Now that cough and cold products are not available for infants and small children, and the FDA and American Academy of Pediatrics officially stating that similar products for older children simply do not work, many parents are left wondering how in the world they can help their kids feel better when a cold strikes.
The real issue at hand is that these medications were not helping kids at all. Time and old-fashioned remedies, which I’ll get to in a moment, are what has been helping all along. And, these medications are dangerous. They have often been misused and have actually caused serious harm to many children. So, the time has definitely come for them to just be removed from the shelves.
If you think back to your child’s last cold, what helped your child feel better had nothing to do with cold medication and are still available to you:
1. Keep your child hydrated.
2. Saline nose spray as often as possible.
3. Humidifier in the room. Cool seems to help loosen the cough more in my opinion.
4. Fever reduction with Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil/Motrin (ibuprofen). These medications are dosed by weight. Tylenol can be given every 4-6 hours and Motrin/Advil every 6-8 hours. Do not give them together or alternate as that combination can become harmful to your child’s liver. Also, ibuprofen is for kids over 6months of age.
Antibiotics do not help colds because colds are caused by viruses and antibiotics are for bacterial illnesses. Sometimes bacteria do creep into the picture with a virus. You’re pediatrician can help you sort that out because it can be tricky. The sign to you to call is something not progressing as it should: fever going away and returning, the development of focal pain such as ear pain or worsening of a symptom.
Other times to call your pediatrician include if your child refuses to drink or has GI symptoms preventing your child from staying well hydrated such as vomiting or diarrhea. Your pediatrician should also be called if your child appears very ill or if the fever is persistent beyond 3 days.
The only true cure for viral illnesses is time – 7-10 days of time, if not a few days more for a stubborn virus. While that may seem like an eternity early in the illness, it will eventually pass and your child will be back to full speed in no time.
