Editors Note: We don’t necessarily agree or endorse everything in these tips. As always, we recommend that you use your own parental discretion and research to make your own clarifying decisions. Just because we don’t agree with a couple of things in an article doesn’t mean we throw everything out. KWIM?
Summertime Relief: Tips on Treating Your Child’s Summer Cold from Children’s Advil®
School’s out for summer! And while parents of young children are busy coordinating family vacation, summer camp and play dates at the pool, an unexpected summer cold can put the brakes on all those activities.
Preschool and elementary school children may get up to 12 colds per year, and while colds are more common in the fall and winter, summer colds occur more frequently than you might think. Exposure to air conditioning, airplane travel and summer camp playmates may put your child at risk. And most parents agree that summer colds are particularly annoying as the symptoms – fever, sore throat, and other aches and pains – often disrupt the very activities your child most looks forward to in summer.
This year, however, treating a summer cold may be a source of confusion to parents because of a recent recall of many over-the-counter products for children. The good news is that, Children’s Advil®, manufactured by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, is not part of the recent recall and is currently available nationwide. Children’s Advil® relieves aches and pains due to the common cold or flu, as well as sore throats and headaches, and also reduces fever faster* and lasts longer than Children’s Tylenol®*. In fact, Children’s Advil® lasts up to eight hours.
*Based on reducing fever below 100°F
Here are answers to some common questions about treating your child’s summer cold.
• How do children get colds?
A cold is a viral infection of the nose and throat that is spread in a number of different ways. For example, colds are passed through physical contact with another child with a cold or with contaminated item that was previously touched by someone who has a cold. Also, colds can be passed by breathing in germs from someone who is coughing or sneezing.
• How can I treat my child’s cold?
Symptoms of a cold can include runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, fever, and loss of appetite:
o Runny nose: There’s not much you can do for a runny nose, except for periodically clearing it for easier breathing. It’s best to have your child sniff and swallow the secretions, rather than blow them out, which could cause the virus to spread to the ears and sinuses.
o Stuffy nose: You can help clear you child’s nose by instilling three drops of warm tap water into the nasal passages and using cotton swabs to wipe out loosened mucus.
o Sore Throat: Help relieve your child’s sore throat by giving your child warm salt water to gargle with.
o Fever: Reduce your child’s fever fast with Children’s Advil®. It reduces fever faster* than Children’s Tylenol® and lasts up to twice as long. When your child has a fever, it is important that you dress him or her lightly. DO NOT overdress or cover your child with heavy blankets as overheating can actually increase the fever. Encourage your child to drink lots of fluids to avoid dehydration.
* Based on reducing fever below 100°.
o Loss of Appetite: When your child has a cold, it’s important that he or she doesn’t become dehydrated. Encourage your child to consume lots of fluids, like chicken soup, even if he or she doesn’t feel like eating or drinking.
• What product(s) are available to treat my child’s cold this summer?
Children’s Advil® is NOT part of the recent recall and is safe and effective when used as directed in children 2 to 11 years of age. Children’s Advil® works to temporarily reduce fever, and relieve minor aches and pains due to the common cold, flu, sore throats, headaches and toothaches. You can repeat the dose every 6 to 8 hours, as needed. Do not use more than 4 times per day.
o For more information please visit ChildrensAdvil.com or contact a customer service representative toll-free at: 800-88-ADVIL or 800-882-3845, Monday-Friday; 9:00AM-5:00PM EST or write to Product Quality, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, P.O. Box 26609, Richmond, VA 23261-6609.
• What if my child has a fever?
A fever is the body’s way of responding to an infection and can make your child uncomfortable and irritable. It is important to gauge your child’s fever accurately. Your child has a fever if his or her temperature reaches 100° F when measured orally or in the ear, or if the temperature reaches 100.4° F when measured rectally, or if the temperature reaches 99° F when measured under the arm.
Encourage your child to drink lots of fluids when he or she has a fever. A fever can cause your child to lose fluids and may lead to dehydration. Water, soup, ice pops or flavored gelatin are all helpful.
• How do I know if the cold is severe enough to call the doctor?
If you are worried about your child’s cold, you should call your doctor.
• What is the difference between a summer cold and allergy symptoms?
Both colds and allergies can cause nasal congestion — that’s what can make them difficult to tell apart. However, a key difference is itching of the eyes that is commonly seen with allergies.
• What do I need to know about giving my child medication?
o Read package labels carefully. Make sure you are giving your child the right amount of medicine.
o For liquid medicines, only use the measuring device that comes with that particular product to be sure you give the right dose. An ordinary kitchen teaspoon may not hold the right amount of medicine.
o You should use all medications according to the label directions and speak with your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions.
• What’s the best way to prevent future colds?
There are preventative measures parents and children can take to reduce their risk for colds, including:
o Wash your hands often (as germs spread from a contagious person to a healthy person typically by hand) or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
o Drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration and maintain body fluid levels
o Get plenty of rest
o Spend time outdoors because it is more common to catch a cold indoors rather than outdoors. Air conditioned environments and tight closed spaces, such as airplanes, pose many virus-sharing risks and ultimately increase the likelihood of catching a cold. Also, the sun’s ultraviolet rays can kill cold viruses
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I read recently that most “summer colds” are not a cold at all but caused by a combination of bacteria from air conditioning (still not a cold) and allergies. So not sure how effective cold medicine would be to do much more than dope up the kid and I guess treat sinus symptoms. Thought it was interesting!
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Awesome article! Thanks for this great article. This is so informative. 🙂
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