How to protect your infant from colds and flu?

Infants have a very difficult time dealing with colds. If a baby has a runny nose or cough, his breathing may become difficult, sleep and nutrition may be disrupted. Therefore, gnomes with a cold need a lot of care, and these tips, tricks and home remedies will help you deal with fever, runny nose and cough faster.

When a baby has a cold, he is, of course, not the only one who suffers. Parents have a hard time when they hear their baby coughing at night, see his fatigue, which does not allow him to stay awake longer, and worry that a clogged nose does not give the infant a chance to eat properly. A cold in a baby is a difficult sight, but in a normal situation it would most likely not be a rare occurrence or something dangerous. Quite the contrary: a child’s immune system can develop fully only when it comes into contact with pathogens and learns to successfully fight them. Therefore, colds in infants are perhaps unpleasant, but very important steps in growth and development. Up to ten colds in the first year of life are therefore still quite normal.

In addition, important components of a child’s immunity are:

• impossibility of penetration through the skin and mucous membranes for most microorganisms;
• the presence in the skin and stomach of substances that create an unfavorable environment for foreign microorganisms;
• the presence of additional enzymes in body fluids (blood, saliva, tears, etc.).

Additional components of immunity include interferon, an antiviral protein produced by an infected cell and protecting a healthy cell from the penetration of viral particles into it.

Thus, a child’s immunity is a multi-level defense of the body. Over the years, unfortunately, a child’s immunity undergoes a number of significant changes. By the age of 15, a child’s immune system has already reached the peak of its development. It is known that a child’s immunity can be reduced due to exposure to a number of unfavorable factors.

Factors contributing to the suppression of the child’s immunity.

• Past colds and flu
• Constant overwork
• Chronic lack of sleep
• Stress
• Excessive physical activity
• Insufficient physical activity
• Hypovitaminosis, hypomicroelementosis
• Irrational, unbalanced diet
• Dysbacteriosis, giardiasis, helminthic infestations
• Chronic diseases of the digestive system
• Taking medications
• Unfavorable environmental conditions.

How to identify a child’s reduced immunity to viral infections:

• Increased fatigue of the child with the same load, drowsiness with restless sleep.
• A long period of recovery after suffering from colds.
• Frequent colds (4 or more times a year).
• The occurrence of several viral diseases simultaneously (for example, influenza and herpes).
• Frequent herpes infection.
• Fungal infections of the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory tract.
• Tendency to bowel disorders or alternating constipation with diarrhea.
• Newly identified allergic reactions to food (for example, before there was no allergy to oranges, but now there is an allergy).

What are the principles of strengthening a child’s immunity?

Since a child’s immunity is a whole system that is influenced by a huge number of factors, it is possible to increase a child’s immunity by strengthening the entire body as a whole. It is necessary to strengthen the child’s immunity constantly, and not from time to time. Parents who themselves cannot boast of excellent health should be especially attentive to the child’s immunity, because immunity characteristics are also inherited.

How to protect your child from colds?

A few simple tips to avoid childhood illnesses in the fall.

It would seem that just recently there was summer heat outside the window - and now autumn is on the threshold with all the seasonal delights: cold weather, drizzling rain, and then frosts... A child’s body is much weaker than an adult’s, and therefore with the onset of autumn the number of children who catch a cold increases sharply increases. Many doctors believe that seasonal illnesses are quite normal. But still: is it possible to protect a child from a cold? Can!

To protect your child from catching a cold during a seasonal outbreak, follow the following tips, simple but effective!

Teach your baby to breathe through his nose

This simple recommendation is very important. The fact is that it is the nasal mucosa that becomes the very first barrier that stands in the way of microbes. When breathing through the nose, a significant part of the microbes are neutralized before they enter the body. This means breathing through your nose is the first way to avoid illness.

The child should always have a clean handkerchief

It is best to use disposable paper tissues - this will prevent the spread of infection. In addition, a useful habit is to sneeze not into your palm, but into the crook of your arm: after all, germs easily migrate from all surfaces in the house to the baby’s palms, and from there straight into the respiratory tract.

Don't forget the onions and garlic

Natural phytoncides of onions and garlic have the excellent ability to kill microbes - and therefore it is very useful to leave a saucer with chopped onions or garlic cloves in the room where the child sleeps. In addition, you can put finely chopped garlic in a Kinder Surprise container.

Ventilate the room

Even if there is bad weather outside, take fifteen minutes to ventilate the rooms. Fresh air is an effective remedy for germs. Stop smoking indoors once and for all - tobacco smoke tends to seep into any cracks, and it does not have the best effect on the child’s health: in particular, it significantly reduces immunity.

Do not neglect medications to prevent colds

Currently, there are a number of homeopathic medicines that help not only cope with colds, but also prevent them (for example, Oscillococcinum or Anaferon). Homeopathic medicines are particularly effective in the earliest stages of the disease and their ability to prevent infection. However, it is worth remembering that the effect of such drugs is significantly reduced when taken regularly: to achieve maximum effect, you should not take the same drug more than once every six months. However, you can always alternate medications.

Strengthening the immune system

Strong immunity guarantees that both cold weather and seasonal outbreaks of colds will not have any effect on the baby. How to strengthen a child's immunity?

Proper nutrition

The baby's diet should have enough vitamins and minerals. Store-bought vitamin and mineral complexes created specifically for children are quite suitable for this. But sometimes parents prefer not to give their child pharmaceutical drugs, but to use natural remedies. If this is your position, try to ensure that your child’s diet includes foods rich in vitamin C, which is especially important for immunity: rose hips, black currants, bell peppers, citrus fruits (best consumed together with the crust), sea buckthorn, kiwi, cabbage (in features - Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage), garlic, viburnum berries, rowan berries, strawberries. Vitamins A and E are also beneficial for the immune system.

Remember that products for children's tables must be natural! Semi-finished and instant foods, when consumed regularly, have a bad effect on the health and well-being of the baby.

Active lifestyle

Physical activity helps strengthen the body. Running, swimming, cycling, scootering, rollerblading, walking - all this only benefits the baby’s immunity. Exercise in the fresh air is especially beneficial. If the baby walks a lot, runs, jumps, actively explores the playground, climbing wherever possible - rejoice, most likely his health is strong enough to withstand diseases.

Temperature changes

An organism that is accustomed to withstand temperature changes can also resist colds. Therefore, dousing with cool water and visiting a bath or sauna are very useful. Note that any hardening procedures must be introduced gradually - gradually reduce the water temperature, and in the sauna start with just a few minutes.

However, measures to strengthen the immune system are not a panacea or a magic pill: it will take time for them to have any tangible effect. In addition, you need to constantly strengthen your immune system. But once you achieve the result, you are unlikely to regret it - your baby will get sick much less often, become stronger and healthier.

So, something bad happened - someone in the household got sick, or another virus was spreading around the city. And this, it would seem, is nothing unusual, especially in the autumn and spring periods. But, if there is a baby at home, it is necessary to take all measures so that he does not get a cold.

Such young children are much more difficult to tolerate even a common runny nose, so you need to do everything to prevent the baby from getting sick. How to avoid infecting your newborn with a cold? Usually, following some rules and simple disease prevention is enough.

Colds in infants: symptoms, treatment, prevention

Colds in infants are a fairly common occurrence, and all this happens due to the fact that the immune system is not fully formed.

This complex disease is caused by a virus, which is why during illness it is better not to visit crowded places, not to travel on public transport, or to visit people. The best thing to do is to stay at home and get treatment.

But you shouldn’t forget while walking, at least near the house, only in calm weather.

If a relative is sick, then you need to stop the child’s contact with this person, and, if possible, move him to another apartment. It is worth remembering that at the first sign of a cold you need to take action, and, of course, seek the help of a qualified specialist.

Cold symptoms

Colds in infants occur quite abruptly, but nevertheless changes in their behavior can be noticed, these include the following:

• The child is capricious and constantly cries.
• The baby refuses to eat.
• He gets a runny nose.
• The child does not sleep well.
• If the baby is breastfed, then he refuses the breast.
• If we are talking about newborn children, their cheeks may turn pale.
• The child has a fever.
• The eyes are sluggish, tired and cloudy.

Even if a child does not exhibit all of the above symptoms, we can say that he is sick. All at once cannot disturb the baby; they arise gradually. When a baby’s nose begins to get stuffy, this is the first symptom of a cold, and then you need to take action. After a runny nose, a sore throat and cough usually appear.

During a cold, the child feels very bad and therefore you need to understand go and under no circumstances swear at him. For example, if he refuses to eat, then you shouldn’t force him. This will only make things worse for the child; when he gets hungry, he will definitely let you know about it.

If the child is breastfed, then there is no need to force him to eat. He eats milk as much as he sees fit. This also applies to those babies who are bottle-fed.

It is best to feed your baby little but often. And every half hour it is recommended to give the baby purified water. It is worth noting that newborn children should not be given sweet and herbal infusions.

You shouldn’t overheat your baby either; you need to dress him according to the temperature regime. If the child is hot, then you need to put it on lighter.

And if the child begins to turn pale or shrinks, it means that he is cold. But you shouldn’t wear it too hot either, so as not to overheat.

If you undress the child, but his temperature does not subside, you need to wipe him with plain water, about thirty-five degrees, but not higher. First you need to wipe your stomach, then your neck, groin and armpits. During illness, the baby's head should be higher than his body, so he needs to be carried in his arms.

Treatment

Newborn babies are not allowed to put vasoconstrictor drops into their nose. It is best to suck out the resulting fluid in the nose using a special product. But before this procedure, you need to drop three drops of plain boiled water into each nasal passage.

You should not self-medicate; only a pediatrician can establish the correct diagnosis and select treatment. After all, allergies can appear from various mixtures and preparations, and then it will be even more difficult to cope with the disease. If a child feels well, but has a fever, then it is not recommended to bring it down, so as not to once again poison the body with medications.

It is necessary to constantly ventilate the room in which the patient is located. But you just need to avoid drafts. In winter, you need to ventilate the room no more than three times, for twenty minutes each. And in the summer this needs to be done throughout the day.

If the temperature rises to forty degrees, then the child needs to take an antipyretic. As pediatricians recommend, treating a baby’s cold with folk remedies is prohibited. It is best to consult a doctor in time so that he can prescribe treatment.

To prevent your child from getting sick, you need to perform preventive procedures that help strengthen his immunity. First of all, you need to take your child for a walk every day, of course, if the weather permits.

The child should be dressed according to weather conditions. If we compare it with an adult, then a child should wear one thing more than an adult.

Do not allow the child to come into contact with sick people, and also avoid hypothermia.

The baby's health is a concern for parents. The most difficult thing is to protect a child from a cold: he is easily infected, he has a hard time recovering, and complications often appear. It is important to know about the signs, course of the disease, how to treat a cold in an infant in order to provide him with timely help.

In medicine, a cold is called ARVI or ARI (acute respiratory viral infection or acute respiratory disease). The first spreads during viral epidemics: a baby can become infected from relatives if his immune system is weakened.

Acute respiratory infections often occur due to hypothermia in the infant, which causes a weakening of local immunity on the mucous membranes and the active proliferation of bacteria and viruses that are constantly present in humans in small quantities.

The baby gets sick less often due to the immunity received from the mother at birth. It works in a newborn baby up to 3-4 months, then the body independently forms a protective system and additionally receives antibodies from mother’s milk if the baby is breastfed. Children on IV are more likely to become infected.

Infection from mother

Great difficulties are caused by the disease of a nursing mother, which can infect the baby. An infected person does not immediately learn about the disease: the first signs of a cold appear a few days after infection.

The virus from the mother can enter the baby’s body through the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx and breast milk, but you cannot stop feeding: the baby will lose the main medicine.

Frequent hand washing with soap and a gauze mask that needs to be changed several times a day will help limit your exposure to pathogens.

Symptoms

The child is not yet able to explain that he has started to get sick, so parents often pay attention to the obvious signs of a cold in their infant:

1. Discharge of mucus from the nose;
2. The eyes become cloudy;
3. Difficulty breathing, the baby opens his mouth more often, throws the breast or pacifier during feeding, cries and refuses to eat, although he is clearly hungry;
4. An increase in temperature may be accompanied by a feverish state, chills - the baby trembles at normal room temperature;
5. The voice becomes hoarse;
6. Frequent sneezing and coughing appears.

Before these symptoms, changes in the child’s behavior should alert you. He becomes lethargic or overly excitable. An infant sleeps poorly; on the contrary, he sleeps often and for a long time, and is capricious. Signs of a cold in a newborn are a reason to immediately consult a doctor.

A cough and runny nose in the absence of a high temperature may be the cause of an allergic reaction or an individual feature of the course of the disease. Such cold symptoms in infants require clarification of the causes and treatment.

Infants do not know how to blow their nose or cough; mucus from the nose flows down the throat and into the ear canals. Otitis media, sore throat, and pneumonia may occur. A more serious complication is inflammation of the brain.

1. Salivation increases;
2. There is a desire to put fingers and objects into the mouth and try to chew them;
3. The gums at the site where the tooth appears swell and turn red.

And with such symptoms, you need to consult a pediatrician: he will give recommendations on how to help the child with teething.

Treatment options

If a cold occurs in an infant, Komarovsky recommends an immediate visit to the doctor. Only he will decide correctly how to treat a cold. It is advisable to use less different medications; self-treatment of a cold in a child is strictly prohibited. Medicines that help adults with similar symptoms may be dangerous for him.

If a cold occurs virally, it is useless to use antibiotics, which are used for complications of an inflammatory nature.

For a runny nose, the pediatrician may prescribe nasal drops, vasoconstrictors or therapeutic ones based on saline solution, and for inflammation - containing antibiotics. You can instill two or three drops of saline solution into each nostril. It thins mucus and has an antiseptic effect. To make breathing easier, you need to clean your nose with a blower, a nasal aspirator, or, in extreme cases, with your mouth.

Babies cannot swallow pills. To treat a viral disease, suppositories for colds containing interferon are prescribed, which are inserted into the anus. The medicine is absorbed in the intestines, acts faster and does not harm the child’s digestion. You can replace suppositories with drops or syrup, but they can cause vomiting.

Contraindicated for the treatment of colds in infants:

• Decoctions, tea with honey, raspberries, cough syrups can cause allergies;
• Instillation of breast milk into the nose. It is not originally intended to treat a runny nose, it promotes the growth of bacteria, and accelerates inflammatory processes;
• Rubbing and inhalation with essential oils can cause rashes and itching;
• Steam inhalation leads to burns of the nasopharyngeal mucosa;
• The use of mustard plasters is unacceptable for the skin of a baby;
• Enema without consultation with the doctor.

Several general rules for protecting a child from disease

1. The easiest way is to isolate the baby from a sick family member. However, this is not always easy. If the apartment is one-room or the mother is sick, it will not be possible to temporarily isolate the child. Therefore, the sick person should stay at home wearing a mask and change it regularly;
2. Try not to have gatherings with your family or invite guests during periods of exacerbation of infectious diseases. The more bacteria there are at home, the easier it is for your baby to pick them up. Even if all guests are healthy, give them masks;
3. Take your baby for walks in the fresh air more often. But! Do not walk in crowded places;
4. Wash your hands and face often when you come home. The rest of the family should do the same. Keep an eye on the dishes your child eats from - always sterilize them. The linen on which the baby sleeps and the towel should always be clean. Pathogenic microorganisms easily grow in dirty fabric;
5. You can protect your baby from viruses in the air with chopped garlic and onions on a plate in the children's room. Of course, the smell will be heavy, but the child will be protected;
6. If your baby has already started sniffling, you need to do everything to prevent him from getting sicker. Clean your child's nose of mucus; if he is already able to blow his nose on his own, make sure he does this regularly. Use antiseptic nasal drops. You should not drip breast milk, as many people advise.
   It may make the problem worse.

We don't leave viruses a single chance!

If your older child gets sick with ARVI, you need to monitor the situation at home. Simple measures will help reduce the number of germs and viruses in the air, reducing the risk of infection for the youngest.

• The air in the apartment should be clean, fresh and cool. Regular ventilation will help maintain the desired temperature.
• It is equally important to ensure normal air humidity. You can use humidifiers, place containers of water in the room, or place a damp cloth on the radiators.
• It is necessary to regularly do wet cleaning and wipe all surfaces. Children's toys can be treated with disinfecting gels or sprays.
• To protect your youngest from ARVI, you can place finely chopped garlic and onions in the apartment. Essential oils of fir and pine have proven effectiveness against microbes and viruses.

When an older child is sick with ARVI, it is useful for the younger one to spend more time in the fresh air. Regular walks will support the immune system and protect against infection. It is worth introducing more fresh fruits and vegetables into the children's diet - natural sources of vitamins.

If mom is sick

Preventing colds in infants will be very complicated if the mother is sick, because she is constantly in contact with the child. How to protect him from infections? Be sure to monitor your health during viral epidemics, and if you feel that you are starting to get sick, get treatment on time.

Important: even if you are sick, do not stop breastfeeding your baby. The infection is not transmitted through breast milk, and it itself saturates the child with the necessary elements and strengthens his immunity. There is no better way to prevent colds in children.

However, during illness, due to a lack of fluid in the mother's body, the amount of milk produced may decrease. To prevent this from happening, be sure to drink plenty of fluids to replenish the water balance in your body.

During treatment, do not rush to buy the first ARVI powders you come across at the pharmacy. Many drugs are contraindicated during breastfeeding, since they can enter the baby’s body along with milk. Take medications only after consulting your doctor.

Prevention of colds in infants

It is clear that the prevention of colds in infants in the first days of their life depends solely on the new mother. With breast milk, the child receives those first substances that will subsequently “build” his digestive system, and, consequently, increase the resistance of immunity to diseases and infections. Therefore, the prevention of colds in infants largely depends on the quality of the mother’s diet, as well as on her concern for her own health.

Caring for the baby also plays an important role. For example, to know how to protect a baby from a cold, you need to understand that his body is structured completely differently. All processes in him do not yet proceed in the same way as in an adult. Therefore, even in the heat, when the temperature outside does not foretell trouble, the baby may well catch a cold, all he needs to do is sweat. The consequences of all this can be very different, so it is important to respond to the first symptoms so as not to trigger the disease.

Garlic and onion nasal drops

If you are not yet seriously ill, but already feel slightly unwell and have a runny nose, make garlic drops by squeezing out the garlic juice. Be sure to dilute it with water in a ratio of 10 to 1, otherwise you will get a burn to the mucous membrane. Place the product in your nose 5 times a day. Such preventive measures will help you not get sicker and not infect your baby.

You can use onion drops instead of garlic. Pour the finely grated onion with water, leave the mixture to infuse for an hour. Strain so that only the pulp remains, and mix it with honey (a quarter of a teaspoon is enough). Drop this remedy into your nose in the same way as the garlic solution.

Treatment of infants

For a severe runny nose, the pediatrician prescribes nasal drops. These can be vasoconstrictors or therapeutic ones based on saline solution. Inflammatory processes must be treated with antibiotics. Drops of saline solution also soften the mucous membrane of the nasal passages and provide noticeable relief in breathing. To make breathing easier, you need to clean your nose with a blower, a nasal aspirator, or, in extreme cases, with your mouth.

We recommend: Urticaria in children

Instead of tablets, infants are given suppositories containing interferon. These suppositories are inserted through the anus. In it, the medicine is absorbed into the intestines and does not harm digestion.

You should not bring the temperature down to 38 degrees, otherwise the immune defense will be weakened and the child will need more time to recover.

Tablets are contraindicated in infants under 1 month. For a child after 2 months of life, the dose of one-time use is 15 mg tablets per 1 kg of weight, but the dose should not exceed 60 mg per kg of weight per day. In half an hour the action will begin. The tablets need to be dissolved in water.

How to protect a children's room from viruses?

It’s good if the baby has a separate room, but in a one-room or small apartment it’s difficult to isolate the child. Allocate a place for the baby in your bedroom, but be sure to follow the condition: do not put the baby to sleep in your bed if one of the parents is sick.

How can you avoid infecting your infant with colds and other viral diseases while being in the same room? Here are some tips:

1. Ventilate the room regularly so that the infection does not linger in the air. Open the window in the room several times for at least 15 minutes. Of course, the baby should not be indoors at this time - at this time you can go for a walk with him;
2. Do wet cleaning more often. Ideally, you need to wash floors and wipe surfaces twice a day - in the mornings and evenings. If you are very sick, add chlorine to your washing water;
3. Monitor the temperature in the bedroom. Both overheating and hypothermia are equally harmful to the baby. The normal temperature to maintain the health of a baby is about +22 degrees;
4. And of course, if you are already sick, get treated as hard and quickly as possible so as not to spread bacteria around the apartment. If the listed preventive measures did not help and the baby began to get sick, take him to the pediatrician.
   An adult can quickly recover from an illness in 2-3 days using home methods or pharmaceutical powders, but children get sick longer and more severely.

How to understand that an infant has a cold

Due to immature immunity, a newborn is very susceptible to various types of viruses. To protect the baby from acute respiratory infections, parents need to adhere to a number of simple but important rules.

Most often, a baby gets sick when one of the parents or other adults in the house catches a cold. First of all, you need to take measures to prevent your child from catching a virus that is dangerous to him. In children under 1 year of age, even the simplest cold can lead to quite severe complications.

If possible, move the sick family member into a separate room. The patient needs to move around the apartment only wearing a medical mask.

The baby should sleep in the nursery or at least in a separate crib. Don't take your baby into an adult bed, even if you practice co-sleeping.

Ventilate the room more often. At least twice a day, no less than 10 minutes. Take the child to another room, or better yet, go for a walk with him in the fresh air.

Every day (or better yet, twice a day) do wet cleaning in the apartment, or at least the room where the baby spends most of his time. You can use a weak dose of disinfectant detergent.

Try to regulate the air temperature in the apartment - the rooms should not be hot. This promotes the growth of microbes in the air.

A small child cannot explain that he is unwell, but attentive parents will, of course, notice the symptoms of an incipient cold:

The baby's temperature rises.

The baby becomes capricious, whiny, sleeps poorly, and refuses the breast or bottle with formula.

The child develops a runny nose and may develop wheezing or coughing.

• Often ARVI and acute respiratory infections in babies are accompanied by stool upset.

Under no circumstances should you treat newborns yourself. If you have the symptoms listed above, be sure to call a doctor to see your baby. Only he will professionally diagnose and prescribe treatment. When following his instructions, create favorable conditions for the baby’s recovery - do not wrap him up (this will only increase the fever) and give him plenty of fluids (especially if the baby’s cold is accompanied by diarrhea). Don't force your baby to eat if he refuses milk or formula. However, offer the breast or bottle more often to encourage him to eat a little. If your baby is already receiving complementary foods, pause introducing new foods during the illness.

Of course, it is better to prevent a disease than to treat it. Therefore, parents must take measures to prevent colds, especially during the epidemic season. Refrain from receiving guests and visiting public places with your baby. If a nursing mother is sick, it is not always necessary to stop breastfeeding - after all, breast milk contains the necessary antibodies and helps strengthen the baby’s immunity. In what cases is it still worth switching to a mixture, read our article*.

Read also:  Cough in a child without fever or runny nose

To make your baby less susceptible to diseases, harden him. Take frequent walks in the fresh air and practice baby sleeping while walking. Do not bathe your baby in hot water (start water procedures at 33-34 °C and make the water cooler so that the baby is in good shape). When changing your baby's clothes, leave him to lie undressed; air baths are very useful for strengthening children's health.

Preventive measures in public places

Walking in the fresh air is good for children - this way they will grow up healthy and strong. But, if it is clear how to protect a baby from a cold at home, then in public it is more difficult to do this, especially when mothers are so busy with everyday life that they try to combine a walk with the child along with a trip to the store, post office, bank, dry cleaner, hairdresser, etc. .

Of course, no one forbids taking a small child to public places, especially if it is not possible to leave him at home for a while. Remember that any crowded place is a source of infections, and it will be difficult to protect your baby from colds and flu. Adults have stronger immunity than infants. While the disease simply won’t bother you, your baby will immediately catch the infection.

If you decide to find out how not to infect your baby, first of all, learn a simple rule - do not take your child with you to public places, try to solve your affairs at another time. This advice is especially relevant during seasonal epidemics of influenza and ARVI.

The slightest sneeze on a baby, and infection is almost inevitable. Particular care must be taken if the child is under one year old. At this time, regular visits to the children's clinic are necessary, and there is simply no better place for the accumulation of a variety of infections - after all, parents first of all bring already sick children to this place.

Even if you are allowed out of line with a baby, you will still spend some time in the corridor with other visitors. What to do in such a situation and reduce the risk of infection:

1. Be sure to consult with your visiting nurse and find out from her data on the incidence rate among children. If you find out that an epidemic has begun in the city, it is better not to bring your child for a routine examination, especially if he is healthy. Wait 1-2 weeks for the peak incidence to subside. As a rule, this information is not secret, and many health care workers willingly agree to such a concession;
2. If you can’t wait a while and come to the clinic later, and you are afraid that your baby will get infected from other children and get sick, you can use a simple and effective remedy. Lubricate the baby's nose with regular oxolinic ointment.
   Of course, this is not a panacea for diseases, but this drug will quite withstand such a test as queuing to see a doctor at the clinic.

Preventing colds in children

It is no secret that it is better to avoid a disease altogether than to treat it. Often, if prevention of colds in newborns fails, acute respiratory infections in babies can lead to serious complications including heart murmurs, asthma, liver disease, kidney disease, and even loss of vision or hearing. The consequences are serious, so you should strengthen the child’s immunity from the very beginning. How to do it:

1. Give your baby vitamins regularly throughout the year. In the summer, this can be fresh fruits and vegetables in the form of puree. If you are breastfeeding, be sure to eat as many vitamins as possible. In winter, you can use preparations containing vitamin and mineral complexes;
2. An excellent preventative method is hardening. Of course, you don’t need to rub your baby with snow or dress him too lightly for a walk, but a contrast shower is a good way to strengthen the child’s natural immunity;
3. Sports activities are good for older children. Physical exercise is very beneficial for the body. Send your child to a swimming class or figure skating, you yourself will notice that he will get sick less often;
4. An effective remedy against diseases is vaccination. Vaccinations will allow you to develop immunity to specific diseases; be sure to consult your doctor before the procedure.

If your baby is already infected, do not give him strong medications, especially without a doctor’s recommendation. Give your child more warm drinks: milk, compote, fruit juice.

Drinks can be combined with taking vitamins. If your baby has a high fever, bring it down by giving your child paracetamol. And, of course, do not delay your visit to the doctor.

A baby protected from infectious diseases with the help of preventive measures will be healthy and cheerful. It is enough to follow simple recommendations and reduce contacts of a healthy child with strangers during seasonal exacerbations of diseases. Don’t forget about your own health, because you are constantly with your baby.

During the period of exacerbation of influenza and ARVI, a nursing mother and newborn have a high chance of contracting a viral infection. The main reason is the insufficient restoration of the woman’s immune system after childbirth and its immaturity in the child.

. Therefore, it is important during this period to know not only how to protect a newborn from colds and flu, but also his mother.

Both newborns and nursing mothers are highly susceptible to influenza infection

Colds in children are associated with a weakening of the body's defenses against infection. Therefore, a mother should know how to protect her newborn from flu and colds. It is important to follow the following recommendations:

• Breastfeed.
• Go for walks with your child every day.
• Daily wet cleaning of rooms.
• Careful processing of newborn dishes.
• Give multivitamin complexes.
• Limit contact with strangers.
• Carry out hardening procedures daily.

Breast milk is considered the best preventive measure to protect a child from infections.

. Therefore, even if the mother has cold symptoms, this is not a reason to stop feeding. Together with milk, the child receives the hormones, vitamins, enzymes and minerals necessary for his body, which are difficult to introduce into an artificial mixture. When it enters the child’s body, antibodies begin to be intensively formed, which help to transfer the disease in a mild form. It is recommended to breastfeed for as long as possible until milk is produced. If he is given only artificial mixtures, then all dishes must undergo careful processing.

Every day a child needs fresh air and therefore walks, especially in autumn and winter, should be at least 1 hour. Children can get sick without leaving home if the room is rarely ventilated, where a large amount of viral infection accumulates. To avoid this, you need to open the window at least 3-4 times a day for 15-20 minutes. The environment for the spread of microorganisms is dust, which settles on surfaces in the apartment. Regular wet cleaning will reduce the risk of getting the flu and ARVI. The optimal temperature for a child to stay indoors is 20-22˚C.

Depending on the age of the baby, taking multivitamin complexes is allowed, but only after consulting a doctor. The drugs not only stimulate the immune system, but also contain the necessary amount of microelements needed by the child’s body.

During an epidemic of influenza and ARVI, if possible, the child is limited from contact with other people. If medical advice is required, it is better to call a pediatrician at home. Any stranger must put on a mask before approaching the baby. Before picking up a child, you need to wash your hands with soap.

From an early age, to strengthen the immune system, parents should carry out hardening procedures for their baby. The most common methods are air and water. Before walking or feeding, you need to remove all his clothes for a few minutes. The temperature in the room should not be below 20-22˚C. The duration of the procedure increases daily.

Water hardening helps strengthen the child’s body

Water hardening is carried out by lowering the temperature when washing or pouring over the newborn’s feet. It is reduced by 1°C over several days, gradually reaching 25°C.

Colds in infants

https://www.9months.ru/zdorovie_malysh/3616

Marina Narogan Pediatrician, Ph.D. honey. Sciences, State Institution Scientific Center for Children's Health of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Magazine “9 months” No. 05 2007

When children, especially very young ones, get sick, parents are always worried. And even a common cold can sometimes cause real panic in moms and dads. How justified is this and are acute respiratory diseases really more dangerous for infants than for adults?

ARI is an acute respiratory disease. It is so called because the respiratory organs are affected (respiration). There are acute respiratory infections affecting the upper respiratory tract (nose and throat) and acute respiratory infections involving the lower respiratory tract (trachea, bronchi). Accordingly, in the latter case the disease will be more severe.

In everyday life, acute respiratory infections are called colds, since they often develop when the body cools. But the nature of this disease is infectious. More than 300 types of viruses and bacteria can be its culprits. In cold weather, acute respiratory infections often develop because when the body cools, the immune system decreases, and pathogens more easily penetrate the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract and begin to multiply. In addition, viruses thrive better in cool weather than in warm and sunny weather.

How does the disease develop?

The bulk of acute respiratory infections (90-95%) are caused by viruses. By multiplying in the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, they cause inflammation and weaken protective barriers, which “opens the way” for bacterial infection. The danger of bacterial infection in acute respiratory infections is especially high in newborns, since their protective properties are still very imperfect. A bacterial infection always aggravates the disease and can cause serious complications in the form of the development of bacterial-inflammatory damage to any organ - the middle ear (otitis media), lungs (pneumonia), meninges (meningitis), bones (osteomyelitis), etc.

Pathogens of acute respiratory infections are most often transmitted by airborne droplets. This means that the infection spreads by breathing, sneezing, coughing, or talking. Particles of saliva, mucus and phlegm are scattered around an infected person and, when inhaled by another, can cause illness. Thus, a newborn child can become ill when interacting with someone with an acute respiratory infection or a carrier of the infection. Less common is the contact route, when transmission of infection occurs through contaminated hands and items caring for the newborn.

It is believed that newborns rarely suffer from acute respiratory infections. This is true if the necessary child care rules are followed. Nature has created additional protection for the little ones from many widespread infections with the help of maternal antibodies. Maternal antibodies are strong anti-infective factors that circulate in the baby’s blood. They are transmitted to the fetus in the last weeks of pregnancy, and after birth they enter the baby’s body through breast milk. Therefore, the immature body of a newborn has additional protection against most common infections.

However, if simple rules of care are not followed - the mother does not breastfeed the baby, the child is hypothermic, underfed, and is allowed to communicate with a patient with acute respiratory infections - then he can easily get sick.

Manifestations of the disease

The main manifestations of acute respiratory infections in newborns include a runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever, symptoms of intoxication (deterioration of health, anxiety, lethargy, poor appetite, regurgitation, and sometimes abdominal pain and loose stools). These phenomena can be expressed to varying degrees.

Runny nose (rhinitis)

. The pathogen, penetrating the nasal mucosa, causes swelling, inflammation and increased mucus production. At the beginning of the disease, the discharge from the baby’s nose is usually liquid and mucous. After a few days, they become more viscous, and crusts form more often in the nose. When a bacterial infection occurs, the discharge becomes yellow-green, i.e. mucopurulent. The nasal passages of newborns are narrow, so even a small amount of mucus immediately disrupts nasal breathing, and the baby begins to sniffle. When he has a runny nose, it is difficult for him to breathe, because newborns cannot breathe through their mouths. It becomes difficult for the baby to suck - he has to stop often to breathe in air. All these unpleasant phenomena cause anxiety and frequent crying of the baby.

Sore throat (pharyngitis)

. Getting into the mucous membrane of the pharynx, the infection causes inflammation. When examined, the baby's neck will look red and swollen. Mucus running down the back of the throat, as well as its inflammation, can cause coughing.

Cough. The appearance of cough during acute respiratory infections is due to the fact that pathogen toxins, sputum and inflammatory products irritate cough receptors. Cough in this case is a protective factor; it helps to get rid of toxic substances and prevents stagnation of sputum. Cough receptors are located in different parts of the respiratory system - in the mucous membrane of the pharynx, larynx, trachea, and bronchi. Therefore, cough can occur at different levels of damage to the respiratory system, and in each case it has its own characteristics. However, by the nature of a newborn’s cough, it is not always possible to correctly determine the level of damage, since the respiratory system in newborns is still immature, and the cough reflex is reduced.

Sometimes, even with serious inflammation of the bronchi and lungs, cough in newborns is rare and may not exist at all.

Tracheitis. Bronchitis.

When pathogens spread into the lower respiratory tract, damage to the trachea and bronchi develops (tracheitis, bronchitis). Their mucous membrane becomes inflamed, swollen, and mucus production increases significantly. As a rule, this leads to a cough. And one of the main signs of bronchitis is wheezing, which is diagnosed by a doctor by listening to breathing with a phonendoscope.

Bronchiolitis.

Some types of viruses cause damage to the smallest bronchi in children in the first months of life. The smallest bronchi are called bronchioles, and their inflammation is bronchiolitis. Bronchiolitis is a serious disease, since damage to the smallest bronchi leads to severe respiratory impairment and rapid development of respiratory failure. Respiratory failure is manifested by frequent and difficult breathing (shortness of breath), paleness and blue discoloration of the skin, retraction of the intercostal spaces and sternum during inspiration. With bronchiolitis, the child is hospitalized,

Increased temperature (fever).

An increase in temperature during acute respiratory infections in newborns can be expressed to varying degrees: the temperature may not rise at all, may rise moderately (up to 37.5-38.5°C), or can reach high numbers (39-39.5°C).

An increase in temperature is caused by toxins, metabolic products of pathogens, as well as biologically active substances of the body that are produced in response to infection. A moderate increase in temperature is a protective reaction that helps cope with the infection. A pronounced increase in temperature already has an adverse effect on the body itself, especially in young children. The nervous, cardiovascular and digestive systems are most susceptible to this influence. One of the well-known manifestations of the negative impact of fever on the nervous system in children is convulsions.

Manifestations of fever may vary. More often, when the temperature rises, the child becomes restless, hot, and his cheeks turn red. This reaction to temperature is associated with the dilation of blood vessels and increased heat transfer to the environment.

Pallor of the skin, coldness of the arms and legs is an unfavorable reaction to an increase in temperature and is called “pale fever.” In this case, spasm of skin blood vessels occurs, deterioration of heat transfer and overheating of internal organs. Usually, pale fever develops with a significant rise in temperature (above 38.5 ° C), and it must be reduced immediately,

In case of acute respiratory infections, it is necessary to monitor the temperature several times a day and at night. Traditionally, temperature is measured in the armpit area using a mercury thermometer - its readings are the most accurate. The disadvantage of a mercury thermometer is its low safety, since it can easily break and mercury balls “scatter” around the room. An electronic thermometer is slightly less accurate, but safer and more convenient. You can choose models that measure the temperature in the armpit area very quickly - in 10-20 seconds. Electronic thermometers can allow an error in measurement (up to 0.5), often in the direction of underestimation, so before using it, its readings must be checked with the data of a mercury thermometer.

In order to roughly determine whether or not there is an increase in temperature, you can use remote thermometers, for example, to measure the temperature on a child’s forehead.

Ear thermometers, thermometers for measuring temperature in the oral cavity, and dummy thermometers are not widely used in our country. They have a number of inconveniences when using. Ear thermometers are often too large for the small ears of newborns. The readings of oral thermometers and pacifier thermometers will be inaccurate if the baby cries and does not hold the thermometer tightly enough,

In normal situations there is no need to measure the temperature in the rectum. If you do this, then only with a special thermometer with a flexible tip.

The temperature limits measured in different places are different. In the armpit area it is 36-37°C. Often, newborns normally have a temperature in the axillary region slightly above 37°C, especially if the child is warmly dressed and the room is hot. The temperature in the oral cavity is usually 0.2-0.5° higher, the temperature in the rectum is 0.5-1° higher than in the axillary region, the normal temperature range in the external auditory canal is approximately 36.8-37, 8°C.

Intoxication.

Symptoms of intoxication and disturbances in the general condition of newborns with acute respiratory infections can be expressed to varying degrees, depending on the severity of the infection. Moderate malaise is more often observed: the child is more lethargic, cries more often, and eats less. Sometimes gastrointestinal disorders appear - regurgitation, abdominal pain, loose stools. Serious disturbances in the baby’s general condition can occur at high temperatures (above 38.5°C). On the part of the nervous system, such unfavorable phenomena sometimes develop as sudden agitation of the child, accompanied by incessant screaming, convulsions, or, conversely, severe lethargy, lethargy,

The course of acute respiratory infections.

Usually, in uncomplicated acute respiratory infections, on the 3-4th day the inflammation decreases and the temperature drops. If the symptoms of the disease persist, and the temperature continues to remain high, or after a slight improvement, a wave of increasing symptoms follows again, then, most likely, we are talking about the addition of a bacterial infection. In such cases, treatment is changed and antibiotics are prescribed.

Treatment

For any manifestations of acute respiratory infections, it is necessary to call a doctor at home.

Treatment of a newborn child with mild to moderate-severe acute respiratory infections is carried out at home. Maximum attention must be paid to a sick baby. When swaddling, you need to make sure that it does not cool down or overheat, so that the air in the room is moderately warm (22-23°C) and humidified. To control humidity, you can purchase a hygrometer, or even better, a humidifier with a built-in hygrometer. This purchase will most likely not be superfluous, because... In most apartments, air humidity is significantly lower than optimal, which is 60-70%. Regular ventilation is necessary, as fresh air kills germs and makes breathing easier. You can raise the head end of the crib - this improves breathing and reduces regurgitation. Against the backdrop of vivid symptoms at the onset of the disease, swimming and walking are postponed. You need to feed the baby according to need; if there is a decreased appetite, do not insist on the full amount of food. Decreased appetite indicates the child is unwell and intoxicated; under these conditions, food absorption is impaired. If the temperature is high, you must first lower it and then feed the baby, otherwise vomiting may occur.

When prescribing drug treatment, the symptoms of acute respiratory infections are taken into account. Medicines should be used only as prescribed by a doctor, after examining the child.

Help with a runny nose

You should regularly clean your baby's nose, especially before feeding and at night. To better separate mucus and soak the crusts, you can first drip low-salt solutions into your nose, such as AQUAMARIS, PHYSIOMER, SALIN or saline solution (you can prepare it yourself - 1 teaspoon of table salt per 1 liter of water). Solutions should be at room temperature. They are instilled or using a pipette (syringes and rubber bulbs cannot be used to rinse the nose of newborns: they create a lot of pressure and can contribute to the spread of inflammation - for example, into the ears). After 1-2 minutes, the liquefied secretions are removed using a rubber bulb or a special aspirator. To remove secretions, you can also use homemade tight cotton wool strips. They are introduced into the nasal passage with rotational movements and, also, rotated, removed, while the mucus is wound around the flagellum. Often after instillation, the baby sneezes and partially removes the discharge himself.

Since children do not like these procedures and actively resist, you first need to swaddle the baby well with his arms and clean the nose as quickly and very carefully as possible.

After cleaning, special drops are placed into the spout. In the first 2 days of illness, you can instill GRIPPFERON. This drug suppresses the reproduction of viruses; it is instilled 5 times a day. In the following days, PROTARGOL is used for 3-5 days (no more), it is prepared on the basis of silver ions, has antiseptic and drying properties.

If a child has severe difficulty in nasal breathing or there is copious liquid discharge, then vasoconstrictor drops are used: they reduce swelling of the mucous membrane and make breathing easier. Vasoconstrictor drops can be alternated with instillation of GRIPPFERON or PROTARGOL. Drops should only be in pediatric dosage (for example, NAZIVIN 0.01%). When instilling drops into the right nostril, slightly tilt the baby's head to the right, when instilling in the left nostril - to the left. You can drop drops shortly before feeding your baby - this will give him the opportunity to suck better.

Vasoconstrictor drugs are dripped 1-2 drops if necessary, but no more than 3 times a day and no more than 5-7 days. These rules must be observed, since in case of overdose, vasoconstrictor substances lead to dry mucous membranes and “fragility” of blood vessels, and can also cause disorders of the cardiovascular and nervous system (in the latter case, the child becomes lethargic, pale, lethargic, blood pressure decreases, which requires calling a doctor immediately).

Sometimes, if it is not possible to effectively instill vasoconstrictor drops, you can make a cotton ball, moisten it with medicine, insert it into the nasal passage with rotational movements and leave it there for several minutes.

There is no need to put breast milk in the baby's nose, as it is a good nutritional product.

environment for microbes, and when it dries, crusts form in the nose.

It is better to wipe the nose of a baby suffering from a runny nose with soft paper napkins, which are less irritating than a handkerchief to the skin under the nose. After use, the napkins are thrown away, preventing the spread of infection.

Sometimes, with severe swelling of the nasal mucosa and very heavy discharge, which significantly disturbs the baby’s breathing and sleep, antihistamines (FENISTIL, SUPRASTIN) are recommended. They have an anti-edematous effect, resulting in improved nasal breathing. They are usually prescribed at night.

What to do when the temperature rises

It is necessary to give the baby more water. How can “baby water” be used as a drink? if the baby refuses to eat and drink, then you can use 5-10% glucose solutions, which are sold at the pharmacy; a 10% glucose solution should be diluted with water 1:1.

If, when the temperature rises, the child is hot, with reddened skin, then there is no need to wrap him up. It is necessary to remove some clothing and apply physical cooling methods, i.e. wipe the baby with a napkin or swab moistened with cool water, especially in the folds (neck, armpits, elbows, inguinal, popliteal). After wiping, you need to leave the baby for a while without clothes or cover it with a diaper so that the water can evaporate and have a cooling effect. You can place a towel moistened with cool water on the child's forehead. You can also use enemas with water at room temperature (20-30 ml).

At temperatures above 38°C, antipyretic drugs are given. In newborns, antipyretics based on paracetamol (EFFERALGAN) are used in the form of syrup or suppositories.

If, when the temperature rises, the baby has chills, cold arms and legs, pale skin, then physical methods of cooling are contraindicated - he needs to be warmed up, rub the cold extremities with warm hands or a terry towel, put on warm socks and mittens, give a warm drink and an antipyretic drug. The medicine should be given in a dosage that is appropriate for age. Antipyretic drugs intended for children, as a rule, have a convenient form - a syrup that can be given from a spoon, or a suppository for insertion into the rectum. If the temperature does not decrease despite the above measures, you need to call the doctor again.

Relief from coughing

If this is a dry cough due to irritation of the neck, then special drugs will not

are appointed. Reduces a sore throat by drinking warm drinks, including breast milk.

When coughing is associated with damage to the trachea and bronchi, it is necessary to give the baby more warm drinks so that the mucus can be coughed up better. In such cases, mineral water without gases is sometimes additionally used, 30-50 ml per day.

In order to improve mucus discharge, you need to regularly change the position of the child and massage the chest - to do this, place the child on his tummy and tap lightly

along the chest with your fingertips from bottom to top.

To facilitate coughing, expectorant medications (GEDELIX, LAZOLVAN) are prescribed. The dosage is prescribed by the doctor individually.

An anti-inflammatory agent can be used - for example, ERESPAL.

Warm baths, cupping, and burning patches for newborns are not used. Previously, mustard plasters were used in a special lightweight way to treat the smallest children, but now this has gone out of practice. The use of heat compresses and chest rubbing for acute respiratory infections in newborns is a controversial issue. Some experts believe that thermal procedures on the chest for acute respiratory infections are an outdated method of treatment and should not be used. Others consider rubbing with eucalyptus balms an effective method of treating acute respiratory infections, which can be used from birth. It is possible that in some cases such rubbing can be used, but with great caution, only at normal temperatures and only under the supervision of a doctor. During a thermal procedure, blood circulation in newborns easily increases, which can cause increased swelling and inflammation in the respiratory system. In addition, rubbing balms often contain additional substances (menthol, pine oil, etc.), which can cause bronchospasm and allergic reactions in newborns.

Possible complications

When symptoms of acute respiratory infections appear in a newborn child, it is necessary to begin treatment immediately: under no circumstances should the disease be “triggered.” The current expression: “Treat, don’t treat a runny nose, it will go away in a week anyway” is not applicable to children, since untreated acute respiratory infections often lead to the development of complications.

Complications from acute respiratory infections in newborns are very different, including very serious ones. The most common are inflammation of the middle ear (otitis) and inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia). Symptoms of the development of these complications in newborns are not always pronounced, so a newborn with acute respiratory infections must be monitored daily by a pediatrician.

Otitis can be suspected if the child is restless in his sleep, turns his head, and begins to cry while sucking, since swallowing increases pain in the ear. With such symptoms, it is necessary to show the baby to an ENT doctor who will examine the ear. For otitis, as a rule, ear drops (for example, OTIPAX), warm compresses on the ear area are prescribed, and an antibiotic is recommended.

The doctor may suspect the development of pneumonia if the child’s condition worsens: he becomes more lethargic, pale, and there is often coughing and wheezing in the lungs. A newborn with suspected pneumonia should be hospitalized. The final diagnosis is made after a chest x-ray and laboratory tests.

Prevention

To protect a newborn from acute respiratory infections, you need to follow the rules of care and preventive measures. In the first months of life, it is recommended to limit visits to the baby by strangers. Newborn care items must be kept clean and sterilized in a timely manner.

A person with an acute respiratory infection should not be in the same room as a newborn. If a mother or a person caring for a child falls ill with an acute respiratory infection, then when caring for and feeding them they need to wear a mask, try not to cough, sneeze or talk over the child. The mask needs to be changed every 2-3 hours, as germs accumulate in it. The children's room needs to be ventilated more often; It’s good if the child continues to walk in the fresh air. You can place chopped garlic or onion cloves on a plate in the children's room. A mother's illness with acute respiratory infections is not a contraindication for breastfeeding - on the contrary, the anti-infective factors of breast milk will protect the baby. For prevention, lubricating the baby's nose with OXOLIN OINTMENT or instilling GRIPFERON drops for several days in case of possible contact with a patient with acute respiratory infections can be used.

Prevention of ARVI for a child if the mother is ill

Treatment of breastfeeding women has some peculiarities. Most drugs are contraindicated during lactation. Therefore, it is necessary to know how to protect a nursing mother from the flu during the epidemic season. During this period, the correct selection of funds is important so as not to harm both the woman and the child. The treatment regimen includes:

• antiviral agents;
• antipyretics;
• saline solutions;
• drinking plenty of water;
• foot baths;
• mouth rinse;
• vaccination.

Among the antiviral drugs for breastfeeding mothers, Grippferon

and
Viferon
.
They are used not only for treatment during a flu epidemic, but also as a means of prevention. To stimulate the immune system, you can take a plant-based drug - Aflubin
.

Paracetamol will help bring down a high fever

It is possible to reduce elevated body temperature using physical methods of cooling the body. Rubbing with cool water and compresses on the forehead are used. If there is no effectiveness, taking Paracetamol or Ibuprofen is allowed.

Another way to protect your baby from flu and colds is to rinse the mother’s nasal cavity with saline solutions. If you are worried about a severe runny nose, then you are allowed to use vasoconstrictors only before bed. The duration of treatment should not exceed more than 3 days.

During seasonal exacerbation of influenza and ARVI, it is recommended to drink plenty of fluids with the addition of honey, lemon, currants, and raspberries. Vitamin C, which many berries are rich in, improves immunity. If you have a dry cough, a mixture of milk and honey with butter is effective. It is consumed warm.

Warm milk with honey helps relieve cough

In the absence of fever, foot baths with the addition of mustard powder are recommended as a means of prevention. For a sore throat, use a mouth rinse solution with the addition of sea salt and soda.

Healing herbs such as chamomile and calendula can be used as a replacement. A few drops of essential oils with bactericidal properties (eucalyptus) are added to the solutions. You need to rinse your mouth 3-5 times during the day.