Comfort Tips:
It’s midnight, your child has classic cold symptoms and you know you don’t need a trip to the Emergency Room, how do you keep your child comfortable? Here are some comfort tips.
Acetaminophen. The comfort measure that is tried and true for generations. We think of Tylenol first as a fever reducer, but it is also a pretty good pain reliever, even in the absence of fever. A child with a cold may have fever, but he is even more likely to have headache, tummy ache or muscle aches. It is amazing how many patient calls I get at midnight where Tylenol dosing hasn’t even been considered. Acetaminophen helps.
Rest. A favorite blanket, a bonus nap, some time to lay low—to rest and recover—is invaluable. Time to stay home from school or daycare. Time to skip Daisies, football practice, music group, etc. On the other hand, another parental call I get at midnight goes like this, “My daughter has a temperature of 101, is congested and coughing sporadically. What should I do?” I’ll ask what the child is doing at that moment, and invariably she is fast asleep. In my mind, sleeping is the definition of comfort. “Let her rest comfortably,” is the answer I most often give.
Fluids. Taking sips of fluid is important during times of illness. Although Pediatricians usually prefer water, this is a time when parents oftentimes loosen the reins a little. Juice, tea, Gatorade, milk, Italian ice, soda, chicken soup, are all acceptable fluids for children who are not significantly dehydrated. Dehydration is a complication of a virus that is good to avoid.
Humidified air. This is controversial among the experts, but a cool mist humidifier can sometimes provide comfort to a stuffy child. It just seems to make sense. Plugged dry boogies in the nose need loosening. For younger kids, parents will sometimes try saline drops and a blue bulb syringe. Please be careful about cleaning your humidifier, if you use one. Following the manufacturer’s instructions on cleaning can prevent overgrowth of mold and bacterial that can be potentially harmful to a family. And warm mist humidifiers have been associated with scald burns in young children.
