Bless you, baby


Bless you, baby. It is normal to worry when your little ones come down with coughs and colds but, as Dr Mel Bates explains, it’s all part and parcel of building up their immune system. Carmel Doyle reports

It's natural for babies and young children to get sniffles and coughs. This is because their immune systems are not yet developed to fight off the more than 200 different viruses that can cause the common cold.

However, it doesn’t stop parents from being extra vigilant, especia­lly if it’s the first time their baby has symptoms. According to Dr Mel Bates, spokesperson for the Irish College of General Practitioners, it’s common for bab­ies to get between six and eight colds a year between the months of September and May, with each one last­ing between two to four weeks.

He says as their baby develops a pattern to their illness, parents will become more confident, so they can treat their child at home. If you’re concerned, however, you should talk to your GP.

“If your baby has an unusual rash or a fever that won’t settle with simple methods, then these are valid reasons for bringing him or her to your GP,” says Bates.

So what are the best ways to treat your child’s cold? He says parents can treat a fever immediately in any child regardless of age. “However, in very small children, particularly those under three months, problem for colds, but it is a worry that parents have.”

Other illnesses to watch out for include colds that have a cough as the main complaint. If an asthma diagnosis has already been made, Bates says this could be an indicator that your child’s asthma is wors­ening. So, if this is the case he says parents should restart their child’s inhalers to determine if this will settle the cough.

And with the additional threat of swine flu this year, what are the symptoms to look for if you think your child might have something different to a cold?

Because it is very difficult to distinguish swine flu from the common cold, Bates’s advice is for parents to go to their GP if they have any suspicions at all about the matter.

“The at-risk groups would be the under-fives and, particularly, the under-twos.”

Childhood coughs

The cough is a life-saving reflex that helps protect the airways of the throat and chest. Bates says most GPs won’t recommend cough bottles because there is no evidence to back up their efficacy (ie that they work).

There are a variety of have. One is a mucus-like, impressive cough. “Usually the child will have snuffles. Theirs is a viral infection of the nasal passages. The mucus drips backwards as well, and as it drips it is caught by the cough reflex. This makes sure the mucus doesn’t go down onto the chest.”

Therefore, he says most of the time when GPs listen to a child, their chest will be clear, as the cough is happening in the throat and not the lungs.

For the under-twos, a dry, repetitive cough is caused by a viral wheeze. For the older child who has been diagnosed with asthma, Bates says parents should be mindful that the cough is often a worsening of their condition. Therefore, the child will have to use their inhaler more or go back on their inhaler, depending on the situation.

“The vast majority of childhood illnesses are caused by viruses and antibiotics are not required. Antibiot­ics will not make them better faster because they do not work on viruses,” he explains.

The type of cough known as croup is not as com­mon, although it does happen, according to Bates. “Croup is distressing. The most important thing to remember is that it’s a viral illness.”

With small children, he says the cough can become to see if they are on the right track. Our job is to reassure and double-check things." ( @ Independent News )






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