At the change of season, the weather changes erratically, making children’s resistance weakened. Therefore, children are very susceptible to colds. The disease often lasts a long time, affecting health. More severe cases can lead to dangerous complications. So, what should parents do when their child has the flu? Through the article below, we will help you learn how to care for and help your child heal quickly.
Learn about the flu in children
The flu virus is a virus that spreads quickly through the air. If inhaled, children will get sick. Children are often more susceptible to colds than adults. Because the child’s resistance is still weak at this time because the immune system is still not fully developed. At the same time, the body is less exposed to influenza viruses, so it has not yet formed antibodies to fight the invasion of the virus.
Influenza usually does not progress badly and can go away on its own with proper care and monitoring. However, depending on each person’s resistance, the flu can last from a few days to a few weeks. If the child’s resistance is weak, the disease can progress and lead to several complications such as pneumonia, bronchitis, otitis media, even life-threatening.
Path of infection:
Young children can get the flu virus through the following ways:
- Saliva, nasal secretions of people with the flu, transmit the virus to children when they interact directly, talk or hug.
- Children touch objects containing the virus on surfaces and then touch their eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Children breathe in virus-laden air caused by coughing, sneezing, etc.
Signs to recognize a child has a cold
Parents should pay more attention to their children to detect the flu early, thereby taking timely treatment to avoid complications. When children are infected with the flu virus, they often show symptoms such as:
- Children are tired, anorexia, in many cases, they may have vomiting or diarrhoea.
- Babies are upset and usually fussy.
- The child’s throat is sore with increasing frequency of coughing.
- Children often sneeze and have runny noses. Initially, nasal discharge is liquid, transparent, and colourless. If the infection is severe, the fluid will become thicker and turn green or yellow.
- The child has a fever.
What happens when the child has the flu?
If you find your child has flu symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, etc., parents should not worry. Because the child’s resistance is still weak at this time, it is easy to get sick when the weather changes.
So, what should parents do when their child has the flu? To alleviate symptoms and help children recover quickly, parents can refer to the following home care and treatment measures:
Monitor your child’s temperature
When a child has the flu, parents should first use an armpit digital thermometer or an infrared electronic thermometer to check the child’s body temperature. Regular monitoring of the child’s temperature will help parents take appropriate treatment. If the child has a high fever for a long time, parents should take the child to a medical facility for a timely examination.
Give your child fever-reducing medicine.
When the child has a high fever above 38.5 – 39 degrees Celsius, parents should reduce the fever with drugs such as Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen; If not sure about the effects and usage of the drug, parents should ask. Consult your doctor to avoid unwanted complications.
In addition, parents can quickly reduce fever for children with some folk remedies below.
Ginger can circulate blood, warm the body and relieve nasal congestion. Therefore, parents can make ginger tea with honey and then give it to children to drink. The tea has a sweet taste, so it is easy to drink.
To overcome a runny nose, parents can steam their baby with perilla leaves. Perilla contains many anti-inflammatory and antibacterial active ingredients. These substances will enter the respiratory tract to loosen nasal secretions and destroy the virus.
Crush lemon basil and squeeze out the juice for children to drink. This will reduce the symptoms of a cough with phlegm because the essential oil in lemon basil leaves has an antiseptic effect.
To improve resistance, parents should give their children adequate nutrition. Prolonged fever can cause a child to lose fluids and electrolytes. Therefore, parents should let children drink lots of water and eat fruits rich in vitamin C every day, such as oranges, tangerines, guava, etc.
When sick, children often lose their appetite due to pale mouth or sore throat. Therefore, parents should cook soft food for children to eat and digest. It is best to give the child porridge or soup.
Wipe yourself with warm water
To help children lose heat when they have a fever, parents can use a thin, soft towel dipped in warm water, then wring it out and wipe it all over the child’s body. In particular, parents should carefully wipe in places such as armpits, groin, and forehead to allow heat to escape faster. Avoid using cold water, alcohol, or alcohol to wipe yourself because this does not help children reduce fever but also makes the disease worse.
Give your child plenty of rest.
The child’s body has to fight the disease-causing virus, so it loses a lot of energy. Therefore, parents should give children rest or sleep more so that the body can quickly recover. During sleep, the baby’s body will soon recover. Therefore, to help children sleep soundly and comfortably, parents should put children in calm, quiet places.
So after reading the article, do you know what to do when your child has the flu? Hopefully, the home care measures that we have just shared will be helpful to your baby. If the disease progresses more seriously, parents should immediately take the child to a medical facility for examination and timely treatment measures to avoid possible dangerous complications.