Children’s colds
It’s normal for a child to have 8 or more colds a year.
This is because there are hundreds of different cold viruses and young children have no immunity to any of them as they have never had them before.
They gradually build up immunity and get fewer colds.
Most colds get better in 5 to 7 days but can take up to 2 weeks in small children.
Here are some suggestions for how to ease the symptoms in your child:
- Make sure your child drinks plenty of fluids.
- Saline nose drops can help loosen dried snot and relieve a stuffy nose. Ask a pharmacist, GP or health visitor about them.
- If your child has a high temperature, pain or discomfort, children’s paracetamol or ibuprofen can help. Children with asthma may not be able to take ibuprofen, so check with a pharmacist, GP or health visitor first. Always follow the instructions on the packet.
- Encourage the whole family to wash their hands regularly to stop the cold spreading.
Children’s sore throats
Sore throats are often caused by viral illnesses such as colds or flu.
Your child’s throat may be dry and sore for a day or 2 before a cold starts. You can give them paracetamol or ibuprofen to reduce the pain.
Most sore throats get better on their own after a few days.
If your child has a sore throat for more than 4 days, a high temperature and is generally unwell, see a GP.
Children’s coughs
Children often cough when they have a cold because of mucus trickling down the back of the throat.
If your child is feeding, drinking, eating and breathing normally and there’s no wheezing, a cough is not usually anything to worry about.
Although it’s upsetting to hear your child cough, coughing helps clear away phlegm from the chest or mucus from the back of the throat.
If your child is over the age of 1, they can try drinking a warm drink of lemon and honey.
To make hot lemon with honey at home, you need to:
- squeeze half a lemon into a mug of boiled water
- add 1 to 2 teaspoons of honey
- drink while still warm (do not give hot drinks to small children)
If your child has had a cough that’s lasted longer than 3 weeks, see a GP.
Croup
A child with croup has a distinctive barking cough and will make a harsh sound, known as stridor, when they breathe in.
They may also have a runny nose, sore throat and high temperature.
Croup can usually be diagnosed by a GP and treated at home.
Children’s ear infections
Ear infections are common in babies and small children. They often follow a cold and sometimes cause a high temperature.
A baby or toddler may pull or rub at an ear. Other possible symptoms include a high temperature, irritability, crying, difficulty feeding, restlessness at night, and a cough.
If your child has earache, with or without a high temperature, you can give them paracetamol or ibuprofen at the recommended dose.
Try one medicine first and, if it does not work, you can try giving the other one.
You should not give children paracetamol and ibuprofen at the same time unless advised to by a healthcare professional.
Do not put any oil, eardrops or cotton buds into your child’s ear, unless a GP advises you to do so.
Most ear infections are caused by viruses, which cannot be treated with antibiotics.
They’ll just get better by themselves, usually within about 3 days.
After an ear infection, your child may have some hearing loss.
Their hearing should get better within a few weeks. But if the problem lasts for any longer than this, ask a GP for advice.