Safety Tips for Winter Illness for Kids

The monsoon season has finally come to an end, and winter has set in, well almost. While some parts of India have started experiencing snowfall, other factors see this beautiful season’s onset. Winter is a season of merry for people of all ages and especially kids. Those that love the season also know what makes it so unique. The thrill of taking small holidays to watch ice-capped peaks and longer nights and shorter days are all the reasons we all love winter. However, you must be prepped safety tips for winter illness for kids

But for all the right things, winter is also a season when we need to take extra care of ourselves, especially children who are more susceptible to winter-specific illnesses. We live in a world where issues such as children’s health have gained prominence.

Here’s a list of winter-specific diseases/illnesses and ways to protect your child.

Common Winter Illness and Their Safety Tips

Cold and Fever

One of the most common ailments associated with safety tips for winter is cold and fever. While it can affect anyone and at any time, winter is awful due to a sudden drop in the temperature. Symptoms include weakness and pain in the body, continuous sneezes, headache, and lack of taste.

Home-based safety tips for kids’ winter illness include washing hands regularly to kill cold and fever causing bugs that the children might have picked up from touching surfaces like door handles, ground, sports equipment, and even phones.

Do not give children bananas and curds. Give them fruits rich in Vitamin-C. If fever persists for more than three days, show your child to a paediatrician immediately, and this way, you can be successful at staying safe in winter with your family.

Sore Throat

One of the most common viral infections in children during winter is a sore throat. Symptoms include difficulty in eating, swallowing, and talking. Another safety tip for winter illness for kids includes gargling with salt-infused warm water four-five times a day. Although it doesn’t cure the infection, it provides a soothing effect.

Take your child to a paediatrician for immediate relief. There may be a chance that the child is coughing at night and not during the day. In such cases, it is necessary to see a paediatrician on the safer side, try home remedies for cold and cough for babies, and consult your friends and family.

Asthma

The Winter season is a significant cause of asthma and related symptoms like wheezing. Although it’s difficult to pinpoint what causes asthma in winters exactly, allergens, especially pollens, present in the air can trigger shortness of breath in children with a previous history of the disease. Symptoms include difficulty in breathing. Remedy includes wearing the scarf over the nose and mouth, using the air purifier at home, staying indoors, and keeping inhalers handy.

Tonsillitis

Caused by air-borne bacteria and viruses, and most common during winters, tonsillitis, also commonly called tonsils in India, is the inflammation or swelling of the tonsils’ tissues at the back of the throat. Symptoms include swelling, difficulty in swallowing and eating, sore throat, and irritation. Gargling with warm water mixed with salt is one sure shot method to reduce the pain. Go to a doctor for targeted treatment. Also, you can read about child coughing at night remedies on the internet.

Ear Infection

An ear infection is an extension of a cold and can also be caused by water retention in the ear. It can cause severe pain in children. It can occur overnight without any warning signs. Symptoms include ear pain, swelling, pus formation, and difficulty in hearing. Safety tips for winter illness for kids include draining the water from the ear after a shower or swimming. Treat the cold immediately with home remedies or medicine prescribed by the doctor.

Flu

Also commonly known as influenza, it’s one of the most common infections among children in winters. It’s a highly contagious viral infection that affects the respiratory tract. Symptoms include fever, body pain, headache, tiredness, and cough. Remedial measures include getting annual flu vaccination and showing to a doctor if any of the above symptoms are detected.

It would be best if you also asked your relatives and friends for home remedies for cough to be prepared at all the time.

In a hot tropical country like ours, where summers can be punishing, winters are a welcome change. But as season changes and the temperature falls, viruses and bacteria can cause havoc, especially among children. It is also observed that cough and cold come together in children.

Just follow these safety tips for winter illness for kids, and you can prevent your child from falling sick:

Prevention

1. Avoid contact with people that are already unwell.
2. Teach your child hand hygiene. Teach them to use tissue paper when they are coughing or sneezing. If tissue paper is not available, tell them cough or sneeze in the area where the elbow bends. Use alcohol-based hand sanitiser to disinfect palms and the back of the hand.
3. All cold medications contain paracetamol in some forms, so do not use both cough medications and paracetamol separately. Take paracetamol only to reduce pain, headache, and fever.
4. Do not self medicate. Take your child to a paediatrician.
5. Stay home, and take rest.

Food

1. Give your child food rich in Vitamins B, C, D, and E, carbohydrates, and proteins as these will provide the nourishment the body needs to stay healthy in winters.
2. Eat food with less sugar and fats.

Stay Active

1. Children are normally lazy in winters. Ensure they have an active lifestyle by taking them for a walk, teach them exercise, or encourage them to play sports.
2. Prevent them from playing with water and ensure they wear warm clothes.

In a hot tropical country like ours, where summers can be punishing, winters are a welcome change. But as season changes and the temperature falls, viruses and bacteria can cause havoc, especially among children. It is also observed that cough and cold come together in children. Just follow these safety tips for winter illness for kids and winter will be enjoyable!

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