Pediatric Pearls

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The Common Cold is one of the most common diagnoses of childhood. Some people also call the common cold an upper respiratory infection. Keep in mind an upper respiratory infection may be due to a virus or bacteria. In our discussion we will stick to the common cold, which is due to a virus.

The common cold may present with a collection of signs and symptoms such as runny nose (may be clear or yellow), congestion, cough, fever, sore throat, decreased activity, poor sleep, and/or fatigue. Children may have only a few of these signs and symptoms to multiple findings.

The average child will get 3-10 colds per year, each episode lasting 10-14 days on average. For us as parents that seems like they are sick all year, guess what, they are sick almost all year!! Don’t worry, it does get better.

Many parents feel that antibiotics help with the common cold, but they do not. Antibiotics only help with bacterial infections, not viruses. Unfortunately, many physicians give an antibiotic prescription for colds. Another important piece of information to understand is that the over the counter cold medicines have never shown benefit of treating colds. The minimum they may do is to help with some of the symptoms. Please speak with your child’s physician in regards to over the counter cold medicines as they can have significant side affects for your child.

So what can you do to help your child prevent from getting frequent colds? Nutrition is so important. Give your child at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, have them drink plenty of water, teach them to cover their mouth and nose when they cough or sneeze. Don’t forget to wash your hands, and their hands, afterward! And please, limit the amount of sugar that they eat daily. Sugar decreases the body’s immune systems ability to fight infection.

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