Children often get colds - this, unfortunately, is almost an axiom that many parents face. As a rule, the highest incidence rate is observed among patients in the younger age group - those who attend kindergartens and first grades of school. To spread a respiratory infection, one patient in an organized group is enough - viruses and bacteria are quickly transmitted through close contact, toys, and, of course, airborne droplets. Sore throat can be caused by parainfluenza pathogens, adenoviruses, streptococci. It is very difficult to observe the deterioration of the child's condition, so parents try to start throat treatment at home as soon as possible. What can be used to truly help the patient?
Child and sore throat
One of the unshakable rules, primarily explained to physicians studying pediatric disciplines, is the need 
always remember the differences between children and adults. Children, depending on the age group, have features - both anatomical and physiological. Therefore, they do not always benefit from the same treatment as adults. Therefore, they can carry the same infection much harder. A child is not a small adult. This should be known not only to specialists, but also to parents who intend to carry out treatment at home.
The difficulty in diagnosing diseases in a child lies, first of all, in the need to reach an understanding between the patient and the doctor. Young children are not always able to correctly describe their feelings. They often tend to agree with their parents, and in response to questions, answer in the affirmative, even if this is not true. Or, for fear of unpleasant procedures, the child sometimes denies the symptoms even with a vivid objective picture. It can be difficult for parents to establish the true cause of a sore throat on their own, therefore, with the slightest doubt about the diagnosis, a full-time examination by a pediatrician is needed.
You can treat your throat at home if there are no warning signs. Most of the complaints are due to viral infections (ARVI), the therapy of which is carried out mainly at home. Alarming symptoms include:
- Very bad sore throat.
- A significant increase in body temperature (39-40 ° C or more).
- Nausea, vomiting, stool disorder.
- Impaired consciousness.
- Acceptance by the child of a compelled position in bed.
At home, you can treat pharyngitis and tonsillitis (acute, exacerbation of chronic) - after consulting a doctor and determining the need for antibiotic therapy, the absence of indications for hospitalization. With angina caused by beta-hemolytic streptococcus, antibiotics are needed, since this infectious agent can provoke severe complications (in particular, myocarditis, glomerulonephritis, etc.).
An antibacterial drug is used even after the body temperature has returned to normal.
When a child is being treated at home, the need to control the dose and duration of medication is the responsibility of the adults around. If the doctor prescribes a certain course of antibiotic therapy, the recommendations must be followed exactly.
Treatment tactics
If your child has a sore throat, you shouldn't hesitate to start treatment. In this case, you should use not only drugs. The classical course of ARVI requires mainly symptomatic medications - but at the same time, measures are shown to maintain the moisture content of the mucous membranes, limiting physical activity. How to independently treat a child's throat at home? You can get help quickly by doing the following:
- correction of humidity indicators (50–70%);
- correction of temperature readings (19–20 ° C);
- plentiful drinks at a comfortable temperature (water, tea, fruit drink, compote);
- cooking only easily digestible, mild food.
It is usually difficult for the patient to swallow - refusal to eat, which is offered in pieces, is an important symptom that characterizes the clinical picture of pharyngitis and sore throat in young children. Therefore, during the period of severe pain syndrome, it is better to give the child liquid or semi-liquid food, refuse crumbling cookies, seasonings and other dishes that can irritate the inflamed mucous membrane.
During the period of fever, bed rest is required.
Sore throat in children is a symptom that, of course, cannot be eliminated by bed rest. But if the patient gets enough rest and sleep, he will recover much earlier. After the temperature readings are normalized, you need a home regime. It is worth preventing sudden changes in the temperature of the inhaled air - this aggravates the manifestations of inflammation. Parents should not allow their child to come into contact with tobacco smoke, dust.
What therapeutic measures are indicated for sore throat? The methods available for home use can be represented in the list:
- Rinses.
- Lozenges.
- Home remedies dissolution.
- Irrigation therapy.
Home therapies include steam inhalation, hot foot baths, and neck compresses. It cannot be denied that they are effective for certain diseases, but their use in childhood is not always safe. Improper inhalation can cause increased coughing. During the procedures, burns occur (both of the mucous membrane of the oral cavity and pharynx, and the skin of the legs). Any thermal procedures are contraindicated when the body temperature rises. Compresses as dry heat can be used only on the recommendation of a doctor, since they are strictly prohibited in case of purulent inflammation.
Gargling
Rinsing is a method of cleansing and moisturizing the mucous membrane, the main purpose of which is to eliminate accumulations of pus. But even with viral infections, rinsing is beneficial. The main thing is not to count on it as the main method of therapy. This is only an additional event.
In order to gargle children, you can use:
- infusion of chamomile pharmacy (about 3 grams (tablespoon) of dry raw materials, pour 0.2 liters of hot water, leave for half an hour, strain, rinse with fresh infusion at a comfortable temperature);
- soda solution (dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda in 0.2 liters of clean warm boiled water);
- iodine-saline solution with soda (for 0.2 liters of boiled water, take a teaspoon of soda, ¼ teaspoon of salt, 2 drops of iodine);
- beetroot solution (0.2 l of fresh beet juice, strained through cheesecloth, mix with 1 teaspoon of vinegar).
Beet rinse is only suitable for older children. Rinsing can be used only for those children who, due to their age, are able to understand how to carry out the procedure correctly. So that the patient is not afraid and capricious, many parents show rinsing by their own example. At the same time, you should not force the child, he must calmly and consciously repeat all the necessary manipulations.
An unpleasant taste of the product can be an obstacle to home rinse treatment. However, you should not drink water or other drinks immediately after the procedure, or eat anything to get rid of it. This should not be done for at least 20 minutes to half an hour.
Antiseptics and antibacterial gargles should be recommended by your doctor.
It is better not to use Furacilin solution, Hydrogen peroxide, Givalex or alcoholic herbal tinctures without the need. When using these drugs on your own, you need to pay attention to age restrictions - for example, Givalex in the form of a solution can only be used by children over 6 years old.
It is very important to ensure that the child does not swallow the gargle solution.
Before starting the procedure, you should check the temperature of the medication by pouring a small amount into a separate container. To avoid thermal damage to the mucous membrane, that is, a burn, it is imperative to make sure that the rinse solution is warm, not hot. The optimum temperature is between 35 and 37 ° C. It is forbidden to use cold solutions in the same way as overheated ones. Prepare a fresh product each time.
Resorption of drugs
You can dissolve tablets and lozenges in the oral cavity. It is best if they contain herbal ingredients that have anti-inflammatory effects (sage, chamomile). Local antiseptics and topical (local) antibacterial drugs should be purchased on the recommendation of a pediatrician. However, practice shows that combined funds are most often used, so it is advisable to name those that are allowed for children:
- Anti-angina tablets.
- Septolet (lozenges).
- Pharingosept tablets.
- Falimint tablets.
You need to choose a specific drug. Usually 1 tablet or lozenge is used 3 times a day. It helps to heal the inflammation and relieve sore throat (combination medications usually contain local anesthetics).
The listed medicines can only be used by children over 6 years old.
Small children should not be given tablets, lozenges, or lozenges. This can be dangerous even if the child is constantly supervised by an adult. In addition, the dosage of the drug is designed for certain age groups of patients.
Among the home remedies that can fight inflammation in the throat are:
- honey;
- garlic;
- aloe juice.
How is throat treated? Honey dissolve slowly 1 teaspoon several times a day. Garlic (small clove) should be chewed and spit out without swallowing. Aloe juice is best diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 2 or more. It is worth noting that all of these methods have significant drawbacks. First of all, it is the danger of an allergic reaction. Burns of the mucous membrane are also likely. A child, unlike an adult, is not always able to tell about his feelings on time and correctly. Children may be afraid to interrupt the procedure for fear of disapproval from adults. Therefore, it is best to give preference to pharmaceutical herbal preparations, the composition of which is selected and tested.
Irrigation therapy
Irrigation therapy is understood to mean the various methods of cleansing the mucous membrane. Most often it is used for a cold. Nasal lavage is one of the common methods of treating not only rhinitis, but also pharyngitis. With ARVI, the child complains not only of a sore throat, but also of a stuffy nose. Nasal secretions running down the back of the pharynx irritate the inflamed areas. In addition, with a runny nose, the patient breathes through the mouth - this is the reason for the drying out of the mucous membrane of the pharynx.
If there is no runny nose, you do not need to rinse the nose. Situations when, with soreness in the throat, the nose is almost not stuffy, are characteristic mainly of bacterial inflammation. With angina, pain and intoxication syndrome dominate, while with ARVI, sore throat is combined with a runny nose, dry or wet cough, and the body temperature can be subfebrile.
What does “nasal lavage” mean and how to do it correctly when children have a sore throat? The rinsing procedure requires a saline solution.
Homemade saline solution
To prepare it, you will need:
- Boiled warm water - 1000 ml.
- Salt - 1 teaspoon.
Dissolve the salt in water, and use the prepared warm solution for washing. The water must be clean, thermally treated - this rule cannot be neglected.
Pharmacy saline solution
There are different saline solutions available in pharmacies. The classic option is isotonic, or physiological - 0.9% sodium chloride solution. Hypertonic solutions are needed only for purulent inflammation and are used, as a rule, with a small amount of nasal secretion. If there is a lot of mucus, saline is best suited. It comes in a variety of vial sizes and must be sterile. Apply only when warm.
How to use saline solutions? For small children, they are dripped into the nose (a few drops in each nostril several times a day). Older children can use a syringe to rinse their nose over the sink. In this case, you must not press sharply on the piston, otherwise the infected mucus, together with the solution, can enter the auditory tube and provoke an inflammatory process.
If the nose is completely blocked, vasoconstrictor drops should be used before rinsing.
Do not attempt to "pierce" the nose with a syringe with a solution. This is associated with a high risk of complications from the lavage procedure. If the use of vasoconstrictor drugs is prohibited (age restrictions or other contraindications), further treatment tactics should be discussed with the doctor.
Treatment of a child, even at home, should be monitored by a pediatrician. During the initial appointment, the severity of the condition, the diagnosis is determined, the therapy regimen is written. Repeated visits allow you to adjust the treatment, monitor changes in the patient's well-being. Treatment at home should be carried out only in the absence of serious complications and health disorders of children using the methods recommended by the doctor after an in-person consultation.
