Most autumn-winter colds cause viruses - influenza, parainfluenza. There is a decrease in the body's defenses due to a short light day, insufficient amounts of vitamins and short walks. Contribute to the development of colds and hypothermia, if the baby has gotten wet feet or frozen in the street, and overheating the baby, if he was dressed too warm and he was sweating.
Such different colds
We all know the main symptoms of colds or ARI - it's a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, fever and a general malaise. However, ARI also has its own characteristic features in children in different age periods. It is believed that healthy babies of the first 3-6 months of life, especially those who are breastfed, are ill with acute respiratory infections. It's all about the maternal antibodies passed on to the baby during pregnancy or lactation. If the infants of the first year of life become ill because of the weakness of immunity, the disease spreads quickly and causes a general reaction of the body: anxiety, tearfulness, sleep and appetite disorders. The baby can significantly increase the temperature - up to 38 degrees and even higher, the nose mucous is swollen, lays the ears and there may be an unpleasant sensation in the throat. In addition, ARD in infants up to a year with high fever is dangerous by the development of dehydration or seizures. In addition, all respiratory infections of young children are dangerous complications: otitis, sinusitis, pneumonia and bronchitis. All ARD in children for up to one year require a call to the doctor at home and active treatment. Children from one year to 3-4 years are sick quite often, this is due to the fact that at this time the child's social circle is expanding, and he begins to actively get acquainted with the microflora alien to him. And this is not bad: the incidence of up to 6-8 times a year and ARI, occurring 5-7 days, say good and strong immunity - it means that the body develops protection. All the above symptoms are typical for children of this age group. However, local symptoms come to the fore in the foreground: sore throat, cough, runny nose, and the general temperature is usually 38-39 degrees, refusal to eat and weakness. Complications are usually not so frequent, usually it is otitis or bronchitis. Children from 4-5 to 7-8 years old often endure ARI in mild form - usually a low temperature, a runny nose, less often a cough and sore throat. However, they have very long protracted currents of these infections and attachment of bacterial complications in the form of tonsillitis (tonsillitis), the formation of chronic foci of infection - chronic tonsillitis (tonsillitis) and adenoiditis (inflammation of the palatine tonsil).
How to treat
Independent treatment of ARVI in children under three years is unacceptable. It is necessary to have a mandatory examination of the doctor and follow his recommendations. But independently, you can alleviate the child's condition: raise the head end of the baby's bed to facilitate the passage of mucus and breathing. Air in the house must be moistened and adhere to a temperature of 20-22 degrees. It is necessary to organize a bed and half-bed regime for the time of poor health. If the child refuses to eat, do not insist, feed the baby light vegetable-milk food, enriched with vitamins. Before the doctor comes it is permissible to use herbal medicine and antipyretic drugs, which must be used at a temperature above 38- 38.5 degrees, a lower temperature to knock down is not recommended - this is a protective reaction of the body and the development of immunity. You can use physical methods to reduce the temperature - wiping with a damp sponge soaked in water at room temperature, sometimes you can use an enema with 20-30 ml of cool water. If the measures for physical cooling are ineffective, candles or syrups based on paracetamol or ibuprofen can be used. Analgin (in tablets) and aspirin in children are not used. If the temperature rises steadily, and the antipyretic effect is not given, if the child is inhibited, there is difficulty or noisy breathing, you need to call the ambulance urgently. After the examination, the doctor will advise, most likely, to use several groups of drugs. The main treatment is the use of antiviral drugs and antibiotics, if the bacterial nature of the infection is absolutely certain, or the risk of infection is very high. For children, convenient forms and dosages for children are usually produced - in candles, suspensions, syrups and very rarely in soluble or regular tablets. In addition, if the baby does not suffer from allergies, you can give him drugs on a plant basis and apply herbal medicine. With a cold and a fever, the baby sweats heavily and the risk of dehydration increases. Therefore, a lot of drinking is necessary, especially in the form of herbal decoctions. Herbal preparations can also be used in the form of inhalations with a cold and cough, as cough syrups, and balms can be used to rub the chest or back. More adult babies can be offered vegetable sprays for irrigation of the throat, lozenges for sore throat and cough, tablets for resorption and elixirs for ingestion. Often in addition to treatment to maintain immunity and fight infection, doctors recommend the use of multivitamins, they help to speed up recovery and quickly overcome the disease. And after recovery, the course can be continued to support the baby's organism in the cold season and reduce the risk of repeated illnesses.
The best treatment is prevention
Babies who have strong immunity, are seldom ill, and their illnesses are mild. How can we strengthen the immunity of crumbs so that he can actively resist the onslaught of autumn colds? A natural remedy that strengthens the immunity of an infant is mother's milk. Therefore, WHO and all children's experts call for the longest time to preserve breastfeeding: the optimal period is the age of up to two years. The milk contains a lot of nutrients and vitamins. It also contains antibodies to a variety of microbes and protective factors that contribute to the proper functioning of the child's immune system. At any age, proper nutrition plays an invaluable role in the prevention of disease. The kid should receive enough energy daily with food, and it is delivered with fats and carbohydrates, a daily breakfast of porridge with oil will help to replenish the energy supply. In addition, the baby must necessarily get a lot of protein, this is a source of amino acids, a building material for building antibodies - the main defense against infection. Therefore, every day the baby is supposed to eat meat or fish. In addition, the proper functioning of the immune system requires the intake of minerals - calcium, potassium, copper, magnesium and many others. Unfortunately, often the nutrition of toddlers does not meet all the requirements for vitamin and mineral provision. Modern children, especially in large cities, from a very early age due to unfavorable ecological conditions and unbalanced nutrition have a deficit of many vitamins and trace elements. Therefore, doctors recommend in the season of colds and the entire cold period of time to take courses of vitamin preparations. For today, multivitamin preparations for children of different age groups have been developed, they contain vitamins necessary for the proper functioning of the body and strong immunity. Many are additionally enriched with minerals and trace elements, and, in addition, they are produced in a form suitable for consumption - pastilles, chewable tablets, syrups. Also, strict observance of the day regimen, sufficient night sleep is recommended for strengthening immunity, and mandatory day sleep for preschool children. An important factor in the formation of immunity is the systematic hardening of the body. This is a hardening of the throat and nose, consisting in washing them with water, starting with a warm (30-32 degrees), gradually reducing the temperature to a cool (16-18 degrees). For the throat, it is possible to give the baby ice cream as a hardening procedure. Recommended and general procedures aimed at tempering the entire body. These are douches of legs and hands, walking barefoot, contrasting souls, wiping and other procedures. Beneficial influence on the body of swimming in the pool. We can not influence the change of seasons: both autumn and winter necessarily come. However, in our power to influence something more important: the body crumbs, help strengthen its immunity, make it strong and strong. And if he suddenly becomes ill - to make his illness short and not heavy! Health to your kids!