How to relieve nasal congestion in children with a cold

Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
Updated on September 26, 2024
00:00
00:00

Nasal congestion is a common symptom of a cold in children. When the congestion is severe, it can affect the child's daily life, making breathing uncomfortable and causing the child to become irritable. Therefore, it is important to address it promptly. First, ensure the child drinks plenty of water and you can apply a warm towel to the base of the nose. If there is a lot of nasal discharge, it should be cleaned out timely. You can use physiological saline to rinse the nasal cavity, thereby keeping the nasal passages clear. You can also give the child some cold medicine for children, which can completely relieve the nasal congestion. These are some specific methods on how to deal with nasal congestion during a child's cold, which you can try.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Hu Bai Yu
Pulmonology
49sec home-news-image

Can you eat chicken when you have a cold?

During the onset of a cold, it is not advisable to eat chicken as it might increase the burden on the stomach and intestines. This is due to the decreased digestive function during a cold, which may lead to symptoms of indigestion. Therefore, it is recommended to consume light, warm, and easily digestible food, drink plenty of water, and facilitate excretion during the illness phase. Eating less at this time won’t do harm. In the recovery phase, nutrition can be enhanced by introducing foods rich in high-quality protein and vitamins, including chicken, which helps in replenishing nutrients and strengthens the body to facilitate a faster recovery from the illness.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Hu Bai Yu
Pulmonology
1min 11sec home-news-image

What should you avoid eating when you have a cold and fever?

There are many foods that should not be consumed during a fever caused by a cold, such as spicy foods including chili peppers, black pepper, mustard, onions, ginger, and garlic. Avoid these items, as well as fried foods, foods high in fat, overly sweet foods, and overly sour foods, for example, fried foods, pork belly, pig head meat, or some candies, creams, cheeses, and pastries. Furthermore, attention should also be given to avoiding carbonated drinks, alcoholic beverages, strong tea, and coffee. The diet should be light with the option to consume things like millet porridge, vegetable porridge, or some freshly squeezed juices to provide vitamins and enhance body resistance, helping to expedite recovery from cold and fever symptoms. During a fever, it is important to monitor body temperature. If it exceeds 38.5°C, fever-reducing medication should be taken; otherwise, physical cooling methods can be sufficient.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Jian Wu
Pulmonology
39sec home-news-image

Is it normal to not catch a cold for a long time?

Not catching a cold for a long time is normal and indicates that the body is healthy with a normal immune function and robust defensive capabilities. In contrast, patients who frequently catch colds and fever generally have low immunity, showing signs of a weak constitution. Such individuals should drink more water and exercise more often. There is no need to worry or take any intervention measures if you do not catch a cold for a long period. Maintain a regular routine, adjust your mindset, avoid exposure to irritating chemicals, keep a positive attitude, avoid staying up late, and have regular health check-ups.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Hu Bai Yu
Pulmonology
57sec home-news-image

How to recover quickly from a cold?

If you have symptoms of a cold, make sure to observe what symptoms are present, such as fever, cough, sputum production, limb soreness, and fatigue. If the symptoms are mild, it is likely just a common cold, which should heal in about seven days. Besides avoiding interventions, it is also important to rest more, drink plenty of water, and promote excretion. At the same time, appropriate outdoor activities and physical exercise can enhance physical fitness and help the disease recover more quickly. Additionally, if the symptoms are severe, besides treating the cause, it is also necessary to take some symptomatic medications to alleviate the symptoms. Also, complementing this with daily life routines and some dietary adjustments can help the disease recover more quickly.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Liu Wen Li
Obstetrics
38sec home-news-image

What to do if you catch a cold in early pregnancy?

Catching a cold during early pregnancy is a rather tricky issue, as the viral infection can also affect the child's development. However, how to handle it depends on the symptoms of the cold. If it's just a simple cold, a sore throat, or nasal congestion, then it might be relieved by drinking more water. If symptoms cannot be alleviated with more water and rest, or if there is fever and severe body aches, then it is necessary to seek medical attention. Besides checking for the flu, under the guidance of a doctor, taking some medications is completely fine.