When Your Child Has a Cold or Flu

Colds and influenza (flu) infect the upper respiratory tract. This includes the mouth, nose, nasal passages, and throat. Both illnesses are caused by germs called viruses, and both share some of the same symptoms. However, colds and flu differ in a few key ways. Knowing more about these infections may make it easier to prevent them and if your child does get sick, you can help keep symptoms from becoming worse.

What is a cold?

• Symptoms include runny nose, cough, sneezing, and sore throat. Cold symptoms tend to be milder than flu symptoms.
• Cold symptoms come on slowly.
• Children with a cold can still do most of their usual activities.

What is the flu?

• Influenza is a respiratory infection. (It’s not the same as the stomach flu.)
• Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, runny nose, and muscle aches. Children may also have an upset stomach and vomiting.
• Flu symptoms tend to come on quickly.
• Children with the flu may feel too worn out to do their normal activities.

How do colds and flu spread?

The viruses that cause colds and flu spread in droplets when someone who is sick coughs or sneezes. Children can inhale the germs directly. But they can also pick up the virus by touching a surface where droplets have landed. Germs then enter a child’s body when she touches her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Why do children get colds and flu?

Children get more colds and flu than adults do. Here are some reasons why:

• Less resistance. A child’s immune system is not as strong as an adult’s when it comes to fighting cold and flu germs.
• Winter season. Most respiratory illnesses occur in fall and winter when children are indoors and exposed to more germs.
• School or daycare. Colds and flu spread easily when children are in close contact.
• Hand-to-mouth contact. Children are likely to touch their eyes, nose, or mouth without washing their hands. This is the most common way germs spread.

How are colds and flu diagnosed?

Most often, healthcare providers diagnose a cold or the flu based on the child’s symptoms and a physical exam. Children may also have throat or nasal swabs to check for bacteria and viruses.

How are colds and flu treated?

Most children recover from colds and flu on their own. Antibiotics don't work against cold viruses, so they are not prescribed for them. Antiviral medicines can help shorten the symptoms of the flu. This is particularly important if the child is at risk for or is developing complications of the flu. These medicines work best if they are started soon after your child shows symptoms.

For both illnesses, other treatments can help ease your child’s symptoms until your child recovers. To help your child feel better:

• Give your child lots of fluids, such as water, electrolyte solutions, apple juice, and warm soup, to prevent fluid loss (dehydration).
• Make sure your child gets plenty of rest.
• Have older children gargle with warm saltwater if they have a sore throat.
• To ease nasal congestion, try saline nasal sprays. You can buy them without a prescription, and they’re safe for children. These are not the same as nasal decongestant sprays. Those sprays may make symptoms worse if overused.
• Use children’s strength medicine for symptoms. Discuss all over-the-counter (OTC) products with your child’s provider before using them. Note: Don’t give OTC cough and cold medicines to a child younger than 6 years old unless the provider tells you to do so.
• Never give aspirin to a child under age 18 who has a cold or flu. (It could cause a rare but serious condition called Reye syndrome.)
• Never give ibuprofen to an infant age 6 months or younger.
• Keep your child home until he or she has been fever-free for 24 hours.
• If your child is diagnosed with the flu, he or she may be given antiviral treatments that can reduce symptoms and shorten the length of illness. These treatments work best if they are started soon after your child shows symptoms.

Preventing colds and flu

To help children stay healthy:

• Get a flu vaccine for your child. A flu vaccine is recommended for all children ages 6 months and older with few exceptions. The vaccine is often given as a shot. A nasal spray made of live but weakened flu virus may also be given. This is for healthy children 2 years and older who don't get the flu shot. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts strongly advise getting a flu vaccine during 2020-2021 to protect yourself, your family, and others. Flu viruses and the COVID-19 virus are both likely to spread during flu season. A flu vaccine will help save medical resources to care for people with COVID-19. People at high risk for complications from the flu are also likely to be at high risk for serious problems from COVID-19, so it's important to get a flu vaccine.
• Teach children to wash their hands often—before eating and after using the bathroom, playing with animals, or coughing or sneezing. Carry an alcohol-based hand gel (containing at least 60% alcohol) for times when soap and water aren’t available.
• Remind children not to touch their eyes, nose, and mouth.

Tips for proper handwashing

Use warm water and plenty of soap. Work up a good lather.

• Clean the whole hand, under the nails, between the fingers, and up the wrists.
• Wash for at least 15 to 20 seconds (as long as it takes to say the alphabet or sing the Happy Birthday song). Don’t just wipe—scrub well.
• Rinse well. Let the water run down the fingers, not up the wrists.
• In a public restroom, use a paper towel to turn off the faucet and open the door.

© 2000-2021 The StayWell Company, LLC. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional's instructions. This information has been modified by your health care provider with permission from the publisher.