The common cold is a contagious viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. Most adults catch a cold from time to time, but kids can get eight colds per year or more. They are the top reason kids visit the doctor and miss school.
Most colds are caused by rhinoviruses carried in invisible droplets in the air or on things we touch. These viruses can get into the protective lining of the nose and throat, setting an immune system reaction that can cause a sore throat, headache, and trouble breathing through the nose.
Dry air indoors or outside can lower resistance to infection by the viruses that cause colds. So, can being a smoker or being around someone who smokes.
The first symptoms of a cold are often a tickle in the throat, a runny or stuffy nose, and sneezing. Kids with colds also might feel very tired and have a sore throat, cough, headache, mild fever, muscle aches, and loss of appetite. Mucus from the nose may become thick yellow or green.
Colds are very contagious, especially in the first 2 to 4 days after symptoms begin. Colds spread through person-to-person contact or by breathing in virus particles, which can travel up to 12 feet through the air when someone with cold coughs or sneezes. Touching the mouth or nose after touching a contaminated surface can also spread a cold.
Cold symptoms usually appear 2 or 3 days after exposure to a source of infection. Most colds clear up within 1 week, but some last a bit longer.
Your doctor will not be able to identify the specific virus causing cold symptoms but can examine your child’s throat and ears and take a throat culture to make sure the symptoms aren’t from another condition that may need treatment. If symptoms get worse instead of better after 3 days or so, the problem could be strep throat, sinusitis, pneumonia, or bronchitis.
If symptoms last for more than a week, appear at the same time every year, or happen when your child is around pollen, dust, or animals, an allergy could be to blame. Kids who have trouble breathing or wheeze when they catch a cold could have asthma.
Colds will clear up on their own without specific medical treatment. Medicine cannot cure a cold but can ease symptoms like muscle aches, headache, and fever. You can give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen based on the package recommendations for age or weight.
Never give aspirin to children or teens; as such use has been linked to Reye syndrome, a rare but serious condition that can be fatal.
“Many experts now believe that there’s usually no reason to give over-the-counter (OTC) decongestants and antihistamines to any child younger than 6. There’s little proof that these medicines work, and decongestants can cause hallucinations, irritability, and irregular heartbeats, particularly in infants.”
Because so many viruses cause colds, there is not a vaccine to protect against them. To help avoid catching one, kids should:
Never give aspirin to children or teens; as such use has been linked to Reye syndrome, a rare but serious condition that can be fatal.
“Many experts now believe that there’s usually no reason to give over-the-counter (OTC) decongestants and antihistamines to any child younger than 6. There’s little proof that these medicines work, and decongestants can cause hallucinations, irritability, and irregular heartbeats, particularly in infants.”
Experts are not sure whether taking extra zinc or vitamin C can limit how long cold symptoms last or how severe they become, but large doses taken every day can cause negative side effects.
Studies on herbal remedies, like Echinacea, are either negative or are not conclusive. Few good scientific studies of these treatments have been done in kids.
Talk to your doctor before you give your child any herbal remedy or more than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of any vitamin or supplement.
To help ease cold discomfort, you can:
What about chicken soup? There is no real proof that eating it can cure a cold, but sick people have been swearing by it for more than 800 years. Chicken soup contains a mucus-thinning amino acid called cysteine, and some research shows that chicken soup helps control congestion-causing white cells, called neutrophils.
“The best plan, though, is not to worry about whether to “feed a cold” or “starve a fever.” Just make sure your child eats when hungry and drinks plenty of fluids like water or juice to help replace the fluids lost during a fever or from mucus production.”
Always call the doctor if you think your child might have more than a cold, your child gets worse instead of better, or if your child has any of these symptoms:
“Like most viral infections, colds just have to run their course. Getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of fluids — juice and water — can help your child feel better while on the mend.”
Keeping up regular activities like going to school probably will not make a cold any worse. But it will increase the likelihood that the cold will spread to classmates or friends. So, you might want to put some daily routines aside until your child is feeling better.
