How to Treat Tonsils in Child At Home
In addition to using prescription drugs from doctors, to treat tonsils in child can also be done at home. For that you must know how to treat tonsils in child at home. The aim of this treatment is for the child to recover quickly and be able to return to playing with his friends without feeling the pain caused by tonsillitis.
The tonsils are part of the body's defense system that plays a role in fighting viral and bacterial infections. However, the tonsils can become inflamed if the immune system is weakened or the tonsils are not functioning properly to fight off invading viruses and bacteria. This condition is called tonsillitis.
Also read articles about: How to Boost Your Immune System Naturally
Usually tonsillitis caused by a virus is experienced by children who are less than 5 years old. While tonsillitis caused by bacteria is mostly experienced by children aged more than 5 years to 15 years.
Tonsillitis Symptoms in Children
A child who has tonsillitis certainly cannot explain what symptoms he is experiencing. Therefore, as a parent you need to be aware if your child shows some of the following symptoms of tonsillitis:
- Sore throat
- Difficult to swallow
- Decreased appetite
- Lost voice
- Fever
- Ears hurt
- Restless and more fussy
- Frequent drooling
- While sleeping snoring
- Bad breath
- A lump appears in the neck due to swollen lymph nodes
You can check your child's tonsils using the handle of a spoon that is attached to the top of your child's tongue and then you tell your child to say "haa". So that the condition of the tonsils can be seen, you can use a flashlight to see the inside of your child's mouth. Inflamed tonsils (tonsillitis) will appear swollen and red.
How to Treat Tonsillitis At Home for Child
As mentioned above, the treatment of tonsillitis in children can be done at home independently according to the cause. Usually tonsillitis in children caused by viral infections can heal by itself in between 1-2 weeks.
Meanwhile, if tonsillitis in children is caused by a bacterial infection, it can usually be treated with antibiotics according to a doctor's prescription. However, there are several steps that can be taken to relieve the symptoms of tonsillitis in children at home, namely:
1. Make sure your child gets enough rest
Rest is an effective way to restore the condition of the body that is sick. When your child has tonsillitis, make sure he has enough time to rest at home until his condition improves.
2. Give soft food and warm drinks to children
When experiencing tonsillitis, usually the child will feel pain when swallowing food. That's why the child's appetite decreases. To overcome this, give the child soft foods that are easy to swallow, such as porridge, soup or steamed rice.
In addition, you can also give him warm tea with honey added to reduce discomfort in the child's throat. However, this method should only be done if the child is more than 1 year old. Do not give honey to children when they are less than 1 year old because it can cause botulism.
3. Gargle with salt water
For children who are more than 6 years old, gargling with salt water can help relieve pain in the throat. The trick, add 1 teaspoon of salt into 1 cup of warm water, then stir until blended. After that tell your child to gargle using the saline solution for a few seconds and then remove the water from the mouth.
Also read articles about: How to Treat Strep Throat in Child
4. Improve air quality
Improving air quality at home is also important to help overcome tonsillitis. When a child has tonsillitis, then as much as possible you keep your child away from exposure to pollution, such as vehicle fumes and cigarette smoke. If necessary, to humidify and clean the dirty air you can use a humidifier.
For tonsils that do not improve despite treatment at home or tonsils that have lasted a long time, often recur, causing shortness of breath, sleep apnea or obstruction in the airway, it may be treated with tonsillectomy.
That's an explanation of how to treat tonsils in child at home. If your child's condition does not improve after 2-3 days of treatment at home, then immediately consult a doctor to get the right treatment.
