What Every Parent Must
Know About Colds and Flus www.fridayschildmontessori.com
There are quite a few strains of the
flu knocking around, and the one
that struck the world about 100
years ago (called the Spanish Flu) is
only one among many.
The flu virus mutates very quickly.
You may have heard the palaver
about Swine Flu and Bird Flu not
that long ago.
These are other forms of flu, and
scientists are very quick to put
people on the alert at the first sign
of anything that looks like it just
might possibly turn into a second
pandemic like the Spanish Flu.
And the majority of flu strains
aren’t fatal, especially if they’re
properly treated and your child has
a good immune system.
In this situation, a severe case could
develop and your child could be in
real trouble because he/she hasn’t
been treated soon enough.
The second type of error is the
reverse: when you think that your
child has the flu but he/she only
has an ordinary cold.
With a cold, you get the
characteristic runny nose and yellow
snot all over the place. Children
(and adults!) get blocked sinuses,
which can often lead to headaches.
Children sneeze and cough, and they
may get sore throats. Some people
get a mild fever and mild illness
(the key word here is “mild”) but
this doesn’t last very long.
Your child will probably want to get
up and play within a couple of days,
even though they might still be
coughing or their nose might still be
runny.
With the flu, the illness lasts longer
(can be a week or so) and the fever
and headaches are a lot worse.
Those with the flu also start
shivering and may have a dry cough,
and they get muscular aches all
over. You don’t ache all over if you
have a cold, and you don’t usually
have a runny nose for the flu.
Bed rest helps with colds if your
child is feeling and acting particularly
miserable, and bed rest is essential
in the case of the flu.
Give your child paracetamol to stop
the fever getting out of control and
to deal with the headaches
associated with both conditions.
Drinking lots is essential whether
you have a cold or the flu. If your
child doesn’t seem to get better
and want to get out of bed and
start playing within a couple of
days, suspect the flu and get hold
of your doctor.
You should definitely get hold of
the doctor if your child gets
dehydrated, has extremely bad
headaches or starts coughing yellow
or green phlegm. Antiviral
medications are out there to help
with the flu.
The good old home remedies often
do help with colds and flus, as they
tend to contain immune boosters
that help the body fight the virus
as well as usually being fluids.
Chicken soup (preferably home-made
and with lots of raw garlic) and
gently warmed citrus juice with
honey are great for children – but
save the ones involving a small shot
of whiskey (it’s a painkiller inside
the throat) for adults.
Do you have something to share
about colds and flus in children?
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