against the disease, children's immunity was greatly weakened. The baby is taken to kindergarten, where someone will inevitably sneeze at him and the cold will return.

After a week of going to preschool, Baby again has a fever, runny nose and cough. Mom makes house calls again. The pediatrician was called “on the carpet” last time and explained “how to work with patients.” He comes to the Kid and prescribes an antibiotic from the first day. Everyone is happy: Mom - because the treatment is correct from her point of view, Pediatrician - he will not be deprived of his bonus again, the management of the clinic - there will be no showdown with another complaint.

And again, the illness that could have gone away in a week lasts for a month. What kind of children's immunity can withstand this? Again kindergarten, again a cold and again a month of “treatment”. This is how our heroes turned a healthy toddler into one who was often and long-term ill (the official term, by the way). I hope you understand where frequent colds in children come from?

Some of the most popular questions from parents

Is it possible to bathe a child with a cold?

This question goes back 200 years, when there was no hot water in houses, and children were washed in a trough in the hallway or in a bathhouse, where they could get even more sick. In the 21st century, it is possible and necessary to bathe a child with a cold, but it is worth remembering that a hot bath at an elevated body temperature is strictly contraindicated. It is enough to limit yourself to a warm shower.

How can you understand that a child has recovered?

3 days of normal temperature can be considered positive dynamics. Also considered a good sign is the transformation of a dry cough into a wet one (provided that the discharge has not turned from transparent to yellow or green). But if a recovering child has a fever again, then a bacterial infection can be assumed.

If a child is sick, should he eat better?

During a fever, all the body's forces are spent fighting infection, and digesting heavy protein foods requires a lot of energy. Therefore, at high temperatures, food should be light, as rich as possible in carbohydrates and vitamins, but a recovering child should be fed well and tightly in order to restore his strength.