Your Complete Health Guide: The Common Cold

November 12, 2013

Signs and Symptoms:

So, how do you know your child is sick? Here are some classic parental clues:

Fever: Any temperature over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 Celsius (I don’t care by what method) is considered a fever by most experts.
Copious runny nose: Yes, it could be allergies, but this is a classic sign of viral infection.
Cough: If it is wheezy sounding or severely disruptive to nighttime sleep, your child needs a visit to her healthcare provider.
Achiness: Difficult for young children to report, it may present as….
Irritability: We all know how cranky we get with a bad head cold.
Fatigue: Droopiness is one of the most common symptoms I see in the office.

Pediatrician Dr. Germain wears many hats, as he is the Associate Chair of Children's Services at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital, as well as being an Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine, and an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He is also a frequent web and book contributor and has written numerous articles and parenting books.

He resides in Connecticut with his wife and 3 children (who are responsible for teaching him more pediatrics than he cares to admit).