How to Care for a Sick Child

Co-authored by Laura Marusinec, MD

Last Updated: December 8, 2024 Approved

Having a sick child is a stressful and upsetting experience. Your child may be having a hard time feeling comfortable and dealing with pain, while you may be wondering if it is time to call the doctor. If you have a sick child at home, then there are several things that you can do to ensure that your child is comfortable and moving towards recovery.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Making a Sick Child Comfortable

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1
Provide emotional support. Being sick is uncomfortable and your child may be worried or upset because of how he or she feels. Giving your child some extra attention and care may help. For example, you can:
- Sit with your child.
- Read your child a book.
- Sing to your child.
- Hold your child’s hand.
- Hold your baby in your arms.
2
Elevate your child or baby’s head. A cough can get worse if your child is lying flat on his or her back. To keep your child’s head elevated, try putting a book or towel under the mattress of your baby’s crib or under the legs at the head of the crib or bed.
- You can also give your child an extra pillow or use a wedge pillow to help your child stay upright.
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3
Turn on a humidifier. Dry air can make a cough or sore throat feel worse. Try using a humidifier or cool-mist vaporizer to keep the air in your child’s room moist. This can help to reduce coughing, congestion, and discomfort.
- Make sure to change the water in your humidifier frequently.
- Wash the humidifier according to the manufacturer's instructions to prevent mold from growing in it.
Keep your home as quiet and peaceful as possible to make it easier for your child to rest. Stimulation from television or computers prevents sleep and your child needs as much rest as possible, so you may consider removing devices from your child’s bedroom or at least limiting your child’s use of devices.
5
Keep your home at a comfortable temperature. Your child may feel hot or cold depending on the illness, so adjusting the temperature in your home may help your child to feel more comfortable. It may be helpful to keep your home between 65 and 70 degrees, but you can also adjust this temperature if your child is too hot or too cold.^{[1]
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- For example, if your child is complaining that he or she is too cold, then turn up the heat a bit. If your child complains that he or she is hot, then turn on an air conditioner or fan.

Part 2

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Feeding a Sick Child

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1
Give your child plenty of clear liquids. Dehydration can make matters worse when your child is sick. Prevent dehydration in your child by making sure your child drinks fluids frequently. Offer your child:^{[2]
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- Water
- Ice pops
- Ginger ale
- Diluted fruit juice
- Electrolyte-enhanced beverages
2
Provide foods that are easy to digest. Give your child nutritious foods that won’t upset their stomach. Choice of food might depend on your child’s symptoms. Good options include:^{[3]
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- Salty crackers
- Bananas
- Applesauce
- Toast^{[4]
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- Cooked cereals
- Mashed potatoes
Although it will not cure your child, warm chicken soup helps relieve cold and flu symptoms by making mucus thinner and acting as an anti-inflammatory. There are a number of recipes for making your own chicken soup, although many commercial varieties work well, too.^{[5]
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Part 3

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Treating a Sick Child at Home

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Encourage your child to sleep as often as he or she likes. Read your child a story or have your child listen to an audio book to make it easier to fall asleep. Your child needs as much rest as they can get.^{[6]
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2
Use over-the-counter medications with caution. If you decide to give medicine, try to stick to one product, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, rather than alternating medications or giving combinations of medications. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about which medicines might be appropriate for your child.
- Do not give ibuprofen to a child under 6 months old.^{[7]
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- Do not give cough and cold medicines to a child under 4 years old, and preferably not until at least 8 years old. These medicines have the potential to cause life-threatening side effects and have not been shown to be very effective either.^{[8]
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- Do not give infants, children, or teenagers acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) because this can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye’s syndrome.^{[9]
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3
Encourage your child to gargle with warm salt water. Add ¼ teaspoon of regular table salt into 8 ounces of lukewarm water. Have your child gargle and spit out the salty water when finished. Gargling with salt water can help relieve throat pain.^{[10]
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- For younger children or for nasal congestion, you can also use salt water (saline) nasal drops or sprays. You can make a saline spray yourself or buy some at the pharmacy. For infants, you can use a bulb syringe to suction the nose after using the drops.^{[11]
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Avoid smoking around your child and avoid wearing especially strong perfumes. Postpone activities like painting or cleaning. The fumes can irritate your child’s throat and lungs and make their illness worse.^{[12]
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Periodically open the windows in your child’s room to keep the air fresh. Do this when the child is in the bathroom so they don’t get cold.^{[13]
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Part 4

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Seeing a Doctor

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1
Determine whether your child has the flu. Take symptoms of an infection with the influenza virus seriously. It is a potentially dangerous illness that often develops suddenly. Contact your child's doctor if you think your child may have the flu, especially if your child is under age 2 or has medical problems such as asthma. Symptoms of the flu include:^{[14]
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- High fever and/or chills
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
- Body or muscle aches
- Headache
- Tiredness and/or weakness
- Diarrhea and/or vomiting
Check to see if your child has chills, a flushed appearance, is sweating, or feels very warm to the touch if you do not have a thermometer.
Ask your child how much pain he or she is in and where the pain is located. You may also want to apply gentle pressure to the spot your child is complaining about to get an idea of how severe it is.
4
Watch for signs of serious illness. Pay careful attention to signs that indicate your child needs to be seen by a medical professional immediately. These include:^{[15]
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- Fever in a child under three months old
- Severe headache or a stiff neck
- Changes in breathing patterns, especially any trouble breathing
- Changes in skin color, such as looking very pale, reddish, or bluish
- Child refuses to drink fluids or stops urinating
- No tears when crying
- Severe or persistent vomiting
- Child is difficult to wake up or is unresponsive
- Child is unusually quiet and inactive
- Signs of extreme irritability or pain
- Pain or pressure in the chest or stomach
- Sudden or prolonged dizziness
- Confusion
- Flu-like symptoms improve but then get worse
5
Visit your local pharmacist. Talk to your local pharmacist if you are not sure whether your child needs to be seen by a doctor. She or he can help determine if your child’s symptoms require medical attention and can offer advice on medications if they are needed.^{[16]
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- You can also call your doctor's office, as there is almost always someone available to help you decide what to do and to provide home care advice.

Expert Q&A

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Question

How should I support my child if they're going to be in the hospital for a while?

Ran D. Anbar, MD, FAAP
Pediatric Pulmonologist & Medical Counselor
Dr. Ran D. Anbar is a pediatric medical counselor and is board certified in both pediatric pulmonology and general pediatrics, offering clinical hypnosis and counseling services at Center Point Medicine in La Jolla, California and Syracuse, New York. With over 30 years of medical training and practice, Dr. Anbar has also served as a professor of pediatrics and medicine and the Director of pediatric pulmonology at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Dr. Anbar holds a BS in Biology and Psychology from the University of California, San Diego and an MD from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Dr. Anbar completed his pediatric residency and pediatric pulmonary fellowship training at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and is also a past President, fellow and approved consultant of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.

Ran D. Anbar, MD, FAAP

Pediatric Pulmonologist & Medical Counselor

Expert Answer

Depending on how old your child is, you could ask them how they'd like to cope with the hospital stay. Maybe they want to bring a few books, or maybe they'll want a handheld gaming system. When it comes to processing the stay, I'd ask your child if they want to talk about what they're going through. If they want to discuss the medical problem, let them open up. If they want to just stay distracted, don't push them on it. Also, try to plan some fun activities you can do as a family. Even if it's just a board game or cards, it will really help your child feel like things are normal.

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Question

What can you do for a toddler with croup?

Ni-Cheng Liang, MD
Board Certified Pulmonologist
Dr. Ni-Cheng Liang is a board certified Pulmonologist and the Director of Pulmonary Integrative Medicine at Coastal Pulmonary Associates affiliated with the Scripps Health Network in San Diego, California. She also serves as a Voluntary Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine while volunteering for the UCSD Medical Student-Run Free Clinic for uninsured patients. With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Liang specializes in pulmonary and respiratory medical concerns, mindfulness teaching, physician wellness, and integrative medicine. Dr. Liang received her Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Liang was voted as a San Diego Top Doctor in 2017 and 2019. She was also awarded the 2019 American Lung Association San Diego Lung Health Provider of the Year.

Ni-Cheng Liang, MD

Board Certified Pulmonologist

Expert Answer

The best treatment will be keeping them hydrated and using a humidifier or cool air to make breathing easier. If they stop being able to swallow or have difficulty breathing, get medical help as soon as possible.

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Question

How can I get emotional support after my child's diagnosis?

Ran D. Anbar, MD, FAAP
Pediatric Pulmonologist & Medical Counselor
Dr. Ran D. Anbar is a pediatric medical counselor and is board certified in both pediatric pulmonology and general pediatrics, offering clinical hypnosis and counseling services at Center Point Medicine in La Jolla, California and Syracuse, New York. With over 30 years of medical training and practice, Dr. Anbar has also served as a professor of pediatrics and medicine and the Director of pediatric pulmonology at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Dr. Anbar holds a BS in Biology and Psychology from the University of California, San Diego and an MD from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Dr. Anbar completed his pediatric residency and pediatric pulmonary fellowship training at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and is also a past President, fellow and approved consultant of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.

Ran D. Anbar, MD, FAAP

Pediatric Pulmonologist & Medical Counselor

Expert Answer

You can often find emotional support resources from foundations that were founded to help find treatments or a cure for the disease with which you are dealing.

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