Toddler has a cold...

[Helenj1977]

Runny nose, sneezing, coughing, temp 37 (so OK).

Obviously I'm sure it's a cold but at what point do I think differently? Does the cough mean we self isolate??

She's only 22mo so too young for a test. No idea where she's got it from. We've stayed in our bubble all week and any shop visits she sits in her pushchair!

[Sunshinegirl82]

She can have a test, we had similar recently. I'd get a test if you can as if negative you won't need to carry on self isolating.

[Ellsbells12]

We went for one not going to lie my 2 year old screamed but it was negative that is thing no one knows which is which everything will be covid

[OverTheRainbow88]

I’m not sure where this “too young” is coming from on MN.

22 month old can have a test... I just took my 18 month old for a test; it wasn’t particularly pleasant but meant he could go back to nursery the next day as the negative came back straight away.

[sunandrose]

I would test but purely on grounds of a cough. It’s probably a cold and nothing to worry about...

[DamitJanet]

New cough so you isolate As a household either for 14 days (them only for 10 technically But not much use in practise) or until your toddler gets a negative test result. At 22 months a test won’t be much fun, but totally doable.

[whatsleep]

Yes definitely get tested.

[jaychops]

Sorry to jump on your post, but for those of you with toddlers who have been swabbed, is it still both nose and throat for them like adults? I was told recently it's just the nasal swab but I'm not sure this is true.

OP hope you get sorted and your little one is ok.

[OverTheRainbow88]

My 18 month old had both throat and nose... I went to one out the drive thru places and had to do it myself. Found it better to keep kid in car seat then used one hand to hold his hands out the way... make sure you clean the child’s hands before you try it incase they grab the swab and contaminate it. In an ideal world it would have been easier if I had another adult in the car to hold his hands out the way, it was quite hard doing it in my own!

[ThickFast]

You can just do nasal on toddler if throat isn’t possible (it isn’t)

[KitKatastrophe]

New cough so you isolate

New continuous cough. OP is your child coughing a lot for more than an hour, or having three or more coughing fits a day?

A tickly throat and runny nose are not signs of covid19.

[OverTheRainbow88]

Just nasal makes it only 50/50 possible of getting a positive or negative result. 50% of inconclusive.

And throat is possible... I’ve managed with both my children

[geojojo]

My two year old and four year old have had heavy colds with slight temperatures this week so we have tested them both. I dont think you can be too young and it was easier than i thought it would be.

[MrsSSG]

Get her tested and isolate.

My cough wasn't continuous @KitKatastrophe, it was very mild and barely noticeable. It was Covid. There are many symptoms of this virus than the official three, including a sore throat, headaches, chest pain and SOB.

[KitKatastrophe]

The NHS advice is to get tested with a high temperature, continuous cough or loss of taste/smell. This child has none of these symptoms.

People have reported all sorts of symptoms with covid which are uncommon. Are we supposed to isolate for 10 days every time someone in the household gets ANY single symptom which could possibly be covid, included but not limited to headaches, diarrhoea, mouth ulcer, runny nose, mild cough, sore throat, tiredness. Frankly that is unrealistic. Or maybe we should just all get tested every other day in case we have covid with no symptoms? I'll be following the government advice.

[MrsSSG]

Yes, because the Government have all the answers and have handled this really well...

Regardless, the situation is changing all the time, we all need to play our part and be vigilant. She does have a cough, which is an 'official' symptom, so therefore a test and/or isolating would be the responsible thing to do.

[KitKatastrophe]

A cough isn't. A continuous cough is. Would you be recommending test and isolate for a sore throat and no other symptoms? That could be covid too.

[humidityhair]

Just proves how viruses can travel despite precautions :(

Anyway, I’d get a test to be sure and hope she feels better soon

[Omelette9]

Definitely test. And visiting shops in a pushchair is still visiting shops.

[ifonly4]

Unfortunately, test and isolate. Some people don't show symptoms, so if you've been out yourself or anyone in your bubble has has (which I know we're allowed to do) there's always a risk. Hope she's ok. I'd try and get a test centre to do the test, they'll be used to little ones and know exactly what they're doing.

[MrsSSG]

Of course, @KitKatastrophe, why wouldn't you? It's a simple thing which could save lives and help us avoid another lockdown, which would be devastating to this country in so many ways. I don't understand why you wouldn't??

[Luciey]

Why is she too young for a test? I'm in Australia so the guidelines are obviously different but my 20 month old has been tested 4 times to date. Both throat and nose swab. We're lucky to have drive thru clinics here so they stay in the car seat and just open the door and swab, takes all of 15 seconds.

[Mustardbay]

I just did my 24 month old, it was fine. No harder than brushing her teeth, I managed to do nose and throat.

[BringMeThatHorizon]

We had my 22 month old tested recently as he had a horrible cold/cough. Had the test at 3pm one day and the results back by 7am the next morning. It was really easy, just the nasal swab as that was recommended at the drive through test centre we went to and it came back as a negative. He wasn't even upset, just mildly confused about why we were putting a stick up his nose.

[KitKatastrophe]

@MrsSSG

Of course, *@KitKatastrophe*, why wouldn't you? It's a simple thing which could save lives and help us avoid another lockdown, which would be devastating to this country in so many ways. I don't understand why you wouldn't??

Because people need to work and can't take 2 days off every time they have a sniffle or sore throat.
Temperature, continuous cough, anosmia, those are the symptoms which require testing

[ThatDamnScientist]

@KitKatastrophe you can't answer that it isn't a continuous cough as you never received a reply from the op, after asking that question...just sayin'!