Flu, RSV, and COVID are circulating in increased numbers this 12 months. And so as to add insult to harm, there’s a scarcity of over-the-counter kids’s drugs in shops. What do you have to do in case your child will get sick? We referred to as on UVA Kids’s pediatrician Sarah Boggs, MD, to reply mother and father’ incessantly requested questions.
My Little one Has a Fever. What If I Can’t Discover Kids’s Drugs?
Fever-reducing kids’s drugs helps your youngster really feel higher, however don’t stress when you can’t discover any. Fevers are not often harmful. Youngsters and infants usually tolerate fevers nicely, even as much as 105° F.
Can I Give My Little one Grownup Drugs?
Virtually all kids’s drugs is weight-based. You shouldn’t give your youngster an grownup drugs except it’s the precise dose primarily based on their weight.
What If I Can’t Discover Cough & Chilly Kids’s Drugs?
We truly don’t suggest these for youngsters beneath 6. They’ve plenty of unintended effects and little profit.
Even when your youngster is older, use these with warning. Make sure you observe the instructions and cease if it’s not working — extra isn’t higher.
Additionally, some embrace fever reducers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen. Make sure you don’t unintentionally double up on these.
What Else Can I Do to Assist My Little one Really feel Higher?
We suggest treating signs as a result of few medical remedies work. These embrace:
- Cool mist dehumidifiers
- Getting loads of fluids
- Heat drinks
- Relaxation
- A spoonful of honey a number of instances a day (solely in kids over 1 12 months) to assist relieve coughing
- Nasal saline sprays
Nasal suction may also help younger infants. However don’t do it an excessive amount of or it’ll trigger irritation.
Learn extra about which cures work and don’t.
How Do I Know If My Little one Must See a Physician?
You need to take your youngster to the physician in the event that they’re:
- Having bother respiratory
- Not consuming and getting dehydrated
Does Your Little one Want a Flu Shot?
Ask your youngster’s physician or make an appointment with a UVA Well being pediatrician.
Your youngster is high-risk for extreme sickness from flu, COVID or RSV in the event that they’re beneath 1 12 months outdated or have:
With any of those circumstances, it’s possible you’ll have to take them to the physician sooner.
How Can I Maintain My Child Wholesome?
Essentially the most useful factor is prevention. Get COVID and flu vaccines.
My Little one Had the Flu. Do They Nonetheless Want a Flu Shot?
Sure. They will get the flu greater than as soon as in a season. The vaccine protects towards a number of strains. In the event that they get “influenza A,” the shot can nonetheless defend them from “influenza B,” for instance.
They will nonetheless get the flu after a vaccine. However they’re at decrease danger for problems, going to the hospital, and dying.
