Children catch a cold very often and that is primarily because their immune system is very immature. An infant may catch a cold if he/she is exposed to any one of the 200 viruses responsible for a common cold. Using medication for new-born or infants is not advisable until necessary. You can resort to home remedies listed out in this article to treat your infant’s cold unless your doctor thinks otherwise.
Common cold in babies is not very serious and is commonly seen in all growing kids. According to experts, children will get about 8 to 10 spells of cold by the time they are 2 years old. It is heart-wrenching to see little infants struggling to feed and stay uncomfortable throughout the night, but there is nothing to worry about as you can do multiple things to ease your baby’s discomfort.
Differentiating between cold and flu can be a little tricky. If your little one has a running nose with clear mucus that may turn thicker in the following weeks, then your baby probably just has a cold. If the cold is accompanied by fever, then just watch your baby when the fever goes down. If your baby is active and playful when the fever is down, then it is only a cold but if your baby is restless and weak even when the fever is down, then it could mean that your baby is down with flu. Also, if your baby has a running nose accompanied by a cough and without fever, then your little one is probably just down with cold.
Flu or any other illness in children will come abruptly and will most likely be accompanied by diarrhoea or vomiting. Allergy, on the other hand, has similar symptoms but is easy to differentiate. Allergies will not cause your little one to run a fever. The common symptoms of allergy in children are itchy and watery eyes and nose. There are repeated attacks of sneezing and skin develops rashes due to itching. Also, you will observe that in case of allergy, the mucus coming out of your baby’s nose will be clear all throughout and will not change colour or thicken.
Newborn baby cold can be caused by 200 viruses but the most common virus responsible for the common cold in babies is Rhinovirus. Common cold usually infects the nose and the throat. Now, the interesting fact about the cold is that once infected by a certain cold virus, your child becomes immune to that virus. But since there are many cold-causing viruses, hence your baby may suffer from several bouts of cold by the time he is 2 years old. Since cold is a communicable disease, this is how it enters your baby’s system:
Your baby will be at a higher risk of catching a common cold because of his/her immature immune system. Exposer to other children who may already be suffering from cold can also put your baby at a high risk of catching a cold. The climatic changes also make your baby susceptible to cold.
You may observe following signs and symptoms in your baby if he/she is infected by cold:
Your baby is going to be restless and may stay awake due to the stuffy nose. Feeding will also become a problem. Since your baby will not be able to blow his/her nose, you will have to clean the mucus. Your baby will find it difficult to breathe through the nose and that will make the baby irritable.
Common cold when severe can cause few undesirable complications like:
Common cold doesn’t require a very serious treatment. You can do few simple things to ease the symptoms and the distress. If the cold becomes severe and doesn’t go away even after a week, consult your doctor to ensure it is nothing serious.
If your baby only has a stuffy nose without any other symptoms of common cold, then check his/her nostrils for any foreign particle.
Home remedies work like magic in some cases and relieve babies as well as adults with a cough and cold. Here are some of them that may help your little one.
If your baby is an infant, ensure that you encourage him/her to take an extra feed and if your baby is older than 6 months then give him/her fruits rich in Vitamin C, homemade juice, and lots of water. For infants who are on formula milk, give them water in a separate feed bottle. This will help to keep your baby hydrated.
Tilt your baby’s head backwards, and put two drops of saline water in each nostril to soften the mucus. Keep your baby’s head in that position for about 20 seconds. Then, squeeze the bulb of the syringe, insert the rubber tip of the bulb syringe inside one nostril, close the other nostril with one finger, slowly release the bulb to collect the mucus and saline water, then gently remove the syringe. Clean the syringe by squeezing the mucus out and repeat the same with the other nostril.
Keep the air inside the house moistened. Use a humidifier in your baby’s room. Dry climate can worsen cold and cough in infants.
Let your baby sleep and take rest as much as possible. When not asleep, ensure that your baby is involved in some quiet activities. Don’t let your little one get excited. If your baby is old enough then read to him or play his favourite video. Remember the more your baby rests, the faster he/she will heal.
Watch for warning signs. If the home remedies do not help to improve your baby’s condition, then get in touch with a doctor and seek his/her advice. If your baby is extremely uncomfortable, crying during feeds, constantly touching his/her ears while crying, or has teary eyes, then your baby may be suffering from something more than cold.
It is very difficult to get mucus out of your baby’s throat. Room humidifier, saline drops on nostrils and a gentle rub on the chest with a doctor recommended vaporiser can help to soften the mucus on the chest which your baby may just puke it out. Your doctor may also suggest nebulisation, if necessary.
By following basic hygiene at home and outside, you can help to minimize the number of times your baby gets cold. Here are few preventive measures that will minimize the chances of your baby falling sick by a cold.
For babies younger than 3 months, consult the doctor at the first sign of cold and fever. For babies between 3 to 6 months, consult the doctor if the fever goes up to 101° F (38° C). And for babies above 6 months, you can wait to consult the doctor if the fever shoots to 102° F (39° C). Irrespective of your baby’s age you must consult the doctor if:
OTC is a strict no for children below 6 months. In fact, it has been observed that OTC causes side effects in children. Cold and cough medications don’t prevent your baby from cold or even shorten the period of cold. It may only give your baby some temporary relief. It is definitely not worth taking the risk.
A common problem among children of all ages, cold is a little harder to manage in infants as they are unable to expel mucus without help. It is important to monitor them and to know when to reach out to a doctor for a remedy.