SICKNESS IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN: COLDS
Children are usually more susceptible to colds than adults. It is not the cold itself that you have to worry about, but what a cold may lead to if it is not completely cured.
There are many things you can do to reduce the frequency of a child’s colds. He should not be allowed to get overtired or chilled. However, you are making a mistake if you put too much clothing on him and keep him indoors in an overheated room. All children, except very young babies, should be outdoors for several hours a day in good weather so that their bodies can get used to the colder air. The room they sleep in should have a temperature of about 70″ F.
If your child is under two years of age and has a cold, make sure he is put to bed and kept warm. With older children, it is not necessary to confine them in bed unless they are feverish.
A most important thing you can do for a child with a fever is to give him adequate amounts of fluid. Encourage him to drink small quantities frequently. The reason for this is that the child loses body fluids because the fever makes him perspire. Sick children often become quite dried out, which lowers their resistance to germs still more. In addition to milk and water, try fruit juices and carbonated drinks; grapefruit and melons are a good source of extra fluid.
If you think you should give your child nose drops, ask your doctor first. There are two simple measures you can employ to relieve a mucus-plugged nose in an infant: (1)Loosen the mucus by putting in the nostrils a few drops of sterile saline solution (add a teaspoonful of salt to a pint of boiling water, and then cool to body temperature). After a few minutes, suck out the mucus with a rubber-tipped bulb. (2) Try increasing the humidity of the air that the infant breathes. An electric humidifier is a worthwhile investment. A fair substitute is to keep one or more pans of hot water on a hot radiator.
The most important thing to know about a cold is that the virus paves the way for other germs, such as the influenza viruses and the pneumococcus and streptococcus bacteria.
Streptococcal infections. The streptococcal germ can cause sore throat, tonsillitis, sinusitis, middle ear infection, and indirectly rheumatic fever and kidney disease. The first step in protecting your child against the streptococcus is to follow the measures already outlined for preventing colds.
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