at home with Jo Frost - October 2012 - (Page 172)

| SLUG | Cold Adults will have on average two to four colds a year, while children can catch as many as seven to 10. COMFORT 1A cold is a contagious viral disease that infects the soft lining (mucous membrane) of the nose. Every baby and child will catch a cold from time to time, but don’t be alarmed, just know the facts 7 Antibiotics won’t cure a cold, because a cold is 2 caused by a virus, and only bacterial infections respond to antibiotics. 8 that can result in a cold. The main symptom is a runny nose, starting as a watery secretion and gradually becoming thicker and more yellow. Other symptoms include: ● Sore throat. ● Sneezing. ● Swelling of the mucous membrane, making it hard for your baby or child to breathe through their nose. ● Earache, due to a build-up of mucus behind the eardrums. ● Headache. ● Coughing, usually worse at night. ● Tiredness. ● Appetite loss. ● A high temperature (a normal temperature is between 36ºC and 36.8ºC). 3 There are more than 200 diﬀerent viruses 4 Colds are passed on by coughing and sneezing the virus into the air, but the most common way they spread is through direct contact. For instance, an infected child touches his nose or coughs onto his hand, leaving thousands of microscopic virus particles on his skin. When he then touches an object such as a door handle or book, he leaves the virus behind. The next child to touch the object takes the virus with him. When he touches his own nose or eyes, he deposits it in a warm, moist environment where it can thrive. just eight to 12 9 It takesfrom the arrival hours of the virus in your body to the release of new virus particles. Then symptoms develop quickly – within about 10 hours. So in less than a day of contact with a person with a cold, your child can have symptoms. Seek medical advice if your child… ● WHEN IT’S MORE SERIOUS Has a persistent high temperature or, in the case of a baby less than three months old, develops a fever higher than 38°C. ● Has prolonged drowsiness. ● Is unusually irritable or cries persistently. ● Isn’t taking feeds (in the case of a baby). ● Has a rash. ● Complains of chest pains. ● Is coughing up green, yellow or brown sputum, or has severe or prolonged pain in the nasal passages, ears or throat – this could be a sign of a bacterial infection that requires antibiotics. ● Is nding it di cult to breathe – wheezing or breathing quickly or noisily. ● Has a cough lasting longer than three weeks. ● Seems to be getting worse, not better, after ve days of a cold. ● Has any symptom you can’t explain. ✱ The peak season for colds is during winter months. This is not only because of the colder weather, but because central heating dries out the moist mucous membrane in the nose –which is an important defence against invading viruses. 6 172 | OCTOBER 2012 WORDS: Georgina Maric | PHOTOGRAPH: Getty Images Symptoms are normally worse during the ﬁrst two to three days, and then ease oﬀ over the next few days as the immune system clears the virus. An irritating cough may linger for up to two to four weeks after the other symptoms have gone. 5 Treatment for a normal cold is rest and plenty of ﬂuids, ideally water. To ease symptoms, you can: ● Make his breathing easier by raising the pillow end of the bed or cot with a pillow under the mattress. ● Give him liquid paracetamol or ibuprofen to ease a fever and pain. ● Humidify the air with a vaporiser or sit your child in the bathroom and run a hot bath to ease congestion. ● Use a decongestant rub, nasal spray or nose aspirator to help keep his airways clear. ● Keep the room aired and at a cool, comfortable temperature. If a baby or child has a temperature, let him wear just a nappy or underwear. 10

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of at home with Jo Frost - October 2012

EDITOR’S LETTER
JO’S HELLO
WHAT’S NEW IN PARENTING?
OCTOBER OUTINGS
SCRUB A DUB DUB
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
NICE WHEELS
FAMOUS MUMS
JO FROST ON THE GO
THE NAUGHTY CORNER
ADULT CLASSES
THE BIG C
YUMMY MUMMY
GET THE LOOK
PUSHY MOTHERS
TOPS ON TREND
MAKE-UP MAGIC
MOTHER WEAR
BABY BUMP BLISS
FIRST-TIME WORRIES
STARTING OUT
ON-THE-MOVE
SIGN UP
MILK TIME
SLEEP EASY
CRY BABY
WHAT’S THAT RASH?
MORE PLEASE
BABY STEPS
JOIN THE GREEN TEAM
COUNTRY COOL
PRE-SCHOOL LEARNING
BUDDING BOOKWORM
AN ITCH TO SCRATCH
‘I’M NOT HUNGRY’
GOING POTTY
BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT
LIVING WITH AUTISM
OPEN WIDE
THE COLD WAR
LET MUMMY KISS IT BETTER
PANIC STATIONS
A CLEAN SWEEP
PROJECT RUNWAY
ORGANISE THIS
TIME FOR BIG SCHOOL
ALL KITTED OUT
WHERE DO BABIES COME FROM?
‘I HATE YOU!’
TWEEN HEALTH
EAT WELL
TRICK OR TREAT
THE GHOST WITH THE MOST
LET’S BAKE
BABY BUDGET
WHAT KIND OF PARENT ARE YOU?
GIVE A CHILD A HOME
FAMILY MEN
GIRL POWER
DAY TRIPPER
GET PACKING
WHY PETS ARE BEST
COMING SOON
STORY CORNER
COUNT TO 10
PEARLS OF WISDOM
QUESTION TIME
KODAK MOMENTS
SURF’S UP
SOUND BITES
STOCKISTS

at home with Jo Frost - October 2012