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It's Sniffle Time!
Comforting Baby during a Cold or Flu
By Teri Brown
her for the night and gave her antibiotics for the ear infections and an IV to try to re-hydrate her.
How can you tell when the flu has taken a dangerous turn? Dr. Andrea McCoy, associate professor of pediatrics for the Temple University Children's Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pa., says young children and babies must be watched carefully during this time because complications can come on more quickly than with an older child or adult.
"Infants and toddlers have relatively naive immune systems," says Dr. McCoy. "As such, they get sicker with even minor colds and flu with more congestion and fever. They have less ability to clear the congestion from their nose, which not only makes them miserable, but interferes with their eating and sleeping."
Dr. McCoy says babies are more susceptible to getting ear infections as a complication of cold or flu. Infants and toddlers also have a harder time clearing the mucous from their lungs, and many winter viruses, especially RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and flu will cause significant inflammation in the lungs of these little ones. Inflammation leads to wheezing, which causes many infants to get short of breath, out of oxygen and feed poorly. They are also more prone to get pneumonia for the same reasons.
"Parents should assure their baby or toddler takes fluids well and continues to wet diapers," says Dr. McCoy. "This is to assure the baby does not get dehydrated. If the baby runs fever for more than 48 hours or runs any fever if the baby is less than 2 months, they should call the doctor."
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