Precautions that Parents Should Take When Children Get Cold and Cough



Cold and cough is caused by a viral infection, which can last for about two or four weeks. The symptoms include stuffy or a runny nose, coughing and sore throat. Many times, the infection may raise body temperature and the child may suffer from fever. Our body’s immune system naturally fights with such infections. Depending on the type of cough and the symptoms, the virus can stay active in the body for about 4 to 6 weeks. It is quite painful to see the child suffering from cold and cough. Children will experience pain and irritation in the throat with difficulty in swallowing, frequent coughing with mucous, breathing difficulty and high fever.

Let’s first understand the type of a cough your child might be suffering from:
1.     Dry cough: Generally occurs due to infection in upper respiratory tract, cold or influenza. Children with asthma and allergies are also prone to this type of cough as dry cough is triggered by smoke or dust.
2.     Croup cough: A harsh barking and dry cough with swelling beneath vocal cords
3.     Wet cough: Most commonly caused by cold. This is an infection of the lower respiratory tract characterized by mucous secretions.
4.     Whooping cough: Characterized by fast coughing, breathing difficulties and a whooping sound while breathing.
Apart from this, if coughing starts suddenly along with choking, the child may have inhaled a foreign body. Immediate help may be required. For babies less than 12 months of age, cold cough followed by breathing difficulties may indicate bronchiolitis and require a paediatric attention. A normal cold and cough generally subside with two to four weeks.
·        Chest pain or breathing problems
·        Cough lasting for more than 6 weeks
·        A yellow, green or brown mucous indicating another infection
·        Swollen glands, persistent high fever, rashes
·        Body getting pale and symptoms getting worse
·        Temperature higher than 38 degrees in the case of infants
Precautions and diet that should be taken care of
·        Increase intake of fluids especially hot liquids
·        Never stop breastfeeding the baby
·        Vapour rub applied on chest and back is an effective remedy
·        Inhaling steam provides relief to a sour throat and nose
·        Intake of crushed tulsi leaves with honey or hot turmeric milk is soothing and very helpful

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Tips for Easing a Stiff Neck

Image
A stiff neck is not a serious medical condition but it can disturb your daily activities. Many people experience it at least once in their lifetime. A stiff neck is painful and creates difficulties while moving your head. It is characterized by soreness and difficulty in moving the neck. It may be accompanied by a headache, neck pain, shoulder pain, and arm pain. Try these simple remedies to gain relief: 1.      Use Cold Therapy Applying cold packs to your neck can relieve the pain by limiting the build-up of lactic acid. Ice can numb the pain and also reduce inflammation. 2.      Use heat therapy If you do not get relief within 48 hours after using the cold compress, try heat therapy. Heat therapy is a very useful method as it relaxes the tightened muscles and increases the blood flow, leading to a decrease in the stiffness of the neck. A hot water shower is also good for this ailment. 3.      Daily Mas...
Read more

Which Nut Has More Benefits: Almonds or Walnut

Image
Whenever you peruse through snack options in a store, looking for a fulfilling yet healthy option, it often turns out to be really challenging. This is where you might consider nuts, such as almonds or walnuts to fulfill your hunger. They both are quite healthy snacking option with rich reserves of protein, fibre, and energy. However, given the choice between almonds and walnuts, there are certain things which need to be kept in mind. ·         Energy content: Almonds contain 14 grams worth of fat, and 164 calories whereas, walnuts contain approximately 18 grams of fat but give 185 calories. Thus, we find that walnuts contain a slightly higher amount of fat than almonds, but provide more energy in the form of calories. ·         Protein content: Almonds and walnuts are both protein powerhouses – containing 13% and 9% of protein content respectively. Thus, both these nuts are great sources of protein. ...
Read more

5 ways a High Fiber Diet Can Help

Image
Most people associate fibre to be good for the digestive system. It helps to add roughage and therefore helps in avoiding constipation. When we dig deeper, the fibre seems to do good not just to the stomach but to the heart as well. Those who are prone to develop heart disease should make an attempt to include more fibre in their diet and reap the rich benefits it offers There are two classifications of fibres which are Dietary and Functional Dietary are found in diet products and functional being added fibre through various food supplements. Soluble and insoluble fibre, based on their solubility in water. Most foods contain some amounts of both. The insoluble one has more digestive benefits, as it adds to the roughage. Both types have cardiac benefits. 1.      Reduces cholesterol: There is good cholesterol which is essential for the body, and there is bad cholesterol causes heart disease. What fibres do is reduce the amount of bad and overall cholest...
Read more