10 Myths Debunked About Cold and Flu in Children

Your child will probably catch six to eight colds this year — or maybe the flu. If you're feeling confused about how to treat both colds and the flu — or how to avoid these nasty bugs — you're not alone.

There are many myths and misunderstandings about these two illnesses, and when you know the facts, you can keep your family healthier, while you save time, money and frustration.

Myth: Over-the-Counter Cold and Flu Remedies Work Well for Children

When it comes to treating your child's cold or flu, don't expect to get a lot of help from the drugstore. The oldest remedies — plenty of rest and fluids — are still the best.

If you decide to give your child cold and flu medications, do it carefully. These products can cause side effects such as drowsiness, upset stomach, sleeplessness and more. Be sure to:

• Follow dosing instructions
• Stop offering medicines that don't seem to work
• Never give aspirin to a child who has a cold or flu. The combination of aspirin and a viral illness can trigger Reye's syndrome, a rare but dangerous disease.

Note: Most pediatricians recommend against over-the-counter cold medicines for babies under 6 months old. Always check with your doctor before giving your baby or young toddler any medication.

Myth: Antibiotics Can Kill Germs that Cause Colds and Flu

American doctors write millions of antibiotic prescriptions for colds and flu every year, often under pressure from worried parents. But no antibiotic will help a cold or flu because they only do one thing: kill bacteria. And colds and flu are caused by viruses, a class of germs that aren't anything like bacteria. Unless your child has a complication of a cold or flu that might involve bacteria, antibiotics are not a good solution for treatment.

Antibiotics are useless against cold or flu, and they can do harm. Kids taking antibiotics can suffer from diarrhea, stomach cramps and other side effects. And when antibiotics are overused, disease-causing bacteria can build resistance to the drugs, making future bacterial infections harder to treat.

Myth: There’s Really No Difference between the Flu, a Bad Cold and COVID

It can be hard to tell the difference between a cold and the flu, but it's helpful to be able to distinguish one from the other. For one thing, colds almost always go away without causing trouble, yet the flu can lead to complications such as pneumonia.

Quickly spotting a case of flu also opens up new possibilities for treatment. If your child is 1 or older, doctors can prescribe antiviral drugs to kill the virus that causes flu and speed recovery. However, these drugs only work if taken in the first two days of the illness; they are mostly used for kids with chronic illnesses like asthma. The majority of children with the flu recover just fine without these medicines.

How can you tell the difference between colds and flu?

• Colds come on slowly. The first sign is often a sore, scratchy throat, followed by a runny nose and sneezing.
• Colds don't usually cause significant fevers in adults, but infants and young children often reach 102 degrees F.
• Other common cold symptoms include cough, headache and stuffiness.
• Flu symptoms come on quickly and tend to be severe.
• Flu will cause your child to feel weak, tired and achy with a fever that may soar to 103-105 degrees F.
• Other flu symptoms include a dry cough, runny nose, chills, sore throat, strong headache and eye pain.

If you're having trouble identifying your child's illness or are concerned about symptoms, call your child's doctor. Sometimes it takes a lab test to tell a cold from the flu. Consider COVID testing with cold and flu-like symptoms; a positive test can alert you that your child needs to isolate from others for five days.

COVID-19 can produce symptoms similar to either illness, with key differences such as:

• Fever (100.4 degrees F or higher) or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Runny nose or congestion
• Diarrhea and/or nausea
• Sore throat
• Loss of sense of taste or smell

Learn more about the differences between cold, flu and COVID.

Myth: It’s a Good Idea to Take a Child to the Doctor with a Cold

The American Academy of Family Physicians recently listed symptoms that separate serious illnesses from the run-of-the mill variety. Whether you think your child has a cold or flu, you should call your doctor if you notice any of the following warning signs:

• A cold that lasts for more than 10 days
• A lingering fewer
• Any fever over 102 degrees F
• Bluish skin
• Breathing difficulty, including wheezing or rapid breaths
• Earache or discharge from the ear
• Extreme irritability
• Flu-like symptoms that come back after seeming to subside, especially when they include a fever and a worsening cough
• Inability to wake up
• Not drinking enough liquids
• Seizures
• Worsening of other conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes

Myth: There’s No Reason for Kids to Get Flu Shots or COVID Boosters

If your child is 6 months or older, many doctors recommend a yearly flu vaccination. It's best to get vaccinated in October or early November, so your child has time to develop immunity before flu season gets into full swing.

Note: Although the flu vaccine hasn't been approved for babies younger than six months old, you can still protect your infant by making sure caregivers and siblings get vaccinated.

Learn more about the importance of immunizations.

Myth: Dietary Supplements Like Vitamin C and Zinc Can Ease Children’s Cold Symptoms

Zinc, vitamin C and echinacea have all been heralded as natural immune-system boosters. Unfortunately, there's no good evidence that any of these products can actually ease the symptoms of a cold in adults or kids. Always talk to your child's doctor before giving your child any supplements or medicines.

Myth: Kids in Daycare Catch More Colds

There's actually some truth behind the stereotype of the runny-nosed daycare kid. These children can be more prone to colds when they're younger, because they're exposed to more germs. However, daycare kids may be less likely to sniffle through grade school. A 2002 study published in the Archives of Adolescent and Pediatric Medicine found that kids who attended large daycares as preschoolers suffered fewer colds in later years, presumably because they had built up immunity to most common cold viruses.

Other Myths About How You Catch – and Spread – Colds

These three ideas are often myths, but have some truth:

• Breathing the same air as a sick person is the easiest way to catch a cold. Cold viruses can travel through the air, but it's not an efficient way for them. They'd much rather hitch a ride on a person's hand. If you grab something that's coated with a virus, perhaps a phone, toy or friend's hand – your risk goes up.
• You’re more likely to catch a cold if you’re cold or wet. Despite your mom's warnings, it's not true that being cold can cause a cold. If a cold virus happens to land in your nose, you can be inside an electric blanket or standing in a bucket of ice water, but you're probably going to get sick.
• Hugs and kisses spread cold and flu germs. Don’t be afraid to give your sick child plenty of affection and don’t worry that a kiss or hug will spread your germs (or vice-versa). Cold and flu viruses like to enter the body through the nose or eyes, so a hug or a peck on the cheek isn’t likely to be dangerous. Besides, sniffling kids need love too.

Seek Advice for a Sick Child

Talk to your primary provider if you have questions. You can message your provider via AveraChart or schedule an office visit. If it can't wait, find an urgent care clinic near you.