Young children catch many colds while their immune systems learn. Most need only comfort and fluids, but some signs in a feverish child need a doctor quickly, and a strep throat needs a full course of antibiotics.
Reviewed September 2026 · For information, not diagnosis
Call 112 or 108 if your child is struggling to breathe, has a fit or cannot be woken. Also see a doctor if a fever lasts more than 5 days, or if you are worried — you know your child best.
There are more than 200 viruses that cause colds, and young children meet most of them for the first time at nursery, school and in crowded homes. Six to ten colds a year is common in pre-school children, and they often seem to run into each other through the winter or monsoon. This is how the immune system learns; it is not usually a sign of weak immunity.
Talk to a doctor if infections are unusually severe, need hospital care, involve pneumonia more than once, or if the child is not growing or gaining weight as expected. These can point to an underlying problem that needs tests.
Most sore throats and tonsillitis are caused by viruses and settle within a week. A bacterial infection with group A Streptococcus (strep throat) is more likely when a child over three has:
Why strep throat matters in India. Untreated strep throat can lead to rheumatic fever, which damages the heart valves; rheumatic heart disease is still common in India. A doctor will usually prescribe penicillin or amoxicillin for 10 days. Give the full course, even when the child feels better after two or three days.
Tonsils are part of the immune system and are removed only when the benefit is clear. An ENT surgeon may suggest tonsillectomy for:
Keeping a dated diary of each episode, with the doctor’s notes, helps this decision.
Many Indian families use homeopathic “sweet pills” for children’s colds and recurrent tonsillitis. A homeopath looks at how the child reacts to illness — thirst, temperament, sweating, sensitivity to cold — and chooses a remedy, sometimes a constitutional one to be taken between illnesses.
Using homeopathy safely with children
A Cochrane review updated in 2022 pooled trials of homeopathic medicines for preventing and treating acute respiratory infections in children. It found no consistent benefit over placebo on how often infections recurred or how quickly children recovered, and concluded there is no evidence to support their use for these infections.
More broadly, the largest independent assessment — the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council’s 2015 review of 176 studies — found no reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective for any health condition, and advised against using it for conditions that are chronic, serious or could become serious. People often do feel better after a long, unhurried homeopathic consultation; in one controlled trial in rheumatoid arthritis, the benefit came from the consultation rather than the remedy.
In practice: if you choose homeopathy, use it alongside the care described on this page, not instead of it — and tell each practitioner what the other has prescribed. More on the research →
These are the traditional descriptions (“keynotes”) from the homeopathic materia medica, listed so you recognise names a practitioner may mention. They are not evidence that a remedy works and not a guide to self-treatment. Homeopaths choose one remedy for the whole person rather than by diagnosis.
Described for sudden high fever with a hot, red face and dilated pupils.
Described for illness starting suddenly after exposure to cold, dry wind.
Described for the early stage of a cold or ear ache with moderate fever.
Described for clingy, weepy children with thick, bland nasal discharge.
Described for sore throat with drooling, bad breath and sweating.
Described for throat pain like a splinter, with great sensitivity to cold.
Described as a constitutional remedy for chubby, chilly children who catch colds easily.
Described for enlarged tonsils in shy, slow-to-develop children.
If you would like to try homeopathy, see a registered homeopathic doctor (BHMS or MD (Hom)) who will take a full history, knows your other treatment and will tell you when you need a medical specialist. Take your prescriptions and recent test reports with you.
No homeopaths have a profile on NeedsDoctor yet, so we cannot suggest one here. Choosing a homeopath explains how to check a practitioner’s qualifications and registration.
Are you a homeopathic doctor? Create your profile so readers of this page can find you.
This page is general information, reviewed September 2026. It is not a diagnosis and does not replace a consultation. Do not stop or change a prescribed medicine without talking to the doctor who prescribed it. In an emergency in India call 112 (ambulance 108).
