How to comfort your child when they have a cold

At a glance

• Stay close: when your child has a cold, what they need most is you.
• Offer drinks often, a little at a time, from something they like.
• Let them rest without forcing them to sleep.
• Teach nose blowing and coughing into the elbow as a game.
• For any medicine, follow your doctor's or pharmacist's advice, and if you're worried, call the doctor.

How can I comfort a child with a cold?

When your child has a cold, what comforts them most is closeness, rest and familiar things around them. A cold makes them feel tired, grumpy and a little frightened by a blocked nose or a cough that won't go away.

Hold them more often than usual, read together, let them sit beside you on the sofa. Many children become more clingy when they feel poorly, and that's natural: they need to know you're there.

Offer drinks often, a little at a time: water, a warm drink, soup, or whatever your doctor recommends. A special cup or a colourful straw can make drinking more fun. If they don't feel like eating for a few days, don't push; drinking matters more.

Keep the usual routine as much as you can: the same rituals at mealtimes and bedtime. Familiar things give a sense of safety when their body feels strange. And tell them simply what's happening: "You've got a cold. Your body is fighting it, and we're helping with rest and drinks."

Nights can be harder with a blocked nose. Keep their favourite soft toy close, keep the bedtime story, and tell them they can call you if they wake up. Knowing you'll come often settles them more than anything else.

How do I teach my child to blow their nose?

Children learn to blow their nose most easily through play, not explanations. Many young children don't yet know how to breathe out through the nose and sniff back in instead, which is completely normal.

Try simple games when they're calm:

• blow a feather or a tissue across the table through the nose, with mouth closed;
• put a hand in front of the nose and feel the "wind";
• hold a small mirror under the nose and watch it mist up;
• one side at a time: gently press one nostril while they blow through the other.

Praise every try. Use soft tissues, and let them throw the tissue in the bin themselves and then wash their hands. For very young children who can't blow yet, ask your doctor or pharmacist what's suitable for their nose.

How do I keep my child entertained while resting?

A child resting with a cold needs quiet activities, not necessarily sleep. Rest means not running around and not getting worn out, not lying still in bed all day.

Set up a cosy corner with a blanket, cushions and a few things they've chosen. In turn, you could try:

• stories, read aloud or listened to;
• drawing, colouring, play dough;
• jigsaws and simple board games;
• building with blocks or bricks;
• a "teddy hospital" where they look after a teddy who has a cold too.

Screens can have their place on a sick day, but it's better to mix them with other quiet activities than to let them fill the whole day. If they want to sleep, let them; if they don't, don't make them.

Acknowledge what they're missing, too: "I know you miss nursery and your friends. You'll see them when you're better." Telling them you understand helps more than pointing out the bright side.

How do we stop germs spreading?

Children learn to stop germs spreading through a few simple habits, repeated every day as a routine, not as a punishment.

• Coughing and sneezing into the elbow: show them how you do it, then turn it into a superhero salute.
• Handwashing: after nose blowing, before meals and after the toilet. Sing a short song while you wash so they don't rush.
• One tissue, one use: use it, bin it, then wash hands.

Older children can be given a job: "You're in charge of the soap today." That way the habit becomes theirs, not a rule imposed on them.

And importantly: don't look for someone to blame. Colds are common in children, especially in nursery and school, and they are nobody's fault.

When should I call the doctor?

When your child has a cold, call the doctor whenever you're worried; you know your child best. Especially if you notice that they:

• are breathing with difficulty, fast or with effort;
• are drinking very little or weeing much less than usual;
• seem very unwell, very drowsy or hard to wake;
• have a fever that worries you, or aren't getting better after a few days;
• have earache or other symptoms that concern you.

For babies and very young children, the threshold for calling is even lower. Ask your child's doctor, ideally before they're ill, which signs should make you call. If in doubt, call your doctor.

Step by step

1. Tell your child simply what's happening: "You've got a cold, and you'll get better."
2. Set up a quiet, cosy corner with their favourite things.
3. Offer drinks often, a little at a time, in a cup they like.
4. Let them rest without forcing sleep.
5. Play nose-blowing games with a feather or a tissue.
6. Practise coughing into the elbow and washing hands.
7. Keep the usual rituals, especially at bedtime.
8. For any medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
9. Call the doctor if you're worried.

By age

• 1–3 years: closeness, lots of cuddles, fluids offered often, rest and simple words about what's happening.
• 4–5 years: nose-blowing games, coughing into the elbow and a quiet corner of their own.
• 6–8 years: explain in plain words how germs spread, give them a role in handwashing and resting, and let them choose their quiet activity.

Words that help and words to skip

• Try: "I'm right here with you." · "Your body is working hard to get better." · "It's fine to feel tired today." · "Let's blow the feather!"
• Skip: "I told you to wear your hat." · "Ill again?" · "Stop being such a moaner." · "If you don't sleep, you won't get better."

Common mistakes

• Looking for blame: "You didn't wear a hat", "You ate snow." Your child already feels bad enough.
• Giving medicine without the doctor's or pharmacist's guidance.
• Screens all day instead of a mix of quiet activities.
• Making them eat or sleep when they don't want to.

When to talk to a doctor or psychologist

Your child's doctor decides on any treatment and can help you know which signs matter at their age, such as difficulty breathing, not drinking, or seeming very unwell. If in doubt, call your doctor.