5 ways to protect your children from the common cold

Take measures to protect your children from the common cold. Here are five ways to help ease the symptoms of the common colds and have your family feeling better, faster:[1]^,[2]

Distance yourself from people who are sick

The common cold usually spreads via droplets from an infected person’s coughs or sneezes.

If an adult or teenager in your household is sick, they need to maintain a healthy distance from everyone else in your household — including younger kids — wash their hands after coughing, sneezing or blowing their nose. Dispose of used tissues straight into a bin.

1.   Personal hygiene tips for kids

• Hand washing — Teaching your kids to wash their hands regularly and avoid touching their nose and mouth does require patience, but it can help reduce their risk of catching viruses. Use simple soap and water at home, and hand sanitiser when you are out and about.

• Cover their cough — Encouraging kids to cough into their elbow instead of their hands, helps reduce the spread of viruses around the home and at school.

• Using tissues — When your child blows their nose, teach them to throw the tissue away straight away and then wash their hands, this too will reduce the spread of nasty bugs around the home, school and daycare.

• Don’t share — The only time it’s ok not to share is when someone has a cold. Don’t share cups, eating utensils or towels with someone who is sick.

2.   Household hygiene tips

• Clean household surfaces — Cleaning frequently touched surfaces such as hand basins, doorknobs and toilets with household detergents will help to create a hygienic environment within the household.

• Wash bed linens and towels — Regularly wash bed linen and towels and hang them out in the sun to help kill germs and reduce infection spread.

3.   Get plenty of sleep

To keep their immunity strong, ensure your child gets enough sleep. A good nights sleep can help bolster their defences against catching the common cold.[3]

4.   Eating well and exercise

Eating well, drinking plenty of water and exercising are also important when it comes to supporting your child’s immune defences.

5.   What if my child still gets a cold?

Even with the best hygiene practices, colds can still take hold, and while cold symptoms will vary from child to child and from illness to illness, here are some of the common symptoms to look out for2:

• A stuffy or runny nose
• Sneezing
• Sore throat and ears
• Cough
• Headache
• Red eyes
• Swollen lymph glands
• Fever, though not always, and usually lower than for the flu
• Reduced appetite
• Nausea and vomiting (though not always)
• Feeling miserable and irritable

Cold symptoms usually last from a few days to a week or more. Your child will usually recover fully without any problems, but visit your healthcare practitioner if you are concerned.[4]

Supplements for your immune system

Several nutrients and herbal medicines can help relieve cold symptoms.

The Cenovis range has the vitamins, minerals and herbs your family needs to support a healthy immune system function and reduce the severity of common cold symptoms, helping you feel better, sooner.

Cenovis Sugarless C 500mg

Cenovis Sugarless C 500mg can reduce the duration and relieves the severity of common cold symptoms and support healthy immune system function. Suitable for children from 7 years of age, this great-tasting chewable tablet is an easy way to boost your vitamin C intake.

Cenovis Garlic and Horseradish + C Complex

Cenovis Garlic and Horseradish + C Complex relieves severity and reduce duration of common cold symptoms and supports immune system health.

Cenovis Echinacea, Garlic, Zinc & C

Cenovis Echinacea, Garlic, Zinc & C is a vitamin, mineral and herbal formula specially formulated to reduce the duration and severity of common cold symptoms. This formula may give your healthy immune system function some of the support it needs.

Adopting a ‘wash, cover, wipe’ approach to reducing the risk of infection by washing hands, covering coughs and wiping down surfaces, will help protect yourself and your family from colds all year round.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional.

If you have symptoms relating to COVID-19, seek health advice about getting tested.

MAT-AU-2301471

[1] Protecting Yourself And Your Family | SA Health [Internet]. Sahealth.sa.gov.au. 2021 [cited 29 January 2021]. Available from: https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/healthy+living/keep+well+keep+connected/protecting+yourself+and+your+family

[2] Common cold [Internet]. nhs.uk. 2021 [cited 29 January 2021]. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/common-cold/

[3] Cohen S, Doyle WJ, Alper CM, Janicki-Deverts D, Turner RB. Sleep Habits and Susceptibility to the Common Cold. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(1):62–67. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2008.505

[4] Colds [Internet]. Raising Children Network. 2021 [cited 29 January 2021]. Available from: https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/health-daily-care/health-concerns/colds

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