Common Cold among Children : Cause, Symptoms, Remedies and Prevention

As a parent, we must aware of the most common illness for our toddler in order to avoid it and know how to treat it.

One of the very most common illnesses among toddler is common cold. According to studies, children catch 8 to nine colds a year. Colds are unavoidable and not serious, but the proper precautions should be taken to prevent complications such as ear infection or a sore throat.

The immune system of our toddlers are still immature that’s why they catch lot of colds and vulnerable to many illnesses. While they are growing, they exploring a lot of things so it’s possible to touch everything and pick up cold virus in their hands. Then put his finger in his mouth or nose or rub in his eyes and the virus now has the chance to come in.

Symptoms of common cold

• Soreness of throat
• Congestion of nasal passages
• Running nose
• Sneezing
• Headache
• Chill
• Rise in temperature
• Aches and pain in the body
• Itchy and watery eyes
  

Treating Common Cold

• Plenty of liquids. Drinking a lot of water and other liquids can help especially calamansi juice or warm lemon water with honey helps loosen congestion and avoid dehydration.- Use saline nasal drops to relief the nasal congestion. Tip his head back and squeeze over the counter saline (salt water) drops into his nostrils to loosen up the mucus, suction out the liquid and mucus a few minutes later with a rubber bulb syringe.

• Use a humidifier or a cool-mist vaporizer to moisten the air in his room. Dry air also dries the mucous membranes, causing a stuffy nose and scratchy throat.

• Take your toddler a bath with hot water, close the door and sit in the steamy room for about 15 minutes.

• Get your toddler a plenty of rest and sleep. Elevate the head of your toddler’s mattress by placing a couple of towels between the head of the mattress while sleeping so that he may not have difficulty in breathing.

• Over the counter cold medicine. It is a good idea to ask the suggestion of your pediatrician when your child really needs the medicine especially during the night when you’re child not getting any rest.
  

When to call a doctor

• Ear infection
• Difficulty in breathing
• Severe headache
• Fever reaches to 102 F or higher
• Symptoms got worse instead of improving or last for about 10 days or more
• High fever with fatigue and achiness, sweating, chills or colored phlegm
• Vomiting or abdominal pain
  

Prevention of Common Colds

• Always wash hands. Most cold and flu virus are spread by direct contact. Teach your child the importance of washing hands.
• Keep your stuff clean. Wash children’s toy after play especially when someone in the family has colds.
• Don’t share glass or drinking utensils among members of the family. Use own glass or disposable cup when someone is sick.
• Avoid close contact with anyone who has cold.
• Always use tissue when sneeze or cough coming then throw it away immediately.
• Drink plenty of liquids. Water and other liquids flushes our system and washing out the poison in our system
  

Some tips for picky eater toddler

I have 2 years old and 8 months old daughter, she just likes to eat fried chicken as her meal. When she is 1 year old, I don’t have any problem regarding foods because she always has the appetite to eat anything that is ready in the table. But when she is turning 2, he begins to choose the food she eats. She refuses to eat fruits and vegetables. I realize that feeding toddler is a challenging job. It requires lot of effort and patience for your toddler.

Here are some tips to prepare food for your picky eater toddler

• If your toddler is hesitant to eat new foods, you should still serve small amounts of them once or thrice a week. You can put that food aside for a couple of weeks, then try again. Don’t force a child to eat something
• Provides your toddler a variety of healthy foods to eat each meal
• Always include one thing that your toddler likes in a meal and try to schedule new food if you know that your toddler is hungry – a snack of slice papaya or mango for example
• Makes meal and snack fun by putting toppings on pizza or greeted cheese in the casserole
• Make sandwich that appealing in the eyes of the toddler
• Just serve a toddler-size portion. Serving for a 1 year old is only ¼ slice of bread and a serving of rice, potatoes; pasta is only about 2 tablespoons
• Stay calm; don’t make a food an issue. If your child feels that you are unhappy with his or her eating habits, it may become a battle of wills.
  

Children eating habits may not change overnight but small steps you take each day can encourage a lifetime of healthy eating.

Some Tips to Promote Healthy Eating among Toddler

Food is define as the thing intake that supplies the nutrients needed as a source of energy for activity of the body, and as structural materials for every cell of the body while nutrition might be defined as the science of food and the way the body uses them. Your toddler must achieve nutrition found in various foods with nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins. Good nutrition and balanced diet help your toddler to grow up healthy.

Providing healthy foods for the family is one of a tough job as parents because of the busy schedules. Parents must spend a time for preparing healthy food than to have sick children. Some tips to promote healthy eating among toddler.

• Makes family meal is fun and exciting to improve nutrition and encourage healthy eating habits. For your toddler, you can prepare foods such as dried fruits or vegetable like peas, cube carrots, or corn and make it fun by allowing his or her to count those foods. This can be use as part of fun learning activities. Your toddler will eat a healthy food while playing the fun learning game with the food.
• Be sure to serve fruit or vegetable every meal for the whole family and serve lean meats and other good source of protein such as fish, beans, eggs or nuts.
  
• Make yourself an example. One of the best ways to encourage your child to eat healthy food is to be a role model for them. Eat with them healthy and nutritious foods. Children usually follow what the adult eat everyday. If you eat unhealthy foods such as candy, potato chips, and soda or drinking soft drink every snack, it might possible for them to imitate what you eat. What you should do is, eat fruits and vegetables and explain them the important of these foods in our body. Children notice your food choices and follow you as an example.
• Have regular family meals pleasant and positive by eating together as family.
  
• Avoid making comments on the type of foods about the amounts or type of foods your child intake. It actually reduces children’s acceptance of a new or different foods. Never use food as a reward or bribe.
  
• Gets your children involve in preparing food while teaching them the nutritional values of different foods. Let them decide what to make for dinner and selects food for their lunch box. Some may even want to shop the ingredient and prepare the meal. Also, teach them how to read the foods label and understand what to look for.
  

How much TV your kid needs?

Television can be good to our kids. It can be a source of learning. There are programs that teach them the alphabet and number, learn about plants and animals from nature shows and creative learning from art shows. Also, it can be source of entertainment and laughter such as music shows, comedies and game shows. Watching Television with kids can be fun wherein each member will enjoy discussing and enjoying the show.

However, too much television can have negative effect especially when our children watch the wrong shows such as shows that depict violence, which lead our children to be aggressive. Children don’t know the difference between reality and fantasy, fear can be developed and believe that the world is scary and something will happen to them.

Some pointers to remember when watching television with your children

• Be a good example. Aware what programmes your watching when children around and the amount of time spent in watching television.
• Aware with the kind of programmes watched by your kids. Watch the preview so that you will know the content.
• Enforce rules regarding watching television. Limit the watching television hours. One to two hour a day is the upper limit, no television during meal time and while doing home works, etc.
• Watch television with your children. In this case you can assess the programmes if it is violence especially when your child is watching a new show.
• Check the TV listing. Know the educational shows, kid-friendly show or family programmes.
  
• Explain to your child about what he or she sees in television. Discuss to them what they have learned from the show. Tell your children if the some act on television is not appropriate.
• Offer fun choices to television. Encourage your children to play with their playmates, read books, pursue art, board games and perform outdoor activities instead of watching television. Spent time with them when engaged in these activities and make fun for both of you.
• Make your children aware the cause of too much television viewing can be having negative effects in their attitudes. Tell them not to watch violence show because they can develop aggressive behavior and give them less time for their family and friends.
  

Always remember that anything that too much is not good. What really important is balance everything. Television can be helpful if you are able to monitor your children with the kind of programmes they’re watching.

Tips to Keep your Toddler Safe

Toddler is not aware things that are harmful or bad to them. They don’t know what is right or wrong. During toddler stage, a child is very busy in exploring the things around them. They tried to do things such as walking, climbing, and running. Sometimes they get trouble because they don’t know the potential danger is coming out so it’s up to the parents or caregivers to watch out. It is essential to provide them safe environment because nobody know when or where accident might happen. The more you warn your toddler, they even more interesting in the forbidden place or object. Toddler is curios by nature. Childproofing the entire room or house is not difficult to do. It reduces the chances of toddler’s injury.

There are some ways to prevent possible danger.

• Accompany your toddler while walking, running or climbing to avoid fall and other potential danger
• Take away all small items that can easily block in a toddler’s throat. In the blink of eye, toddler might shallow something that makes him choke.
• Use harness properly when seated to a high chair
• Keep electrical cords that are connected to appliances out of reach
• Lock cabinets containing knives, scissor and any other small items
• Keep away household cleaners, chemicals and medicines
• Use electrical covers for electrical outlet and latches
• Move breakable items to higher grounds
• Keep matches and lighters out of reach
• Don’t put hot fluid in the table or in the tablecloth or near your toddler in case the toddler pull it
• Have locked the door to prevent the toddler from going out
• Never leave your toddler near the container of water
• Do not allow your toddler near the stove and other hot appliances such as iron
• Keep a list of emergency phone numbers
• Close the room that is not child proof

Children and Tantrums

Temper tantrums usually increase if the child is hungry, tired or ill so parents must help them to cope up with these situations. A lot of patience is requires in dealing temper tantrums.

Infants may cry a lot not because they have tantrums but because they are hungry, wet, cold or lonely. Crying is the only way of letting know that they need something. By giving the needs of infant quickly, they feel secured and may actually cry much less later on.

Most toddlers have tantrums because they are easily frustrated since they don’t talk so much. They have trouble asking for things and expressing their feeling. If you can see that your child is getting frustrated, you can try to distract him or divert his interest to other things. When a toddler is exhausted, hungry and overexcited, tantrums is likely to happen.

Preschoolers are less likely to thrown their tantrums because they have more coping skills and able to communicate better. Some children may learn that a tantrum is getting what they want as parents give in to demands.

Older children are more tolerate of frustrating situation since they learn to deal with anger. Also, they learn the acceptable ways to deal with their feelings and recognize the feeling of upset or frustrated.

Parents must know how to deal with tantrums. Avoid shaking, spanking or yelling at your child, it tends tantrums getting worse. If your toddler is screaming because you take away unsafe object, divert his attention by offering him something else. Also, you can move your child in a quiet and private place to calm down. Avoid talking to a child while screaming. Wait until your child calm down before talking about the situation.

Some children throw tantrums to get attention. Try to ignore attention-seeking tantrums and avoid situation that will lead to tantrums. Make your child realize that temper tantrums won’t work and not going to help them get out of doing what they need.

Don’t ignore frustration tantrums because it needs understanding. Instead, offers a helping hand and tell them that is it okay. Help him out where he feels frustrated and not able to accomplish a task. Always remember to praise your child when he learns to control his temper and be a good example to them by staying cool and calm.

Some ways to prevent Public Tantrums

Children throw tantrums anytime whether at home or public place such as department store, grocery, park, church or mall. Anyone who has toddlers experience public tantrum because it is natural and part of growing up. The following are some ways to prevent public tantrums.

• Remain cool and calm. You’re teaching him self-control
• If you’re going to grocery, make it sure to bring snacks for the child to keep occupied
• Make sure that a child is well-rested and fed. Some cause of tantrums is hungry, sick, or tired
• Divert child’s attention if you feel that tantrum is coming out
• Don’t reward, bribe or punish your child
• Avoid yelling, spanking or screaming at your child
• Emphasize expected behavior before going to public place
• Finally, make apology at some people around you