COVID-19-Like Illness: How to Care for Your Child

Your child's symptoms are similar to those of COVID-19, an infection caused by a type of coronavirus. In kids, many illnesses can cause symptoms similar to those of COVID-19. The care for most kids who have a mild COVID-19 illness or similar symptoms is the same as for other respiratory infections. You can take care of your child at home. While you do, be sure to help prevent the illness from spreading to others.

• Keep your family at home until your doctor says it's OK to go out. 

• Avoid having unnecessary visitors over.

• Help your child get plenty of rest and drink lots of liquids. 

  • Give breast milk or formula to babies. Older kids can have cool drinks (without caffeine), oral rehydration solution (like Pedialyte® or other brands), juice, or ice pops. Warm liquids (such as chicken broth or herbal tea without caffeine) can be soothing. 

• If your child has a fever or seems uncomfortable, give fever-reducing medicine as instructed by your health care provider. When giving these medicines:

  • Give the exact dose as recommended by your health care provider.

  • Do not give acetaminophen more than 4 times in a 24-hour period.

  • Be sure there's no acetaminophen in other medicines your child is getting. Getting too much acetaminophen can be very dangerous.

• Do not give aspirin to your child or teen. It is linked to a rare but serious illness called Reye syndrome.

• Talk to your health care provider before giving your child any supplements or vitamins.

To soothe your child's cough:

• Run a cool-mist humidifier in your child's bedroom. Clean after each use. Tap water contains minerals. When possible, use distilled water to run and clean the humidifier. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for the best results.

• For children older than 1 year, you can give 1–2 teaspoons of honey at night to help with coughing. Do not give honey if your child is younger than 1 year.

• For children older than 6 years, try a hard candy or throat lozenge to help ease throat pain and coughing.

• Do not give any cough or cold medicines to children under 12 years old. These medicines can give kids bad reactions.

• Antihistamines don't help kids with respiratory infections. Do not give antihistamines (such as Benadryl® or a store brand) to a child of any age.

To help with a runny or stuffy nose:

• Run a cool-mist humidifier in your child's bedroom. Clean after each use. Tap water contains minerals. When possible, use distilled water to run and clean the humidifier. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for the best results.

• For babies: 3–4 times a day, put a few drops of saline (saltwater) into the nose, then gently suction the mucus out with a bulb syringe.

• For older kids: Give 2 sprays of saline nose spray 3 times a day for 4 days. Encourage kids to blow their nose in a tissue after the saline sprays. 

• If the skin under your child's nose is sore, put petroleum jelly (Vaseline® or a store brand) on it.

To help protect others in your household from getting sick:

• Keep your sick child in a separate room, away from well members of the family and pets as much as possible.

• If your child is over 2 years old and can wear a face mask or cloth face covering without finding it hard to breathe, have them wear one when the caregiver is in the room. Don't leave your child alone while they're wearing a mask or cloth face covering. The caregiver should also wear a face covering when in the same room, especially if the child is not able to wear one. To see how to put on and remove face masks and coverings, clean them, or make your own cloth face covering, check the CDC's guide: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

• If you can, have only one person care for your sick child.

• If possible, have your sick child use a different bathroom from others. If that's not possible, wipe down the bathroom often.

• Clean surfaces that get touched a lot (doorknobs, light switches, counters, remote controls, phones, etc.) often with household cleaners. 

• Make sure shared spaces in the home have good air flow. You can open a window or turn on an air filter or air conditioner.

• Your child should sneeze into a tissue if possible, throw the tissue away, and wash hands well. If a tissue is not available, your child should sneeze into the sleeve covering their upper arm or inner elbow, not into their hands.

• Remind your child to wash hands well and often with soap and water and scrub for at least 20 seconds. This is especially important after coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

• Clean toys often with household cleaners, sprays, or wipes. Don't let sick kids and well kids share the same toys.

Follow up:

• Follow up with your doctor by phone in a few days to let them know how your child is doing. 

• Consider doing a telehealth video visit for follow-up. If this option is available, a health care provider can see your child while you stay at home. If you can, choose a telehealth provider who specializes in caring for kids.

• Be sure to tell people who have been around your child since 2 days before symptoms started that your child is ill. If a health care provider confirms that your child has COVID-19, let them know that too.

Your child:

• has trouble walking, talking, or moving

• Is crying a lot or seems to be in pain

• has a headache that gets worse

• has a cough that gets worse

• has fast breathing

• has red eyes or red cracked lips

• gets a red rash

• has belly pain, vomiting, or diarrhea 

• has swelling in the arms or legs 

• has a fever for more than 5 days, or the fever goes away and comes back

• appears dehydrated; signs include a dry or sticky mouth, sunken eyes, crying with few or no tears, or peeing less often (or having fewer wet diapers)

• seems to be getting sicker

Your child:

• has breathing problems. Look for muscles pulling in between the ribs or the nose puffing out with each breath.

• has chest pain or racing heartbeat

• is confused or very sleepy

• has cold, sweaty, pale, or blotchy skin

• is dizzy 

Before going to the ER, call ahead and tell them your child may have COVID-19 so the staff can be prepared.

Call 911 if your child is struggling to breathe, is too out of breath to talk or walk, turns blue, or has fainted.

How do viruses spread to others? Viruses, including the coronavirus causing COVID-19, can spread when:

• A person with the virus coughs and/or sneezes infected drops into the air, and someone else breathes it in.

• The virus gets in the eyes, nose, or mouth. This can happen by touching someone who has the virus, or by touching a surface (like a doorknob) that has the virus on it, and then touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.

Is the coronavirus (COVID-19) dangerous to children? The virus usually causes a milder infection in children than in adults or older people. But there have been cases of kids developing more serious symptoms, sometimes several weeks after being infected with the virus. These symptoms can include a fever, belly pain, vomiting or diarrhea, rash, red eyes or lips, dizziness, chest pain, or racing heart rate. Fortunately, it is still rare for kids to develop these symptoms. Keep a close watch on your child for the symptoms in these instructions and call your doctor or go to the ER as recommended.