Cold Comfort for the Family Cold

The new Health Canada guidelines for Over the Counter (OTC) cough and cold medications are pretty clear: do not give decongestants to kids under the age of 6, and only give them sparingly over the age of 6. Health Canada did some studies and found that they were not effective and therefore not worth the risk of problems, said Dr. David Greenbeg -- or Dr. Dave to those of you who watch the Mom Show. So decongestants are not an option.

So what can you do to relieve the snorting, the snurfling and the trail of soggy, squishy tissues all over the house? Not so much really.  You can know you are not alone, in a study, 61 per cent of parents find dealing with cranky sick kids a pain, and about half of all families lose sleep when one of their kids are sick. (You know that SNL segment with Amy Poehler and Seth Myers where they sarcastically yell “Really?!” at lots of obvious facts, that’s how I feel about that statistic.) Kids with colds don’t sleep well so they are crankier than usual, (no kidding, so am I).

Since you can’t drug your kid, or yourself, out of  their cold symptoms. Here are the ABCs of treating a cold brought to you by the people who make those little nose strips that supposedly stops your husband from snoring. They make them for kids too, I don’t know if they work. Dr. Dave says that if they open up the airflow even slightly then it could make the difference between sleeping and not sleeping. (The Breathe Right Kids PR company put me in touch with him so take his advice or leave it, but he did sound reasonable)

·    A for Airflow 

o   Sleep in an elevated position

o   Wear drug-free nasal strips, like Breathe Right Kids, designed especially for children. The strips work mechanically, from the outside, to gently open nasal passages to help kids breathe better

o   Humidify the air using a cool mist vaporizer at nighttime. Dr. Dave is a big fan of humidifiers. Just be sure to clean and disinfect it regularly. (ha, like anyone does that!)

o   Use saline nose drops 

·    B for Better Sleep:

o   Get more sleep than usual,: 10 to 12 hours of sleep for kids three to five years old, and nine to 10 hours of sleep for kids six and up.

·    C for Comfort:.

o   Drink warm liquids to help loosen nasal and chest congestion and relieve a dry throat like chicken soup, or hot lemon and honey.

o   Put a heavy cream or jelly on chaffed skin that is sore from the constant nose blowing.

·    D for Doctor’s Advice: Serious conditions can masquerade as the common cold.  It is appropriate to consult your doctor or healthcare professional if your child has any of the following:

o   A sore throat that lasts more than two days, or if it is beefy, red, swollen, and covered with pus.

o   A runny nose that lasts more than 10 days, or if there is severe facial pain or headache.

o   A prolonged or sever cough.

o   A high fever, 38.5ºC or higher or a high fever that returns within 4-14 days.

o   Laboured breathing.

o   You are totally panicked and need reassurance

Dr. Dave says that even this year, he expects to see more kids with colds or a virus  then he will with flu. So don't jump to conclusions and assume there is flu unless there is a prolonged fever and achiness. Most likely it's a cold, so get yourself and child set up with some movies, tissues, humidifiers and a hot drink. And once if you emerge from your cocoon with your schnotty child, expect evil stares form paranoid people around you.