But in fact, the cold is a self-limiting disease, that is, it will get better without taking medicine. Baby taking cold medicine almost only has the risk of side effects, and the rest can be said to be useless.
Parents must pay attention to the misunderstanding of colds.
Myth 1: The baby's cold is frozen.
There are many colds in autumn and winter, but it doesn't mean that colds are caused by catching cold. A cold is actually a viral infection, but most of us like to "sit in the right place" when we have a cold. Think about whether we are wearing less clothes and freezing today ...
In fact, is this the only day to wear less? I also wore less a few days ago. Why don't I have a cold? Why did I catch a cold today? The low temperature environment can really make some cold viruses easier to replicate.
But there is no clear evidence that catching a cold or catching a cold will directly lead to a cold. Frequent colds in autumn and winter may be related to people spending more time indoors, which is more likely to lead to the spread of viruses. The mainstream view in the medical field is that a cold will not cause a cold.
Myth 2: Sneezing means catching a cold.
A cold can lead to edema and congestion of nasal mucosa and increased nasal secretions. All these stimuli can cause sneezing, but there are many reasons besides catching a cold. Light, cold air and irritating gases can all cause sneezing. We can't think it's a cold just because we see the baby sneezing, and then let us take cold medicine.
Myth 3: catching a cold without taking medicine is very slow.
In many people's minds, if you are sick, you should take medicine. If you take medicine, you will get better faster, and so will some diseases. But colds are self-limiting diseases, and most of them can be cured in a week whether they are used or not.
For adults, cold medicine can improve symptoms and make them feel less uncomfortable during a cold, but actually taking cold medicine can't make a cold get better faster. For children, the effect of cold medicine is uncertain, and the side effects are even greater.
In infants and young children, the symptoms of the common cold usually peak on the second to third day of onset, and then gradually ease within 10- 14 days. In older children and adolescents, symptoms usually subside within 5-7 days.
Myth 4: The baby often catches a cold, indicating that the immunity is low.
Many parents, when they see their baby catching a cold once a month or two, think that their baby's immunity is not good, and then they should give their baby supplements to improve their immunity. If the baby has immune deficiency, it is indeed more likely to be infected with infectious diseases including colds.
But in fact, children catch a cold 6-8 times a year on average, and 10- 15% of babies catch a cold at least once a year, so it is normal to catch a cold once every 1-2 months. There are very few babies who really have congenital immune deficiency.
If the baby has two or more serious respiratory or bacterial infections a year, such as pneumonia, cellulitis, abscess, etc., it is necessary to consider the problem of immune deficiency, but even if it is really immune deficiency, there is no tonic to improve immune function.
Myth 5: If a cold is not treated well, it will develop into pneumonia.
The initial manifestation of pneumonia is usually upper respiratory symptoms, so like myocarditis, many people think that colds and pneumonia are also causal. "Cold symptoms" and pneumonia manifestations can actually be manifestations of different stages of virus infection.
It is not ruled out that some patients have pneumonia after catching a cold, but whether a cold will develop into pneumonia is more determined by people's own conditions, such as premature delivery, infants, infants with airway malformation or cardiopulmonary insufficiency and immune deficiency are more likely to have pneumonia, regardless of whether the cold is treated well.
Myth 6: Using antibiotics in advance for colds can prevent bacterial infections.
It is true that a cold may be complicated with some bacterial infections, such as otitis media and sinusitis, but we can't predict which cold patients will have bacterial infections. Cold is a very common disease.
Using antibiotics without bacterial infection can not only prevent bacterial infection, but also lead to allergies, diarrhea, drug resistance and other problems, which is even more harmful.
Myth 7: antiviral drugs can be used for colds.
A cold is indeed a viral infection, but there are more than 200 kinds of viruses that can cause colds, and there are no antiviral drugs for these viruses at present, so there is no need to use antiviral drugs, and cold medicines that claim to be antiviral, whether western medicine or Chinese medicine.
For example, amantadine and antiviral oral liquid are unnecessary. However, it should be noted that influenza and common cold are different diseases, and influenza has antiviral drugs.
Myth 8: Vitamin C can prevent colds.
A balanced diet and eating more fruits and vegetables are good for your health. Vitamin C is also commonly used to treat and prevent colds, but the effect has not been confirmed. Because there are so many viruses that can cause colds, there are no drugs or vaccines that can prevent colds.
However, washing hands frequently and avoiding close contact with patients with colds can still reduce the risk of colds to some extent. What can we do as parents if the baby catches a cold? The following methods are mainly aimed at the common cold, that is, when the child's mental state is OK.
If the child's mental state is very bad and completely different from usual, parents can feel it. This situation still needs immediate treatment. After all, all theories should be implemented in combination with reality.
Things your baby needs when he has a cold: thermometer, normal saline, nasal aspirator, antipyretic (Merrill Lynch or Tylenol), humidifier.
If your nose is stuffy and runny, you can try this.
Appropriately raising the indoor temperature (in winter) to a comfortable level can relieve nasal congestion;
Holding the baby vertically can reduce nasal congestion and let the baby fall asleep smoothly;
The hot air in the bathroom can relieve the baby's stuffy nose and dilute the nose (which can be cleaned by the way). When it is inconvenient, you can apply a hot and humid towel to the baby's nose root;
Sea salt washes the nose and can be sucked out with a nasal aspirator;
Children and adults can also try cold drinks to relieve the pain when they have a sore throat.
What should the baby do if he coughs?
Give warm liquid (warm water, milk, etc.). );
A spoonful (2-5 ml) of honey can be given to people over one year old;
If the upper respiratory tract infection causes persistent cough, you can take your child to the bathroom, then close the bathroom door, put hot water, and fill the bathroom with wet and warm steam, which will help relieve the child's cough.
If the indoor air is dry, it is recommended to use a humidifier. It is most appropriate to adjust to 50-60%;
The main treatment for expectoration is to encourage children to take enough fluids (full-breasted babies drink more breast milk). Keeping enough water can dilute secretions and make it easier to cough and blow your nose.