TIPS TO PREVENT CHILDREN FROM CATCHING A COLD

In the last two months my middle daughter has already missed school several times because of catarrhal viruses. Nasal congestion, cough and sneezing, tenths of fever, lack of appetite ... Surely we all sound these symptoms, and that is colds are the main cause of truancy in our country.

According to the specialists, young children catch a cold 6 to 12 times a year during the first four or five years of life and before this data we ask ourselves, Can we do something to avoid it?

Unfortunately there are no measures that we can follow and that 100% prevent our children from catching a cold, but we can try to minimize the risks of contagion following the following tips:

1. Ventilate daily

One of the main measures we must take is the ventilation of our house, both in summer and winter and on a daily basis. A few minutes will suffice for the air to renew and get rid of unwanted viruses present in the environment.

Remember that viruses take advantage of heat and lack of ventilation and renewal of the air to act, so the closed and non-ventilated spaces are the true breeding grounds for respiratory viruses, so common at this time of year.

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2. Cover your nose and mouth when we go out

Viruses move from the respiratory tract of one person to another person directly (when talking, sneezing, coughing, etc.) or indirectly, through the hands, if we touch surfaces where the viruses are and take them to our mouths or noses.

These viruses stay in our mucous membranes and the probability that they will thrive and make us sick is greater if we are exposed to cold, since when temperatures are low, cilia (small hairs) and nasal mucous membranes (the natural defense system that we have in the nose), lose mobility facilitating the passage of microorganisms.

Therefore, if in cold weather we cover our nose and mouth well when we go out, we can minimize, in part, the risk of getting a cold.

3. Spend more time outdoors

It might seem a contradiction to talk about the cold favoring the entry of viruses into the body and instead advise spending more time outdoors. But it is not so, as we have seen, the concentration of virus occurs in closed and non-ventilated environments that then thrive when in contact with the cold.

Therefore, if our children are in good health, let's warm them up and encourage them to spend more time playing and walking outdoors, instead of being in closed and crowded environments. Take an example of the Nordic countries!

4. Hand wash

As we have seen above, One of the ways of spreading viruses is through the contact of contaminated surfacesYes, hence it is essential to instill in our children the importance of washing their hands.

Everyone, adults and children, we should wash our hands frequently for at least 20 seconds, paying special attention to cleaning between the fingers and under the nails, and doing so especially after using the bathroom and before eating or handling food.

Then we must dry very well, avoiding dryers and plush towels. It is preferable to use disposable paper towels, although if we had to resort to cloth towels we should change it very frequently.

5. Frequent washing of your toys and pacifiers

Just as we should wash our hands several times a day, so do the Toys and pacifiers of our children must have proper hygiene. Let's clean them frequently with a cloth with soap and water, or with disinfectant solutions. We can also wash them in the washing machine in the case of stuffed animals.

Pacifiers, cups, bottles and bottles should never be shared by other children, although this is something that we know can be very difficult to carry out in nurseries and schools.

6. Dispose of handkerchiefs after first use

As we have seen with paper towels, we must do the same with tissues; These must be disposable and not cloth, throw them after first use and not share them with anyone.

And sometimes we can fall into the mistake of cleaning our little nose and put the tissue in our pocket again or even use it again to clean his brother. This bad practice is a very easy and fast way of contagion.

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7. Clean your boogers, if they bother you

As we have seen on several occasions, mucus is not bad since it constitutes a defensive barrier for the entry of viruses and microorganisms. Thus It is not necessary to become obsessed with the cleaning of the nose of our children, unless we see that mucus bothers you at bedtime or lunch, in which case we can use serum to clear your airways.

8. Cover our nose and mouth when we sneeze or cough

As we have seen, viruses are transmitted from the respiratory tract of a sick person to that of another through salivary secretions. So that coughing and sneezing without covering our mouths is a powerful source of contagion.

That is why it is important to cover your mouth and nose when we are going to cough or sneeze, but always do it with the forearm instead of with the hand, since if we cover ourselves with the hand we will leave the impregnated viruses on the surface that we touch next.

However, a recent study has just shown that this simple gesture that we had always thought could avoid many viruses, not effective in cases of the flu since this disease is transmitted with the simple act of breathing.

9. Correct feeding and hydration

In general, a healthy eating with an adequate supply of nutrients, is the best way to improve defenses, as well as lengthen as long as possible breastfeeding.

Vitamin C does not prevent us from getting drunk But it helps us strengthen the immune system. Therefore, a balanced and varied diet and a correct supply of vitamin C can become a magnificent protective shield.

10. What if there is a sick person at home?

We know that in a family nucleus, isolate the sick person so that he does not infect the rest of the family members It can be very difficult to carry out, especially when we talk about children.

So if our son is sick and at home there are more siblings - especially if these are babies - all we can do is prevent them from sharing cutlery or glasses and wash all our hands frequently. Nor should we take him to school or daycare to prevent other children from becoming infected.

If we are the ones who are cramped, let's take extreme hygiene measures before handling our kids' food and try to rest as much as possible, since rest will make us feel better.

11. Eye with medication

Remember, once again, that you do not have to use antibiotics to cure colds for two reasons:

Colds and the flu are diseases of viral origin, and antibiotics do not help cure viruses
On the other hand, antibiotics can produce undesirable effects in the body such as diarrhea, candidiasis in the vagina or mouth ...

So, hydration, rest, good nutrition and in the event that the pediatrician recommends it, resort to the antitermics to mitigate the discomfort or the effects that the fever may cause.

And finally remember, in addition, that vaccination against influenza is still a good measure to protect against this type of virus. See more information in this article.