With the onset of autumn, we are increasingly starting to encounter such a thing as a cold. The street is damp, a piercing wind blows, and now the child comes from school already with a runny nose and cough. Close to temperature. Therefore, every caring parent tries to prepare in advance children's medicines for colds. Let's look at what means can protect the body from seasonal ailments, as well as how to help if the disease has already begun to manifest itself.
Easier to warn
This rule is known to all. Respiratory diseases most often a person gets sick in the fall and winter. Children's medicines for colds at this time are especially popular. However, in one family they are used from September to May, with a short break, and in the other they are almost never used. Because one child’s legs got a little cold, as soon as his throat reddened and a cough begins, while the other didn’t react. It's all about immunity.
Immunity strengthening
If you do not want the child to be sick, work on strengthening the body's immune system. Start the day with exercise, and then take a contrast shower. Warm - cold, but you must finish warm. The child himself, most likely, will not want to perform exercises, and even more so doused with cold water. Therefore, you will have to carry out all the activities with him.
Sport is the second component of a healthy lifestyle. Swimming, skiing or running - choose as you wish. Children especially like to visit the pool. Classes with a trainer, they do not perceive as a serious physical exertion.
And the third component is proper nutrition. We’ll have to work hard to explain to the child that he needs to eat fresh vegetables and fruits, meat and fish, cereals and dairy products every day. Then you simply will not need children's cold medicine.
Let's help your body
If immunity fails, then he needs support. Echinacea tincture is great for this. Just remember that it is good for prevention, and not when the baby is already sick. In winter, make it a rule to lubricate the nasal cavity with oxolinic ointment before leaving the house. This will protect the body from unwanted infections.
With the onset of winter cold, I want to wrap my baby warm before leaving the house. Unfortunately, this not only does not save against colds, but often accelerates their onset. If upon returning home you find that the T-shirt is wet, then next time you need to wear one blouse less. And of course, change the child immediately into dry clothes. Even a slight draft for a sweating child can result in serious consequences.
Children's medicines for colds can remain on the pharmacy shelves if you correctly conduct preventive measures. And the simplest procedure can be called hardening of the throat. To do this, it is enough to keep boiled water in the refrigerator. In the morning, after washing, drink a sip of cold water. Start with a tiny sip. Some parents offer the baby kefir and milk directly from the refrigerator. The sooner you start such a practice, the greater the chance that a cold will bypass you.
Alternative methods of treatment
The best children's cold medicine is not sold in a pharmacy, but in an apiary. At the first sign of a disease, immediate action is required. If your child is too cold, you should immediately give him tea with linden honey. If it is not at hand, then you can replace raspberry jam. These are irreplaceable antipyretic drugs that contain plant salicylic acid. After this, it is important to cover yourself with a blanket and lie down for several hours.
If this measure does not help, and your throat is sore, start rinsing it with a solution of salt or soda. Ideally, the infusion of eucalyptus will help. The healing power of this plant is its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effect. No wonder children's medicines for colds and flu very often contain extracts of this plant.
Warming up of the legs showed itself very well. Put the child on a chair and put the legs in a basin with hot water, stirring mustard powder in it. After a slight reddening of the skin of the legs, wipe them with a soft towel. Now wear woolen socks and lay your baby under the covers. Ordinary onions and garlic will also be great helpers in fighting the symptoms of colds and flu. To do this, cut the onion and offer to breathe it in pairs. The second way is to lubricate the nasal passages with boiled and chilled vegetable oil infused with onion and garlic.
If the smallest is ill
If the baby is breastfed, it is most often protected by mother's immunity. Therefore, colds are usually not afraid of him. But if a source of infection appears nearby, then you need to be alert. A cold in a baby very often gives complications to the kidneys and heart, and can cause disorders of the nervous system. Therefore, we constantly monitor the condition and turn to the doctor in time.
Almost all children's cold medicines are from 3 months old, but the attending physician can choose the optimal dosage for the smallest one. Most often, the choice of a specialist is antiviral drugs. Usually these are interferon inducers: Ranferon, Nazoferon, Viferon and many others. They greatly facilitate the condition of the child and reduce the course of the disease by several days. Since they are well tolerated and have minor side effects, the doctor often begins treatment with them.
Heat
ARI and ARVI rarely do without this unpleasant symptom. Children's medicines for colds and flu necessarily include antipyretics. Today it is often a combination of drugs that can relieve swelling and nasal congestion, weakness. Apply them as suspensions or tablets. These include Coldrex, Teraflu, Fervex. The latter is considered the safest, it is prescribed to children from the age of six. The drug "Coldrex" is softer, its basis is paracetamol. If the condition is not too serious, you can use this medication. Babies are prescribed drugs in the form of syrups. These are Ibufen, Nurofen and a number of analogues.
These drugs have a drawback. They can not cope with inflammatory phenomena, but only temporarily eliminate pain and fever. Therefore, you can replace them with "AntiGrippin". It also eliminates unpleasant symptoms, but does no harm.
Viruses or bacteria
Today, children's medicines for colds and temperatures are so widely advertised that the true culprit of these diseases is already forgotten. All colds are divided into two categories: viral and bacterial. But here there are some difficulties. Influenza is a virus, but when a child becomes ill, the immune system weakens, and a second bacterial infection begins. Therefore, it is important to start therapy as early as possible and prevent such a development of events.
The effective assistant will be Arbidol. It can be given for prevention, especially in the offseason. It will shorten the duration of the disease and reduce the likelihood of complications. The medicine has no side effects and helps to defeat the flu. A child drinks medicine with pleasure, which is an additional plus.
If it is established that the cause of the development of symptoms is the vital activity of bacteria, then antibiotics should be selected. There are a lot of them today, however, it is not recommended to make a choice based on the experience of friends. This is a powerful weapon, but you need to use it only under the supervision of a doctor. The effectiveness of the treatment will depend on how resistant the microorganism is to the drug used.
Cough treatment
If children's medicines for the prevention of flu and colds did not help, and the symptoms begin to develop, most likely, a cough will follow an increase in temperature. At the very beginning, it is dry, as its cause is an sore throat. During this period, you need to take mucolytics. The list of children's cold medicines can be continued indefinitely. Most often, children are prescribed:
- "ACC".
- "Ambroxol".
- "Bromhexine."
- "Lazolvan."
All of these drugs thin the sputum. The consequence of their use is that the cough becomes wetter, expectorant and successfully removes sputum from the lungs and bronchi.
Herbal infusions
High-speed and inexpensive children's cold medicines are herbal infusions or drugs based on them. Today in the pharmacy you can buy them in the form of syrups, teas, as well as dried herbs, which you can simply brew. It can be chamomile or lime blossom, as well as special breast collection.
Black radish is considered an excellent children's medicine against influenza and the common cold. From the fruit you need to cut out the middle and fill it with honey. Insist a day, then drink on an empty stomach on a tablespoon.
Rhinitis treatment
At the first signs of nasal congestion, Sanorin, Naphthyzinum is usually prescribed. However, one cannot get carried away with these drugs. Usually, doctors prescribe them for no more than a week. Their task is to relieve swelling of the nasal mucosa and improve breathing. More sparing preparations are the Otrivin and Aquamaris sprays. They help to effectively clean the sinuses of mucus. These medicines make nasal breathing easier, but they are powerless when treating a cold.
In order to improve respiratory function, you can use natural children's medicines to prevent flu and colds. It could be aloe juice. It is mixed with water and instilled 3-5 drops several times a day. Similarly, carrot juice is used.
The main categories of drugs
Let's now systematize the data a little. The first group is medication for symptomatic treatment. These drugs cope with fever, muscle pain, coughing and nasal congestion, headache, and general breakdown. In total, this group includes three categories of drugs:
- Painkillers and antipyretic drugs. These are usually paracetamol-based drugs that have a mild analgesic effect.
- Antihistamines. They are taken in order to reduce swelling of the mucous membranes, relieve lacrimation and itching. Most often it is Fenistil and Suprastin.
- Vasoconstrictor drugs to relieve nasal congestion.
All these drugs do not eliminate the cause of the disease, but successfully alleviate the painful symptoms. The course of admission is 3-5 days.
Antiviral agents
The second group is drugs that affect the immune system and the virus. They should only be prescribed if it is clearly established that the cause is a virus. That is, the simplest form of life, which has a protein shell. Drugs are classified by the mechanism of exposure:
- Neuraminidase Inhibitors
- Viral protein blockers.
- Interferon Inductors.
Depending on the case and condition of the patient, the doctor must choose the most effective children's cure for the common cold. Powder, suspension, syrup are the main dosage forms that are most convenient for treating babies. Most often, the choice of doctors is Anaferon, Arbidol, Grammidin, Kagocel, Remantadin, Rinza, Rinikold. This list is enough to stop the main symptoms of the disease.
Procedure
First of all, parents must make sure that the child does not have a fever. Otherwise, you should give an antipyretic and call a doctor. If the forehead is cool and the condition is satisfactory, you need to pour mustard powder in socks and wrap the baby well with a woolen blanket. Then comes the symptomatic treatment , depending on how the disease progresses in the baby.
The symptom that persists for the longest time is a runny nose. It would seem that scary. But for a child who does not know how to blow his nose, this can be a very unpleasant phenomenon. Therefore, regularly rinse your nose and suck out the contents with a small pear. Sodium chloride can act as a cleaning solution. In parallel, continue to irrigate the sore throat with herbs. To do this, you can use chamomile and sage, eucalyptus. An inhaler will help cure a throat and cough. It is filled with mineral water, decoctions of herbs and some medicinal solutions (on the recommendation of a doctor).
Instead of a conclusion
Every mother is worried about her child’s health and usually has a certain supply of cold medicine at home. The range of medicines today is very large, so the choice of a specific medicine should be left to a specialist. While the manifestations of the common cold are not too bright, you can correct them using folk remedies. If the condition worsens and the temperature rises, call a doctor. Consult with him and about analogues. Often the same active substance is sold under different names. Accordingly, the cost is different.