My son has been sneezing for the past few weeks and blows his nose constantly. How can I tell if he has allergies or just a lingering cold? – Michelle Seasonal allergies and the common cold can be so much alike that it’s sometimes hard to tell the two apart. …
Common Cold
The common cold catches all of us from time to time, bringing sniffles and sneezes and perhaps a sore throat and annoying cough. Kids can get eight colds per year or more, making them the most common infectious disease in the United States and the top reason kids visit the doctor and …
How Many Doses of Flu Vaccine Does My Child Need?
One dose or two? With so much information floating around about the flu vaccine, it’s easy to get confused about the current recommendations for kids. Use our tool to figure out if your child needs no dose, one dose, or two doses of flu vaccine. And for more information about the flu …
How to Safely Give Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen (uh-see-tuh-MI-nuh-fen) is an over-the-counter medicine taken to relieve fever and pain. It’s a safe drug when used correctly for a wide variety of problems, but taking too high a dose can make a child very sick. Overdosing can lead to liver damage and, in rare cases, even death. So …
Is It a Cold or the Flu?
Your child is sent home from school with a sore throat, cough, and high fever — could it be the flu that’s been going around? Or just a common cold? Although the flu (or influenza) usually causes symptoms that make someone feel worse than symptoms associated with a common cold, …
Is the Flu Vaccine a Good Idea for Your Family?
The flu vaccine is a good idea for all families. It does not cause the flu and it helps keep kids and parents from getting sick. Getting the flu is worse than having a cold and can make a person sick for a week or more. Babies younger than 6 months old …
Too Late for the Flu Vaccine?
Flu season runs from October to May, with most cases happening from late December to early March. But the flu vaccine is usually offered from September until mid-November. Getting vaccinated before the flu season is in full force gives the body a chance to build up immunity to (protection from) …