How to Treat a Baby's Cold

Most children average between five and ten colds a year, so it's smart to learn how to spot and soothe one! Often, an infant with a cold will get sick gradually, experiencing one new sickly symptom at a time. Cold symptoms include coughing, sneezing, and a runny nose with mucous ranging from thin and clear to thick and yellow. While a low-grade fever may accompany a cold, this symptom is usually short-lasting, and resolves on its own. To speed up the healing process, allow your child to get plenty of rest and lots of fluids. For infants younger than four months, this means breast milk or formula, while an infant over six months can also have juice. In addition to these remedies, cold-related congestion may be eased by putting a humidifier or vaporizer in your baby's room. Cool mist is best. A congested baby may also find relief if you elevate her head slightly while she sleeps. To do it, place a few towels or a slim pillow between the mattress and the crib springs. And because an infant can't blow her nose, you may want to use a rubber bulb syringe to clear out her nasal passages. This technique involves gently squirting saline drops up your baby's nostrils to loosen mucous... then with the bulb squeezed, re-insert it slightly into the nostril and let go of the bulb to aspirate all the mucous and saline. The syringe method is particularly effective if your baby is too stuffed-up to breathe comfortably or to nurse. While all of this can ease cold symptoms, one thing that DOESN'T help is cold medicine. Not only are these medications ineffective in children younger than six, they may make symptoms WORSE, and in fact, are considered potentially dangerous when used as combined symptom preparations. If you feel you MUST give your baby medicine, talk to her doctor about babyacetaminophen or ibuprofen. Still, a doctor's visit probably isn't necessary unless your baby has a fever above 101 degrees or hasn't improved within a week. While there is no foolproof way to cut out colds in the future, it CAN help to ask people to wash their hands before playing with your baby, and to remember to wash your hands as well! Additionally, while this might sound obvious, try to avoid contact with sick people. And breastfeed! Breastfed babies get sick less often than their formula fed peers because of the antibodies passed from you to your infant.