Avoiding the Common Cold

Hearing that the common cold is circulating in your child’s classroom leaves us with mixed feelings nowadays. Pre-pandemic, the common cold was - well, common. We still sent our kids to school with the friendly reminder to “keep your germs to yourself!” and off to work we went. Now, every sniffle causes fear and investigation. We have to stay home, get tested for COVID-19, avoid others until results are back - you know the drill. 

If the cold is going around your kiddo’s grade, you’re probably wondering:

• How do I keep my child from catching it?
• If they do catch it, how do we know it’s “just” a cold?
  

Top tips for avoiding a cold (and all respiratory illnesses)

Caveat: these tips will not be groundbreaking but I’ll do my best to spin them in a way that will resonate with your kiddo.

• Make disinfecting fun. Turn on your child’s favorite music, hand them some Lysol wipes and tell them to go to town!
  ‍
• Older kids will not fall for the above dance party. Turn it into a chore instead. A paid chore? Even better!
  ‍
• We are all used to masks by now, thanks to COVID. If your kiddo needs to be around someone who is coughing, sneezing, blowing their nose a lot, etc, tell them to toss a mask on. If we keep masks as part of our regular routine, it won’t feel like an inconvenience or step back.
  ‍
• Emphasize clean hands. Your kids watch you for cues, even the older kids! Between every activity, wash your hands and verbalize it.
  Example: you just took the trash out and your child is calling for you (are they ever not calling for you?). You respond with, “I’ll be right there, sweetie! I just took the trash out and need to wash my hands!” 
  
  Or dinner is almost ready so you could say, “Everyone wash their hands before we sit down for dinner, please!” 
  
  I like to congratulate my kids when the soap is running out in the bathrooms. Is that weird? Of course it is. But it’s a silly way to let them know I acknowledge their hand hygiene and I’m proud of them.
  ‍

How do I know if my child is developing a cold (and how to differentiate it from the flu or COVID-19)?

The most common symptoms for a cold are:

• Runny or stuffy nose
• Sneezing
• Watery eyes
• Coughing
• Sore throat
  ‍
  

While some people with colds will develop a fever, this isn’t the norm. Colds are generally mild; just uncomfortable enough to be irritating and keep you all awake at night 😩.

If your child develops things like a fever, muscle or body aches, fatigue or headaches, it’s fair to question whether this bug is the flu or COVID-19. Taking it a step further, if your kiddo experiences shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea or a loss of taste/smell, this points more directly toward COVID.

There’s certainly a lot of overlap between all of these respiratory illnesses. When in doubt, have your child tested for both flu and COVID.

If your child does end up getting sick, our clinical team has written you some symptom alleviation tips! Read those here.

Here’s to hoping your child avoids whatever bug is going around. Be well!