Here is what you should do if your Baby has Flu

To begin with, flu is an infection caused by a virus that is too easy to spread from one body to another. This infection is caused in the respiratory tract which means it affects the nose, throat, and lungs. You must note that this infection envelops you quickly so it is important to nip it in the bud or it gets worse and harder to treat. Also, in children who are younger than two years, it can cause severe complications if not treated early and wisely.

How Does Flu Spread in Babies?

Since younger children have a sensitive immune system, they can catch the flu easily. If an infected person sneezes around the children, they can breathe in the viral breath and can get flu. If the viral person has touched his nose or mouth and then touches the children, they can get flu. Sometimes, they can get a virus from the things they touch on which the virus lies.

Symptoms of Flu:

Flu usually starts with a running nose. However, you can know that the child has flu if his body is burning or he is having a headache. A child can feel very cold or very hot if he has flu. Flu also makes the muscles ache and make children dizzy. It can also make the ears and or throat of children hurt. These symptoms can lead to alerting the body which in response becomes feverish while fighting the virus. Fever can lead to a weak and tired body. Since children are sensitive to this infection, they can start vomiting or have diarrhea. With children who have not yet begun to speak, you can tell they have flu with these symptoms. When children have flu they can be really irritated. The faster you realize that your kid is suffering from flu the better for your kid. It is so because kids can catch pneumonia easily as a consequence of flu which is a severe condition that takes a lot of time to heal.

Prevention is Better than Cure:

The best thing is that you take care of your babies before they come in contact with the virus which causes flu. First, you have to know the flu season in your country. Once you know the season this virus spreads in, you know when to put extra effort to make sure your kid stays healthy. The second thing is to make sure that your children do not come in contact with the persons who have flu. It can be hard if you have a school-going kid but you should help your children to stay away from people who are sick as much as you can. The third thing is that you make sure children are bathed regularly. The best thing is that they bathe daily. Also, they must wash their hands after using the toilet, before and after eating or playing with their toys. The best way to wash hands is to do that with lukewarm water for at least twenty seconds. A kid must wash the nails and space between the fingers while washing his/her hands.

Sneezing is a natural process but you should teach your kids to sneeze in the napkin or best, a tissue. If they do not have a napkin or tissue at hand, they must know to sneeze in their folded or the sleeve of their shirt instead of sneezing in their hands. It is so because hands are the primary carriers of the flu virus. If you touch your mouth or nose with a hand that already has the virus on it, it only takes a few seconds to make you sick.

The last but one of the most important flu prevention tips for your babies is that if anyone in the house gets flu, you need to take extra precautions. You must separate their clothes, towels, napkins, and utensils. The flu virus easily passes through these things. Also, it would be great if the children and the person who is sick do not spend time together and most importantly do not sleep in the same room.

Prevention takes extra effort but it always better than watching your babies get flu. Also, you have to put double effort once your child has flu. Thus, prevention is better than cure.

What you should do once your Baby has Flu?

If, despite the prevention, your baby has caught flu, it is time to treat it early before it gets worse. There are two main options for your: proper medical way to treat your kids against flu and natural remedial ways to help your children get healthy again. Hereunder are things, both medical and remedial, for you to read and see what will suit your kid when he/she has flu:

Medical Treatment:

1. Snot Sucker

Snot sucker is an aspirator that you can use to help ease the breathing of your child which is one of the most painful symptoms of flu. Snot sucker also helps your kid have better sleep and eat with ease. Because the whole respiratory tract becomes inflamed if your kid has flu, it also becomes harder for your kid to eat. So, Snot sucker is an easy method to solve half of the problem with immediate results.

2. Flu Vaccine

Flu Vaccine is legally essential for your kids in most of the countries. If your child is old enough to get one, you should immediately get him one. It is one of the most long-lasting and effective methods to get rid of the flu and generally strengthen the immune system against the flu virus. However, if your kid is too young for a flu vaccine, you can always get an immediate treatment through snot sucker.

3. Ibuprofen

All the medicinal treatments are usually for children at least over six years of age. If your kid is old enough for medicines, the first option is to go for Ibuprofen. It not only heals the flu but also helps the body fight against cough, cold and fever and generally eases the irritation and help children relax. If your child is too young for a vaccine or medicine, snot sucker is the best option and hereunder are some amazing remedial treatments to help cure the flu.

Remedial Treatment:

1. Take care of the hydration

The first thing is to make sure your child is drinking clean water. The second thing is to take care of the amount of water you are giving your kid. You must make sure that your child is neither under nor over hydrated. However, flu catches your kid quickly if your child is under-hydrated. The last thing about water is that you keep your kid’s utensils in a clean and separate area and wash them every time before using them.

2. Let babies rest

Another important thing is that you must let your children rest when they are finally resting. Even if it is time to give them medicine, do not wake them up for it. You should rather wait for them to wake up themselves. Also, if they change their sleeping routine during flu, do not worry because it is okay. It is just very important for them to get rest whenever they can as it eases their irritation and helps the immune system fight against the virus.

3. Easier clothes

This may sound like a little thing to do but you must make sure that the clothes your kids are wearing are easier to take off and on. When your child is sick, he is usually very fussy and you need to make sure that you are not worsening the situation. Also, the child can feel very cold and very hot during the flu so you need to accommodate your kid accordingly.

4. Honey is a natural healer

Here is one of the best remedies for the flu! Yes, honey is the natural healer. You can give this to your child even if he is quite young. You can add a few drops either to the milk or the water. Honey works like magic. It heals the flu and immediately relaxes the kid.

5. Massage

Massage does not heal the flue directly but it can help greatly in relaxing the body of your kid. You can massage your kid’s back and chest by using either baby oil or vaporub. This can help your kid sleep and breathe better.

Healthline provides various remedial tips with their scientifically-proven benefits to heal flu.

Know when to Consult a Doctor:

Last but not least, you must know when you consult a doctor. Flu can seem a little thing but it can cause pneumonia, diarrhea and other worse conditions causing permanent weakness in your kid. You can look at the stats to see how big of an issue the flu is. So, do not wait too long; if the remedies are not easing your kid’s flu in a couple of days, you must see the doctor and follow what they tell you because, despite your research, they always know more and better.

The Final Word

If you are waiting for your kid to be born but you have landed on this article anyhow, here is an interesting read found on Forbes. Happy healthy life to your babies!