Fever in children is a very common phenomenon, but still parents absolutely dread it. It can completely break your heart to suddenly see a happy, healthy child not getting up from the bed. Your first instinct when that thermometer crosses that dreaded 100 degrees F is to rush to the doctor for an immediate cure. That is probably the best remedy as a doctor can often catch additional signs of any disease that you may miss out on. Beyond that, here is how you can understand about fever in children better and how you can help. Technically, your child has fever when the body temperature crosses 100.4 degrees F.
 
Some children manage to stay active even then, but slowly get bogged down with muscle pain or other accompanying symptoms like cold, diarrhea, vomiting etc.
 
Causes: Fever is normally caused by the body's reaction to fighting an infection. (That is why most doctors say it's a sign of a robust immune system). When the body's natural defense system is stimulated, the core inner temperature rises, thereby making it harder for the bacteria and viruses that caused the infection to survive. Most fever subside on their own but that's a tough thing to accept as a parent who only wants to see their child up and running as soon as possible.
 
What you can do: Keep an eye on that temperature obviously. You need to find a doctor the moment the fever crosses the threshold temperature (101+ for less than three months olds, 102+ for 3-6 month olds and over 102 for older children). You should also see a doctor if there are accompanying symptoms or if you've given a dose of Paracetamol but the fever shows no sign of subsiding. It might happen at midnight and beyond, when no regular pediatrician is unavailable. So it is best to find out which hospital has an emergency center capable of handling such eventualities near your home.
 
Fever medications: It is super important for parents to know that fever medications must be given in the correct dose at the right times based on a child's weight, age, and overall health. An overdose can lead you straight to the emergency room. Don't mix a cold/cough medication that also has a fever medication in it.
 
Home remedies: Encourage your child to drink as much fluids as possible to prevent dehydration. Some doctors advise complete body sponging to bring down the temperature and this can be done as long as it doesn't cool the body too suddenly (there are contradictory notes on this practice, so do consult you doctor before your do this).
 
As parent, it is important you equip yourself with the right knowledge before you provide treatment to your child. 

Parenting Tips for Fever in Children

Coughing during the night can really wreak havoc for your sleep and cause inexplicable discomfort in the throat and chest region. Thankfully, you can manage it by soothing your tickling throat as well as sensitive airways before you go to bed at night. 

Drink herbal tea: A mugful of non-caffeinated tea mixed with a teaspoon of honey before going to bed can help you to a considerable extent. This is because any warm liquid has the power to break down the formation of mucus in the throat region and with a bit of honey, the herbal tea becomes even more powerful.
Try to sleep in an inclining position: Gravity is your greatest enemy while combating night-time cough. When you lie down flat on your back at night, all the mucus and dust particles, which you have swallowed all through the day, would accumulate in the throat area and aggravate it making more cough. But you can easily defy gravitational force by piling up some pillows and prop yourself on them while sleeping. You may also keep a wooden block of 4 inches height under your head, which would keep the acids in the stomach so that they don t come up to irritate your throat.
Make sure you use the steam cautiously: When your airways are dry, it can make you cough harder. Therefore, you may find relief if you take a warm shower or a bath before going to bed. But you have to be sure that you don t have asthma as steam can prove harmful for you.
Check the level of humidity: Humidifiers are known to soothe the problem of persistent coughing when the surrounding air is dry. But too much of moisture during the night can also make you cough. This is because dust mites, mold and other allergens thrive well in the damp air and they could conspire to make your cough even worse. So, pick up a cheap hygrometer from a hardware store and see that the humidity level stays within 40 to 50 percent.
Equip yourself at night: Keep all the things from drops to water to cough syrup or anything that soothes coughing at your bedside so that you can help yourself in case you wake up in the middle of the night and start coughing.
By following these few tips every day, you can manage the night time cough and have a good night s sleep without any interruptions.

Night Time Cough - 5 Tips to Manage it

Coughing is a common problem of the respiratory tract and often indicates a deeper problem. It can be very irritating and can affect eating habits and socialization. A cough which persists for more than 4 weeks is believed to be chronic in nature. Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common cause of chronic cough in India. TB is an airborne bacterial infection caused by the organism - 'Mycobacterium tuberculosis', that primarily affects the lungs, although other organs and tissues may be involved. Cardinal features are: 

Chronic cough with or without sputum.
Fever more in the night time. 
Poor appetite. 
Unintentional weight loss. 
Read on to know about other common causes of chronic cough and how to manage them.

Allergies: People with allergies usually have a chronic cough, which gets aggravated when exposed to the allergens such as pollen or environmental dust. Staying away from allergen provides relief. Antihistamines are also useful, which most people detected with allergies keep in handy. Inhalers might be required, if there is associated congestion or shortness of breath.
Asthma: This is a very common chronic condition, caused by inflammation and swelling of the lungs, in addition to wheezing and shortness of breath. Asthma patients often suffer from a chronic cough. An asthma attack usually happens during the night or early morning, and is triggered by colds, cigarette smoke, air pollutants or allergens, which can even include certain foods. Most asthmatics usually carry their steroids, inhalers, and bronchodilators, as the onset of attack can be unpredictable.
Bronchitis: This condition of inflammation of the bronchial region is very common among smokers and among the elderly. There is excessive mucus accumulation, which the body tries to clear via coughing. The lungs are weakened and therefore, the coughing is painful.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): This is a problem of the digestive system, but regurgitation of food into the airway induces cough. GERD is a chronic issue and so most people also end up with a chronic cough. It is worse with sitting up than with sitting down. Treatment includes H2 blockers to suppress acid production and dietary changes including small, frequent meals and avoiding spicy food items.
Upper airway cough syndrome: There could be multiple problems in the upper airway, which leads to a constant postnasal drip. Here, there is constant dripping of the sputum into the air passage, which can lead to a chronic cough whenever there is impaired air flow. This can be caused by various forms of chronic sinusitis and rhinitis. People diagnosed with this condition usually resort to antihistamines and decongestants for relief.
Other causes: There are a number of other causes as noted below. Smoking, tuberculosis, congestive heart failure, pertussis or whooping cough, foreign body in the airway, cancer in the airway passage, chronic aspiration of foods, etc. can all lead to chronic cough.
The key is to identify the reason that is causing the chronic cough. Most people who are diagnosed are educated to handle it and carry the required medications including steroids, bronchodilators, and inhalers.

Suffering from Chronic Cough - How to Manage it?

Have you been coughing so often that it is intervening with your daily routine? Drop that bottle of cough syrup that gives you an instant relief but along with a feeling of drowsiness. Though coughing may appear to be a simple issue, it is very harassing and can lead to various severe problems. Ayurveda has the power to alleviate the suffering to a considerable degree. The Pranavaha Srotas show how the  vata  that controls the respiratory systems in the body can be balanced with Ayurvedic means so that you are relieved.

Symptoms and their mistreatments
There are two types of cough, one with the phlegm that s termed as wet cough and creates congestion, due to which you are unable to breathe. The other type of cough is the dry one, which hurts your throat and forms a pressure on the chest area while you cough. Well, whether dry or wet, a simple disease related to coughing is powerful enough to deprive you of your night s sleep. If you are a patient of bronchitis or any other respiratory disease like sinus, then you are required to deal with the nagging problem of cough.

Ayurveda offers a great way of relieving cough.

Gargles: Whenever you feel soreness around your neck, take a glassful of warm water and add a pinch of salt in it and start to gargle. The salt would help to drain out the excess fluids from the inflamed areas, thus, reducing the symptoms. It also helps in removing the mucus and thinning of the mucus. Gargling with salt should be avoided by patients suffering from hyper-tension. Such people can use simple warm water without salt.
Take honey: It is not feasible to gargle anywhere and everywhere and in such cases, you can have a spoonful of honey as it is believed to soothe the irritation in the throat area. If you have a particular tendency to cough during the night time, then a glassful of warm milk with some honey can relieve your suffering. Diabetic patients should avoid honey.
Turmeric remedies: A traditional Indian remedy to alleviate soreness of the throat region is to drink hot milk mixed with honey. You may even opt for turmeric gargles where you will have to mix half teaspoon of turmeric along with the same quantity of table salt in a glassful of lukewarm water and gargle with it. To get rid of dry cough, alternately, you can mix some turmeric powder in a spoonful of honey and take it thrice in a day.
Allopathic and synthetic medicines are generally loaded with numerous side-effects including nausea and drowsiness. In the worst case, it may lead to dependence and addiction as well. Thus, embracing Ayurveda can help you get out of the ailment permanently.

Cough - 3 Easy Home Remedies for Treating it!

Things to do when your child gets flu

Although cold and flu are very common issue it is usually not a very serious condition. However when it affects your child, it is essential to take good care since a child’s immune system is not fully developed. Children tend to get flu very easily and if immediate care is not taken it has the potential to develop into serious conditions. Running nose, headache, nausea, body aches, fever, feeling cold, coughing etc. are some symptoms of common flu.

When to call the doctor?
Flu sometimes comes and goes away all by itself. However, when it is about younger ones, take professional advice if you see the following symptoms

- Difficulty in breathing
- Dehydration
- Extreme loss of appetite
- Difficulty in breathing
- Continuous coughing
- Get a rattling sound while breathing
- Sudden loss of energy, dullness
- High temperatures even after intake of appropriate medicine

How to quickly rid your child of Flu 
Apart from the prescribed medication here are few points you must always take care of, when affected by flu-

1. Good Rest - Complete rest till symptoms vanish
2. Nasal Drops - Use nasal drops to support easy breathing
3. Warm Water - Warm fluids, honey-lemon potion, cough syrup for chest congestion
4. Administer Paracetamol - Fever medicines that are available specially for infants
5. Increase fluids - Abundant intake of fluids in the form of soups, fruit juices or electrolytes in water.
6. Body Sponging - Warm water sponge bath for relieving muscle or body fatigue

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Things To Do When Your Child Gets Flu

Season is changing and kids are very susceptible to cold and flu these days. Here are 5 ways you can keep your kids safe -

1. Blow their Noses: Frequently and Right: Blow their noses often and don't let them gulp the mucus. Don't ask them to exert too much pressure as it might hurt their ears.
2. Gargle Daily: Make your kids gargle with lukewarm water everyday. It moistens the sore throat and gives relief.
3. Give them a Steamy Bath: Make sure they always take bath with warm water. It relieves nasal congestion and makes them feel good
4. Hygiene is a must: Inculcate good personal hygiene.
5. Hand Wash: Ensure frequent Hand Wash with antiseptic lotion and lukewarm water.

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Avoid Cold & Flu in Toddlers in 5 easy ways

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