Children who have the flu typically develop symptoms including sore throat, cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, body aches, chills, diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. Most children have several of these symptoms at once. The majority of children who have the flu will have at least a low grade (and sometimes high grade) fever, but it's possible to have the flu without a fever.
While most flu treatments involve rest and home care, there are some antiviral medications that may help. Antiviral medications can be especially helpful for children who are at risk for flu complications. If antiviral medications such as Tamiflu and Relenza are taken in the first couple of days of illness, the duration of the flu may be shortened by a few days. Antibiotics are not an appropriate treatment for flu because they eliminate bacterial infections only. They don't have any effect on viral infections like the flu.
Most children need to have the flu vaccination once they reach the age of 6 months. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children have a flu vaccination as soon as it's available every year.
Children under the age of 9 who are having their first flu shot or who have only had 1 dose in the past need to have 2 total doses. The doses are scheduled 4 or more weeks apart. Two doses allows for the most complete flu protection in these young patients. Children who are 9 or older for their first flu shot need to have just 1 flu shot. Any child who already has had 2 doses of flu vaccine at any point (not limited to the same season) needs just 1 dose.
The flu shot can cause side effects including muscle soreness, redness at the injection site, swelling at the injection site, and a low grade fever. While these side effects can be unpleasant, they're usually quite short-lived. The tradeoff - flu protection - is well worth the potential for minor side effects.