Sore Throat Care Guide

Sore throats are pretty common and can be caused by many different things, from a pending illness to how you slept last night. Dry air and a deep sleep can result in a sore throat and should fade away by mid-morning. For those lingering sore throats, let’s chat about different ways to find comfort.
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Medication-Free Options

• Drink water. If you’ve been a faithful Kinsa user for awhile, 1) thank you 🥰 and 2) you know my first tip is going to be DRINK WATER. This is always the easiest and most important thing to do but is even more helpful with a sore throat - you’re basically applying a cold pack to your throat while hydrating. Win-win.
  
  
• Ice your throat. Along with water, other great cold options are ice chips, popsicles or ice cream.
  
  
• Opt for a warm liquid. Hot tea with honey, broth, or warm apple juice are great choices.
  
  Buckwheat honey is said to have higher antioxidant properties, which could increase your chances of battling this virus!
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  Broth bonus: you’re also getting extra nutrients and electrolytes! This becomes crucial if your appetite is low and you aren’t taking in enough nutrition.
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• Gargle with salt water. A salt water gargle can soothe a sore throat for anyone 6 years or older. Mix ¼-½ teaspoon of salt with 8 oz of warm water; gargle and spit! Salt attracts water, so gargling salt water may pull fluid from your throat and help wash away the virus.
  
  
• Try a cool-mist humidifier. This will moisten the air, prevent dryness and increase comfort when you have a sore throat.
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• Make an exception for hard candy. It’s been shown to soothe sore throats, especially butterscotch. Avoid giving this to younger kiddos (I’d stick with 5-6 years and older); no need to add choking to our list of concerns here.
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Medication Options

While my first pieces of advice will always be to rest, drink water and wait it out, I can’t argue with those moments where you need quick relief. When that time comes, here are some medication options that you can try. 

Many OTC options are either numbing medications, demulcents (coats the throat to ease pain) or a combination of both. As with anything you take, read the ingredient list carefully and bear in mind that most of these are not FDA-approved.

Until your child is over 2 years old, they shouldn’t be given anything specific for a sore throat unless your pediatrician tells you otherwise. There are usually ingredients that aren’t safe for them, such as menthol and benzocaine. Stick with “the usuals” to help with discomfort:

• 0-3 months: call the doctor before medicating
  

• 3 months old and older: Tylenol is okay to give every 4-6 hours, if needed 
  

• 6 months and older: ibuprofen is okay to give every 6-8 hours, if needed
  

Once your kiddo is 3 years old, a few other options are available. Always check the label to ensure it is appropriate for your child’s age.

• 3 years and older: throat spray (such as Chloraseptic) or sore throat pops (such as Little Remedies)
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  Even though Little Remedies approves these for 3 year olds, be aware of the choking hazard here. Pro tip? Let the lollipop dissolve in a small amount of warm water for a bit, then have your kiddo drink the water instead of giving them the lollipop. The medicine will still coat the throat a little bit.
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• 5 years and older: sore throat pops (such as Halls)
  

• 6 years and older: throat lozenges or cough drops (such as Cepacol, Halls, Ricola or Chloraseptic)
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Call the doctor if...

• Your kiddo has a sore throat and is 2 years or younger. Sore throats are rare in this age group, so let’s bring in the experts early.
  
  
• A fever develops of 100℉ underarm, 101℉ under the tongue, or 102℉ rectally/in the ear (or higher).
  
  
• Any fever lasts more than 72 hours.
  
  
• Pain is severe or doesn’t improve within 5-7 days.
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• An earache is present in addition to the sore throat.
  

• You or your child have been exposed to someone with strep throat.
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• You see signs of strep throat, such as redness or red dots (petechiae) on the roof of the mouth, white patches/streaks in the back of the throat or a red and bumpy rash (scarlet fever). Young children may also experience nausea or vomiting, headaches and/or stomach aches with strep throat.
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In rare cases, we need help quicker than a call to the doc. Head to the ER or seek medical care right away if you or your child…

• Experience difficulty breathing
  
  
• Are unable to open your mouth completely
  
  
• Are drooling or unable to swallow
  
  
• Experience neck stiffness or swelling because of the sore throat
  
  

Avoid spreading this to others by keeping your hands washed and keeping your distance. If you’re far away from others in your household, at least no one can steal your ice cream, right?

I hope you feel better soon!
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