Upper Respiratory Infections

Each year you can expect your child to have between six and 10 upper respiratory infections. The infection may show up as a cold, sinus infection or sore throat. But sometimes what begins as a cold develops into an infection that requires medical treatment.

Common Cold

Cold viruses are spread by the hands, so frequent handwashing may help avoid some of the viruses that go around each year. For coughs and sneezes, teach children to cover their mouth and nose with the crook of their elbow, or with a tissue, instead of their hand. Teach them not to use cups or pacifiers others have used.

Still, some cold viruses are bound to catch up with your child. Sore throat, coughing, runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, and fever are the most common symptoms of a cold. Sometimes the child will have nausea, swollen glands, headache, earache, and even a rash. Colds do not respond to antibiotic medication. They generally last for seven to 14 days.

A child with a cold should get plenty of rest and fluids and avoid play that tends to cause overheating. You can watch for symptoms that suggest a bacterial infection is developing, either in the throat or sinuses.

Colds are caused by viruses and do not respond to antibiotic medication.

Call the pediatrician’s office if any of the following is true:

• Your baby is less than 2 months old.
• The cold lasts longer than 14 days.
• Fever lasts longer than 72 hours.
• The child has any difficulty breathing.
• The child becomes irritable or lethargic.

Here are ways to help a child with a cold:

• Increase fluids to keep mucus loose and prevent dehydration.
• Treat the discomfort brought on by fever.
• Treat nasal congestion and postnasal drip only if it is disturbing the child a lot.
• Never use medicated nose drops or nasal sprays. Use saline nose drops.
  • Mix 1/4 teaspoon of salt in 8 ozs. water.
  • Place two drops of the solution into a nostril, wait for a few
    seconds, then suction with a syringe.
  • The drops help break up the mucus. Repeat the procedure for the other nostril.
  • Because infants cannot blow their own noses, using a bulb syringe to gently suction the nose can be helpful.
  • Do not suction more than once every one to two hours as it may irritate the inside of the nose.
• Over‑the‑counter decongestants may be helpful for children over 24 months of age. (Follow dosage directions carefully.)
• Use a cool mist humidifier in your child’s room.
• Elevate the head of the child’s bed by placing a folded blanket under the mattress.
• Keep hands away from eyes to prevent infections.
• Wash children’s hands – and yours – frequently.

Sore Throat

A sore throat is one of the most common complaints in young children. Often it’s the first symptom of the common cold.

Most sore throats are caused by viruses. Your doctor may recommend a throat culture test on your child to decide if there is a strep infection (which is treatable with antibiotics) or a viral infection (which is not treatable with antibiotics).

Treatment:

Treatment consists of children’s acetaminophen for pain or fever, rest, and plenty of drinks to replace lost fluids. Fever of 102 to 103 degrees is common and no reason for alarm. You may use salt-water gargles or an over-the-counter throat spray to soothe the throat. If the child also has other cold symptoms, use an over-the-counter cold preparation if needed for comfort. Make sure you select one appropriate for the age of the child and only for the symptoms that are present.

Older children may gargle and swallow a warm mixture of 1/2 tablespoon of honey or corn syrup and 1/2 tablespoon of lemon. Never give honey to a child younger than 1 year of age; it has been associated with serious cases of food poisoning.

Also, a cool mist humidifier is safe and effective in protecting the sensitive tissues of the nose. Be sure to clean the humidifier on a regular basis.

Call the pediatrician’s office during office hours for advice if these symptoms do not get better within a few days, if the child appears very ill and fever persists, or if symptoms get progressively worse.

You should make an appointment to see the doctor if your child has a sore throat with any of the following symptoms:

• a temperature over 104 degrees.
• a fever lasting more than three or four days.
• an earache.
• a bright red rash.
• difficulty swallowing.

Swollen Glands

Lymph nodes in the neck, under the jaw, and behind the ears may swell when there is an infection. The most common infections causing swollen glands in children are colds, ear infections, sore throats, and skin infections. Swollen glands are nothing to worry about as long as they are not hot, red, tender to touch, accompanied by prolonged fever, or increasing in size. By treating the mild illness causing them, the swelling will eventually go down over a period of weeks.

Please call the pediatrician’s office immediately if your child has any of the following symptoms:

• The nodes are red and tender.
• The nodes dramatically increase in size.
• Your child acts very sick and his neck becomes stiff or he is unable to move his jaw.
• The swelling persists more than three weeks, even without fever.