Treatment of Common Colds in Children

Bringing sniffles and sneezes and perhaps a sore throat and annoying cough, the common colds in children catches all of us from time to time. Colds are the most common reason that childrens. Antibiotics should not be used to treatment of common colds in childrens.

* Young children (5 years) are not able to describe cold symptoms and may only show nasal discharge and cough.

* Preschool age children often have a fever (38 deg. C, 100.5 deg. F) in the first 3 or 4 days of a cold.

* Colds in children tend to last longer (10-14 days) than in adults (7-10 days).

* The value of commercial cold treatments has been difficult to evaluate in children.

* In children with early colds, begin acetaminophen or ibuprofen in an appropriate dose on a regular schedule (every 4 hours) during the waking hours. Other symptomatic treatments may be used if they appear to be helpful. These include:

* Topical and systemic decongestants (neo-synephrine, pseudoephedrine); decongestants may cause excitability.

* Antihistamine (especially at bedtime). Antihistamine may cause drowsiness.

* Mucoevacuants (guafenesin)

* Children should never be given aspirin because of the danger of it causing brain damage. (Reyes syndrome)

* Antibiotics do not shorten a cold, reduce the severity of the illness, or prevent secondary bacterial complications.

* Consider consulting your doctor.

* If the child develops a "second fever" later in the course of the cold.

* If the nasal symptoms and cough are no better or worsen after 10-14 days.

* If the child complains of ear pain (or the young child pulls at the ear).