What is a cold - the same as a runny nose after hypothermia, or is it SARS? Where does it come from, and is it possible to get infected with it?

To the question "Is it possible to catch a cold?" answers Ekaterina Vladimirovna Uspenskaya - candidate of medical sciences, doctor of the highest category, pediatrician.

The concept of “cold” is interpreted by many in different ways: some call it a short-term hypothermia of the body - the child “has caught a cold”, having wet his feet or having been in the cold or a draft for some time. But it is enough for him to warm up (rub his legs, arms), as his health returns to normal, and he is still healthy. And others call a cold a cold - a respiratory disease that lasts 5-7 days, is of an infectious nature (viral or bacterial) and requires medical supervision.

The second concept is perhaps closest to the truth. After all, hypothermia in itself is not a disease, and it is impossible to “catch” such a “cold”. It can only cause the development or exacerbation of various infectious diseases, if they are present in a child, so you should not leave such conditions unattended either.

But SARS and ARI can be infected. They are caused by viruses, the most common of which are rhinovirus, parainfluenza and influenza virus, adenovirus. Each of them has its own distinctive features, although the most "glorified" and dangerous, of course, is the influenza virus. Many who have recovered from this virus say that “it cannot be confused with anything” due to a sharp increase in temperature (above 38 ° C), severe headache and muscle aches. Staying "on your feet" with the flu is simply impossible.
As for all other ARVI pathogens, only an experienced clinician is able to reliably recognize them without resorting to laboratory analysis.

It is believed that 6 episodes of SARS per year for a child under the age of 3 years, and a little less - 4 for children under 6 years old - is the norm for the body, the immune system which is only being formed and accumulates experience in combating various foreign agents (including viruses and bacteria). Therefore, many pediatricians oppose the fanatical treatment of each symptom of SARS, including a low temperature, when the body is able to cope with it on its own.

However, everyone agrees that even mild degree ARVI requires very careful attention - in kindergarten In no case should the child be sent to school or school, but it is important to monitor the change in the child's condition during the day so as not to miss a possible deterioration and, if any, take action in time. If this or that condition of the child worries you, and you do not know how to cope with it, then it is better to call a doctor or, at least, call a specialist with whom you are constantly observed (patronage nurse, family doctor, etc.).

In the case of SARS, very often mothers begin treatment themselves, since a day may pass before the arrival of a specialist, and measures to combat a viral infection should be taken as soon as possible.

If necessary, you can put him to bed (according to some pediatricians, this is not necessary: ​​if the child does not have a fever and does not feel lethargic, then he can be allowed some not very mobile and non-fatiguing activities).
The child needs to drink as much warm drinks as possible - with cranberries, lingonberries, decoctions of rose hips, raspberries or black currants. This will help his body fight intoxication.
You can independently start antiviral treatment with the help of as much as possible safe drugs approved for use in children - Influcid, Oscillococcinum.
Can be given as an aid to a child herbal remedies to strengthen immunity - based on echinacea, ginseng, eleutherococcus.
It is unacceptable to give "adult" drugs or prescription drugs on your own.
With an increase in body temperature above 38 ° C, drugs based on paracetamol or ibuprofen can be used, but in no case aspirin!

If during the day there is no visible improvement, then a visit to the doctor is inevitable even in the case of a banal "cold".

It is customary to call a group of infections that affect the area of ​​​​the upper respiratory tract. This disease leads to inflammation of the throat and mucous membranes in the sinuses.

This disease is contagious, it is transmitted by airborne droplets. Its symptoms usually begin to develop within a day or two after the person has been exposed to the virus.

Usually, a sick person can infect others within the first two or three days after the onset of the first symptoms. There is no specific cure for this disease, but anyone who has a cold can alleviate its symptoms until recovery (this will take about a week).

There are more than 200 types of such a viral infection in the world, but the most common of them are rhinoviruses (those that affect the nasal mucosa). It is because of them that about 30% of all colds appear.

Infants receive special antibodies from their mother - they help to survive the disease with minimal loss to health.

But despite this, any Small child can easily catch a cold. In some cases, the disease can affect children 6 to 7 times a year. It all depends on the immunity of the baby.

How not to infect a baby with a cold: methods and recommendations

How not to infect the baby with a cold if the parents are sick? To do this, you must follow a number of simple rules:

1. The ideal option for a sick child is to isolate him in a separate room. If this rule is not feasible, then the baby should at least sleep in his own crib, but not with his parents.
2. It is best if the baby is isolated from sick mom or dad. This must be done until they are on the mend. But in some cases this is not possible. This means that in a room with a cold baby, a sick adult should only be in a mask.
3. All dishes from which the baby eats (bottle, nipples, etc.) must be well sterilized. This should always be done, and especially if the child has not yet reached the age of three months. In no case should liquid from an adult cup be poured into the dishes for feeding the baby.
4. The room in which the baby sleeps should always be thoroughly ventilated. This must be done at least twice a day and certainly at the moment when the child is in another room. As for the duration of this procedure, it should be at least 10-15 minutes. Also, do not forget about walking with the baby on the street. Fresh air is very important factor for the recovery of the child.
5. The room in which the baby is constantly located should be carefully cleaned. It is necessary to thoroughly wipe off all the dust with a damp cloth and wash the floors with a hypoallergenic detergent or with water diluted with a small amount of chlorine.
6. It is necessary to create an unfavorable atmosphere for viruses. To do this, in the room where the child spends all his main time, you need to put a cup with finely chopped onions and garlic. The phytoncides present in these vegetables have a detrimental effect on the causative agents of such an infectious disease.
7. It should be remembered that overheating for a baby is just as dangerous and undesirable as hypothermia. Room temperature in the room should be from 20 to 22 degrees for children up to a month old, and from 18 to 22 degrees for those who are already a month old. If the baby is in good health, hardening procedures will be very useful for him. You can start them from the moment the child is two months old. They will be an excellent prophylactic against.
8. When mass epidemics of such diseases begin, the baby's family should stop receiving guests. This rule should be followed because the baby can easily pick up an infection. If guests are unavoidable, then each of them must be provided with a special gauze mask.

How to quickly cure a cold for parents

You can quickly cure the parents with the help of special decongestants. They help dry and open each nasal passage. But it should be remembered that with the abuse of such drugs, you can achieve the opposite effect - to increase the swelling of his sinuses.

They have a beneficial effect on the course of a cold, and therefore on recovery. The pharmaceutical market produces them in two forms: expectorant and suppressive (suppressive). The former help to separate well the mucus that accumulates in the throat. And the latter have a positive effect on the unproductive. They help you sleep peacefully throughout the night. You do not need to apply them during the day.

Over-the-counter medications (ibuprofen, aspirin, and paracetamol) can help relieve muscle pain from colds and significantly reduce elevated body fat.

Pregnant women should take such drugs with caution, especially in the last three months. It is best to consult your doctor before using them.

For colds, it is very useful to make baths using mustard:

• Soar legs should be in hot water. Its temperature should not be below +40 degrees.
• To do this, you need to dissolve one or two tablespoons of dry mustard in water and keep your feet in it for at least 15 minutes. After this procedure, you should carefully wipe them dry and put on warm socks (preferably woolen).
• The sick person should be sure to wrap himself in a warm blanket. It is recommended to steam your legs before going to bed.

Another way to cure a cold with mustard is to pour a small layer of mustard powder into cotton socks, put them on and go to bed. You can also rub each foot with vodka or diluted alcohol.

Breast milk works especially well for children in the first months after birth. The child who is on artificial feeding, you can drip a drop of interferon into each nostril.

If the runny nose lasts for several days, it is necessary to show the baby to the doctor to prescribe appropriate treatment.

In addition to the listed funds, a baby with a cold can be purchased various ointments. These include oxalic or Vitaon. A small amount of any of these pharmaceutical products you need to lubricate the area near the nasal passages of a sick child. Adults should remember to consult a pediatrician before taking any medication.

Useful video - Prevention of colds in children.

The health of the baby causes concern among parents. The most difficult thing is to protect a child from a cold: it is easy to infect him, he recovers hard, and complications often appear. It is important to know about the signs, the course of the disease, how to treat a cold in a baby, in order to help him in a timely manner.

Features of occurrence in children

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

ARI often occurs due to hypothermia of the baby, which causes a weakening of local immunity on the mucous membranes and the active reproduction of bacteria, viruses that are constantly present in humans in small quantities.

They try not to take babies under one year old to public places to prevent infection. If you get sick close relative, communication is limited so as not to infect the child.

The baby is less likely to get sick due to the immunity received from the mother at birth. It acts in a newborn child 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 on. IV children are more likely to become infected.

mother's infection

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 nasopharyngeal mucosa, breast milk, but you can’t stop feeding: the baby will lose the main medicine.

Help limit exposure to disease-causing organisms frequent washing hands with soap and a gauze mask that needs to be changed several times a day.

Symptoms

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

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

Prior to these symptoms, changes in the child's behavior should alert. He becomes lethargic or overly excitable. infant does not sleep well, on the contrary, sleeps often and for a long time, is capricious. Signs of a cold in a newborn are a reason to immediately consult a doctor.

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

With a viral occurrence of a cold, it is useless to use antibiotics, which are used for complications of an inflammatory nature.

When a pediatrician can prescribe nasal drops, vasoconstrictor or therapeutic based on saline, with inflammation - containing antibiotics. You can bury two or three drops in each nostril. It thins mucus, has an antiseptic effect. To facilitate breathing, you need to clean the nose with a pear, a nasal aspirator, in extreme cases - with your mouth.

Babies cannot swallow pills. For the treatment of a viral disease, suppositories for colds with content are prescribed, which are introduced into the anus. The drug 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.

There are positive reviews about the use of Anaferon for colds in infants. But it belongs to homeopathic preparations, for the treatment of a viral disease, funds with a higher concentration of the active substance are needed.

Contraindicated for the treatment of colds in infants:

• Decoctions, tea with honey, raspberries, cough syrups - can cause allergies;
• . It is not originally intended for the treatment of the common cold, promotes the growth of bacteria, accelerates inflammation;
• Rubbing with essential oils - can cause rashes and itching;
• Steam inhalations lead to burns of the nasopharyngeal mucosa;
• The use of mustard plasters is unacceptable for the baby's skin;
• Enema without the consent of the doctor.

Folk remedies are effective for colds, but it is not recommended to use them to treat a newborn. Medical procedures are prescribed by a doctor, self-medication can lead to complications that are life-threatening for the child.

If the child has a fever

The temperature in a baby up to 38 ° contributes to the production of antiviral substances by the body, it should not be knocked down. If you lower it already at 37 °, the baby will recover longer. At a temperature above 38 ° in children under 3 months, or 38.5 ° at an older age - urgently call an ambulance, it is better to give medicines under the supervision of a physician, since an allergic reaction is possible.

An ambulance does not always arrive quickly, and a rise in temperature threatens the child's life. In such a situation, you can independently give him an antipyretic agent intended for infancy.

In the absence of children's medicines in emergency cases, you can use paracetamol, which will quickly reduce the temperature. Previously, it was often prescribed in the treatment of children under one year old, but today its toxic effects on the kidneys and liver have been proven.

It is contraindicated if the baby is 1 month old or less. For a child aged 2 months or more, the single use dose is 15 mg per 1 kg of weight, not more than 60 mg per kg of body weight per day. The action starts in 30 minutes. and lasts 4 hours. Tablets should be dissolved in water and given to the baby to drink. You can not use more than 3 days, it is better to replace paracetamol with antipyretic drugs adapted for infants.

It is forbidden to give aspirin, wipe the baby with a solution of water with vinegar, alcohol, vodka. Chemicals enter the child's body through the skin, causing poisoning. month old baby may get burns of the mucosa by inhalation of vapors.

Thermoregulation in the body has not yet been established, sudden changes are dangerous and can cause convulsions in a child. To alleviate the condition, wiping with a cloth dipped in warm water is allowed.

The state of white fever is dangerous, which is manifested by high fever and pallor of the skin, while the limbs are cold. You need to bring down the temperature slowly, only under the supervision of a doctor.

Care rules

Komarovsky notes that the body is able to cope with a cold on its own, if favorable conditions are created. Basic Rules:

1. Regular ventilation. The influx of fresh air allows you to get rid of viruses and bacteria in the room, oxygen makes it easier for the baby to breathe;
2. The humidity level is within 70%. Dry air irritates the respiratory tract. You can use a humidifier, put a container of water near the battery, hang a damp cloth;
3. The temperature in the room should not be higher than 22°. No need to additionally turn on heating devices, wrap the child, cover warmer than usual. A weakened body will be forced to spend energy on fighting overheating, to get sick longer;
4. In the room, carry out wet cleaning 1 - 2 times a day, because microbes settle on the surfaces, and dusty air irritates the baby's mucous membranes, making it difficult to breathe;
5. Clothing should be light and comfortable, made of breathable materials (cotton). Change the child's clothes immediately after he sweats, wiping him dry. Need to change and wet bed sheets. For the duration of the illness, it is better to abandon diapers - they contribute to overheating at high temperatures;
6. The child's head should be above the body, you can put a small pillow and monitor the posture of the baby when he is in the arms of his parents;
7. Peace of mind in the home is important. You can not be angry with the child that he is sick and naughty. The baby feels stress, begins to worry. Double stress exacerbates the symptoms of the disease in infants.

Daily routine and feeding with a cold

Painful condition leads to exhaustion, fatigue. It is necessary to move away from the usual sleep pattern and give the child more sleep to restore strength. It is necessary to avoid noise, bright light, active games - a sick baby quickly gets tired and needs rest.

With a small cold, you should not give up daily walks if the child can breathe through his nose. They must be of short duration. Contraindication is heat, severe runny nose, cough, sore throat, weakness.

Nutrition is necessary for the baby to recover, contains useful substances and vitamins. If nasal breathing is impossible, the newborn often refuses to eat, with an exacerbation of the disease and high fever, there may be vomiting. You can not force the child to eat, it is better to feed more often, but reduce the portion.

If the baby’s diet has already begun to be introduced, you need to abandon new products for the duration of the illness. When appetite appears, you need to give those cereals or mashed potatoes that are well digested by his body.

The baby needs to be supplemented with boiled water, even if he is on breastfeeding. Increased sweating causes dehydration, you need to restore the water-salt balance.

Bathing and massage

It is believed that you should not wash children with a cold. A contraindication is a strong fever and poor health. You should refrain from the procedure if the temperature subsided less than 2 days ago. In other cases water procedures mandatory: they allow you to cleanse the skin of toxins that leave the body with sweat, allow the skin to breathe. The temperature should be a couple of degrees higher than usual - 37-38 °. It is possible to return to the usual temperature after the complete recovery of the child.

Is it possible to bathe a baby with a cold, the attending physician decides. Pediatricians prohibit the procedure due to the risk of hypothermia. Can be washed daily soft cloth dipped in warm water. It is necessary to alternately wipe and dry all parts of the body with a towel. If you wet the baby completely, he may freeze.

The doctor may prescribe baths with. It may be having an antibacterial effect. prescribed to facilitate the breathing of the baby. You should not bathe with a decoction without a doctor's prescription, or use new plants, the reaction to which the baby is unknown.

Is it possible to massage with a cold? At the beginning and active phase of the disease, the procedure should be abandoned. It leads to vasodilation, a slight increase in body temperature, which is dangerous if the baby has a fever. A viral disease causes headaches, which are exacerbated by increased pressure during massage. Impact on chest leads to increased mucus production. It prevents the baby from breathing, and he still does not know how to cough properly. It is better to cure a cold in an infant, then resume the course of massage.

I have a cold baby lasts from 4 days to a week. At the first signs of the disease, you need to consult a doctor, follow his instructions in the treatment. This will allow him to recover faster and avoid complications.

Since the flu is a fairly contagious disease, parents often worry about how not to infect their child with the flu if they get sick themselves. Soon after a person becomes infected, he becomes a distributor of the virus. However, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of infection by resorting to certain preventive measures.

Any mother who has the flu is at risk of infecting her child.

The main mode of transmission of acute respiratory infections viral infections- airborne. The initial signs of influenza are usually noticeable the next day after infection. Sometimes a couple of days pass.

Influenza treatment is usually associated with the gradual mitigation of its symptoms until recovery occurs. This may take at least a week.

Alas, the influenza virus is not the only one. In total, there are more than two hundred of its varieties. The most common rhinoviruses that infect the nasal mucosa. They cause almost 30 percent of colds.

Breastfeeding mothers pass antibodies to infants, which strengthens the baby's immune system and manages to more or less quickly cope with the disease. However, the risk of infection is real for all children. Hence the understandable concern of parents arises: how not to infect a child with the flu.

Sometimes children suffer from SARS up to seven times in one year. But this number can be reduced or at least guaranteed the absence of complications during and after the disease.

Rules for parents to follow

First of all, it is desirable to isolate the child, that is, it is necessary to minimize his contact with the sick household. Sometimes even a mother needs to have less contact with the baby, no matter how much she wants to continue to share her love. The flu is temporary, not permanent. Be patient a little and get treated properly in order to recover as soon as possible and restore full communication with your beloved child.

Here are a few more rules to keep in mind:

• In no case, in particular, should a sick parent sleep in the same bed with a baby. In cases where isolation is not possible, it is necessary to wear a gauze bandage or a special mask to prevent infection by airborne droplets.
• Dishes that are intended for the child to eat (the same bottle, as well as the nipple) must be sterilized. This is done in all children - even in infants.
• Do not pour liquids into children's dishes from adult cups.
• Regularly ventilate the room where the child sleeps. At least twice a day. At the time of airing the baby, it is better to transfer to another room. A suitable time for such a procedure is about a quarter of an hour.
• More often you need to walk with a child (even with a baby) so that he can breathe fresh air.
• We must not forget about frequent wet cleaning in the children's room. In particular, to get rid of dust, you can use damp cloths, and wash the floors with a solution of water and a small amount of chlorine or hypoallergenic products.
• Creating an unfavorable atmosphere for a viral infection, for which, for example, you can finely chop garlic or onion, put it in some cup or vase and put it in the baby's room. Phytoncides, which are present in these vegetables, destroy infectious pathogens.
• It is necessary to monitor the temperature in the children's room so that it is not too cold and too hot. You can not overheat the baby - it is just as dangerous as hypothermia.

Temperature indicators in the room where the child is:

• less than a month - should be approximately 20-22 degrees;
• older than a month - 18-22 degrees.

Those children who have normal immunity and no other health problems will not interfere with hardening procedures. They are allowed to start from about two months of age. This is an excellent prevention against colds.

If the baby is still sick, treatment should begin immediately.

When an epidemic begins, it is advisable to reduce the number of guests in the house where the child lives. Babies are prone to infection and therefore care for their health should be especially attentive and steady. In cases where the reception of guests is inevitable, they should be provided with gauze masks.

How to quickly cure the disease?

In order not to puzzle over how not to infect a child with ARVI, parents themselves need to be cured as soon as possible if they get sick.

But do not forget that by abusing such drugs, you can achieve the opposite effects - congestion will increase, and the sinuses will swell.

Syrups designed to treat coughs are very beneficial to health during a cold. They are offered on the pharmaceutical market in the following forms:

• suppressive, that is, overwhelming;
• expectorants.

With the help of expectorants, it is possible to get rid of the mucus that has accumulated in the throat. Thanks to suppressive drugs, it is possible to suppress a dry cough (which often prevents the sick person from falling asleep normally).

Using drugs like Paracetamol or Ibuprofen (you can get them at any pharmacy without a prescription and inexpensively), you will be able to cope with high fever and muscle pain caused by SARS. However, pregnant women - especially in the third semester - should drink such drugs with caution (it is better to consult a doctor before doing this).

To recover faster, doctors advise mustard baths. It is suitable for soaring legs in it (with a temperature of at least 40 degrees). Making a bath is very simple:

• A couple of tablespoons of mustard dissolves in water.
• Keep your feet in the resulting solution for at least a quarter of an hour.
• When the procedure is completed, the feet are wiped dry, warm socks (made of wool) are put on and you need to wrap yourself in a blanket.

Finally, mustard powder can be poured into socks made from cotton fabric. You are allowed to sleep in these socks. Or just rub your feet with diluted alcohol.

Flu symptoms in a child

Here are some signs of SARS in infants that you need to pay attention to first of all:

• runny nose, which is accompanied by secretions (their color is green, yellow or transparent);
• sneezing and coughing;
• feeling of weakness and malaise;
• pain in the throat and hoarseness;
• inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose and throat;
• temperature increase.

As soon as the baby has signs of SARS, it is necessary to begin treatment. The longer this process is delayed, the longer and more difficult it will then be to fight the disease.

You can determine the onset of the disease in infants by a number of symptoms.

It would be nice for a baby to drop one drop into each nostril of mother's milk, which is not only a valuable food for the baby, but also acts effective tool against colds. It is especially effective in the initial months of a child's life.

If the child is artificially fed, he can drip interferon (one drop is also enough). A variety of ointments also help - for example, Vitaon, as well as oxolinic ointment. Take quite a bit of ointment and treat the area next to the nasal passages.

Before allowing children to take certain drugs, it is advisable to consult a pediatrician..

Anaferon - help!

How not to infect a baby with the flu if you get sick yourself? It is necessary to make sure that the baby's body itself can resist, that is, strengthen its immunity.

For this, there are drugs such as immunomodulators. For example, Anaferon (for children). It has already been proven (by numerous studies) to be effective in treating childhood colds:

• reduces morbidity;
• reduces the frequency of complications.

There are no side effects after using Anaferon. But, even if one of the parents coughs, the protective abilities of the child are significantly improved.

You can give this remedy to children from one month of age.

Why is Anaferon so effective? It's all about him unique composition, thanks to which interferon is produced in the child's body and, accordingly, it is protected from the negative effects of the infection.

Rules for young mothers

Many young mothers begin to panic: "I got the flu - how not to infect the child?". Here are a few more rules that sick mothers should follow to protect babies from the same fate (especially since babies endure the disease much more difficult):

• It is important to feed your baby with your own milk. Only in mother's milk there are substances that will protect children from many diseases (including infections) and help strengthen their immunity.
• It should not be too early and, especially, during the epidemic, to convene all relatives and other acquaintances to the bride. Even if outwardly it seems that a person is completely healthy, in fact, he can be a carrier of a viral infection and spread it everywhere, thereby threatening young parents and a child. While the epidemic is raging, it is undesirable to even go to the hospital and other crowded places with the child. If this cannot be avoided, put on a protective mask for the baby.
• If someone in the family is sick with SARS, isolate him from contact with the child until a full recovery occurs. At least as far as housing conditions allow. Do not forget about airing the premises and carrying out wet cleaning.
• Why not use the "old-fashioned" way to protect the child? We are talking about cut garlic cloves that need to be peeled, put on a thread (like beads), hung next to the crib where the baby sleeps (as an option, decorate his neck with this necklace).
• For prevention, rinse the baby's nose with special solutions or slightly salted water.
• Children's dishes must be sterilized. In no case should the baby be given the dishes from which the sick household consumes food. No compotes and other liquids in a children's container from an "adult" bowl!
• Remember how important it is for your child to get as many vitamins as possible. There are, for example, special vitamin complexes for children. But before buying and using them, be sure to consult a pediatrician.

Mother's milk contains antibodies that help the baby fight the flu

• Don't stop breastfeeding, and don't worry about germs getting into your breast milk. This cannot be. On the contrary, in breast milk contains important antibodies that help children cope with illnesses. Accordingly, it will be good if the baby receives them.
• Mom should drink plenty of fluids, which will help save the milk from burning out (in any case, reduce such risks). It is known that an increase in temperature leads to a loss of fluid in the human body, and without this, breast milk is not produced.
• Before taking certain therapeutic measures, using certain drugs (medicines), you need to consult a pediatrician (pediatrician). What if the child will have some contraindications and the situation will only become more complicated? What if the medicine is simply not suitable individually for the baby? even to the reception folk remedies should be treated with caution and medical professionals should be consulted.

So if it suddenly happened that you or someone in the household got sick, and there is a small child in the house, you should not panic and drive the sick person out of the house. There are great ways to protect yourself. child's body from infection - if you follow the rules described above, this probability is significantly reduced.

If a young mother is sick, she needs to drink as much water as possible so that the milk does not burn out.

But even if the child gets sick, in no case delay the start of the treatment process. The sooner you start it, the faster and easier you will cope with the disease, and avoid complications.

Children who have already reached the age of six months can safely be vaccinated against influenza - such immunoprophylaxis further improves their chances of staying healthy even during an epidemic.

In the apartment where a small child lives, one of the family members has all the signs of a cold - a runny nose, cough, body aches. What can be done to avoid infecting the child? Of course, no one will give a 100% guarantee, but you can reduce the likelihood of infection.

Isolate the child from the sick

First of all, the child must be isolated from the sick person, unless, of course, the mother of the child who is breastfeeding is sick. If it is impossible to isolate due to living conditions, the patient should wear a disposable or gauze mask and change it every half hour. Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing paper napkin which should be thrown into the trash immediately after use.

If mom is sick

If a nursing mother of an infant falls ill, she must also wear a mask and continue breastfeeding the baby, even if she has a high temperature. Breast milk contains antibodies that build immunity and help the baby fight infection. Just do not need to lean close to the child and especially kiss him.

1. It is desirable that the child sleeps in a separate room or at least in a separate bed. It is advised to put a plate with finely chopped onion or garlic near the child's crib. They contain phytoncides - volatile substances that purify the air from microorganisms.
2. If the child does not have allergies, you can soak the napkin with tea tree or lemon oil from time to time.
3. In the absence of a child, the room should be aired for at least 10 minutes, preferably several times a day. Also twice a day it is necessary to do wet cleaning with a disinfectant.
4. The air temperature in the room should be approximately 20 degrees. If possible, the child should spend more time outdoors.
5. A child who is not breastfed should have his own dishes, which no one but him, no one should use.
6. All family members should not enter the room in outerwear and forget to wash your hands with soap when you return home. During the epidemic, it is better to refuse to receive guests.

Medications for prevention

Medications can also be used as a preventive measure. For example, drip into a child's nose 3-5 drops Interferon(antiviral drug). The same should be done for the rest of the family. Many mothers find it more effective Grippferon in the form of drops or spray. It is an immunomodulatory, antiviral drug that is used for the prevention and treatment of acute respiratory diseases and influenza. It can also be used for children under one year old.

For prevention, you can also lubricate the nasal mucosa Oxolinic ointment with antiviral activity. The same can be done for a child with a cotton swab. Upon contact with the patient, the nasal mucosa is lubricated 2 times a day for three weeks. True, this ointment causes a slight burning sensation, which quickly passes, but the child may not like it. Therefore, it is better to use antiviral and immunomodulatory ointment Viferon.

There are also rectal suppositories under the same name. However, more than six months should not pass from the date of their manufacture, since the activity of the active substance decreases significantly after six months.

Children's candles are also popular with mothers. Viburkol. It's German homeopathic remedy, stimulating the work of the body's defenses, which has an anti-inflammatory effect. It contains plant substances: chamomile, belladonna, belladonna, nightshade, plantain, etc. It can be used by children from birth.

For the prevention of acute respiratory diseases, both yourself and your child can instill drops in the nose Derinat. It is also an immunomodulatory drug. As a prophylaxis of ARVI and influenza, a homeopathic preparation in the form of drops for internal use is used. Aflubin. It is also indicated for children under one year old.

However, before using medicines you need to consult with your pediatrician. Increases the body's defenses, moisturizes and purifies the air of dust and is used to prevent bacterial and viral infections. TAGETON(Russian company REBION). It contains a phytocomplex ( essential oils marigold, pine) and is intended for people who often suffer from colds, with weak immunity. It is safe to spray indoors in the presence of people.