Littles' helpful tips for the common cold

- Give your child probiotics! Studies have shown that the use of probiotics decreases the incidence common infections in children, including wintertime colds!

- Practice illness precautions (wash hands, use hand sanitizer, re-schedule that play date for a time when all the kids feel well, keep your child at home if he/she is sick).

If your little is already sick...

- Use a humidifier in his/her room at night.

- Use saline spray and bulb suction or the Nose Frida to loosen and suck out that snot! Doing this every day, 3-4 times a day, actually decreases mucus production, reduces swelling, and changes the pH in the nose so that germs don't like to live there!

- If your child is over a year of age, try giving him/her crushed organic garlic "hidden" in a big spoonful of honey (both garlic and honey have medicinal properties).

- Carefully, do a tumeric steam with your older child: Pour very hot water into a large bowl, add a pinch of tumeric to the water, sit with your faces above the bowl, drape a towel over the bowl and your heads to capture the steam, breathe through your noses. This is a lovely technique from the realm of Ayurvedic medicine that utilizes the help of steam and of tumeric, which has anti-septic qualities, to support the body in clearing a cold.

- Keep your child hydrated.

- Allow your child plenty of time to rest.

- Give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen for high fevers (ex. 102 F). Note: all children under 6 months old with a high fever should be seen by a doctor.

Please come to see me if:

Your child is under 6 months old with a cold complicated by fever.

Your child is any age with a fever lasting more than 3 days.

The nose symptoms last more than 2 weeks.

The eyes develop a yellow discharge.

You can't unblock the nose enough for your infant to be able to drink adequate liquids.

You think your child may have an earache or sinus pain.

Your child's sore throat lasts more than 5 days.

You have any other questions or concerns/ your intuition or heart is telling you that your child may be very ill.

See a doctor IMMEDIATELY if:

Your child's breathing becomes difficult or rapid.

Your child is acting very sick.