Managing Children’s Flu Symptoms

The flu is a virus that affects the respiratory tract. Symptoms of the flu may include high fever, congestion, vomiting, nausea, fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, or coughing. If your child has the flu, it is important to know how to treat it effectively.

Administer a pain reliever that is safe for children, such as acetaminophen, if your child complains of headaches, muscle aches, or a sore throat (Tylenol is one brand of actaminophen).

Encourage your child to rest as much as possible. Keep the lights low so that your child can sleep whenever she feels the need to do so, and give her quiet entertainment, such as books or crossword puzzles, rather than loud DVDs that might keep her up even when she’s tired.

Provide your child with plenty of fluids. If your child complains of a sore throat and cannot drink water or juice, consider offering him warm tea or soup instead.

Set up a humidifier in your child’s room to help with congestion. The humidifier with keep the air in the child’s room moist, which will loosen mucus and make your child feel better in general.

Use a saline nasal spray and a bulb syringe to siphon out any remaining mucus. Children often do not like this process, but it will leave them feeling better because they will be able to breathe (and therefore sleep) more easily.