Tips By Dr. Shrestha It's that time of the year again, sniffles, stuffiness, congestion, coughing everywhere. Being a mother of a young child, you understand more about how common is a common cold and how awful and sorry you feel for your kids. Children younger than two years old can get about 8-10 episodes of the common cold in a year, that number increases if a child goes to daycare or has older sibling going to school. Both my kids were in daycare; they had at least one URI every month, especially my younger had two a month. As a pediatrician, I do not worry about it much, let it run its course, and my kid's immunity fights it off. Being a mother is tough, tiring to be awake all night long caring for your loved sick one, knowing that his body will have to fight it off. I do what is recommended, symptomatic treatment and give him tender loving care. Upper respiratory illness, A.k.a common cold or URI are a disease of the upper respiratory tract that includes the nose, sinuses, throat, windpipe and ears. Rhinovirus, Influenza virus, Adenovirus, RSV, Human Metapneumovirus are the most common viruses causing it.