How to treat common cold in babies and young children?

Its common for babies and young children to catch a cold often as their immune systems are still developing. They could get up to 6-8 colds during their first year of life. While there is nothing to worry and in most cases cold in newborn or babies is just a nuisance, in some it could be a sign of an ear infection or underlying health issue. Call your doctor if your baby below 3 months of age and has a fever.

Causes of Common Cold:

There are over a 100 viruses that can cause a cold. The viruses spread from an infected person either by touch, or through air via sneezing, the mucus could settle on surfaces or toys and spread through touch. Older siblings or parents could also bring the virus home. Let us look at the signs of common cold in babies.

Symptoms:

It usually takes anywhere from 1-3 days after getting infected to show any symptoms. Some of the common signs are:

Runny nose with usually clear mucus at the start that gradually thickens to a yellow/ green discharge
Stuffy or congested nose
Cough
Sneezing
Fever
Fussy, cranky or troubled
Difficulty to fall asleep or stay asleep
Difficulty to breast or bottle feed due to nasal congestion in babies
Reduced appetite
Diarrhoea or vomiting

Treatment:

Most colds don't need to be treated and go away on their own in 1 - 2 weeks. Do not use any over the counter drugs or treatments without consulting your doctor. You could try some of the home remedies for cold in babies mentioned below to help ease the symptoms:

Keep hydrated - Ensure your child is well hydrated. In babies below 6 months of age, exclusively breast / formula feed. You can offer water or unsweetened beverages to children above 6 months of age. The fluid helps loosen the mucus by moistening the airway making it easier to cough up and prevents the mucus from drying.

Prop up - Propping up your child helps ease the post nasal drip that irritates the throat when lying down hence we notice an increase in cough at nights. If the baby is small try to incline the head of the mattress or the head of the crib and for children above 2 years of age using a pillow would do the same.

Clear the Nose - Use saline drops or isotonic solution made for babies to moisten the nasal passage. Wait for a couple of minutes and you could use a bulb syringe to get the mucus out or let is come out on its own.

Surroundings and Humidifier - Dust, vacuum, and disinfect the room and furniture (Vinegar is a safe and effective option), also keep the baby's sleeping place clean. Using a humidifier is a good idea to keep the nasal passage moist in dry weathers to help bring up the mucus easily.

Honey - If your baby is over 12 month of age you can try offering a small quantity of honey at bedtime as its believed to help ease cough by coating the throat and also relieves soreness but strictly avoid if your baby is younger than 12 months of age.

Pat the back - Cup your hand and gently but firmly pat your baby's back to loosen the mucus and help bring it out while coughing.

Love & Patience - Above all give your baby lots of love, pampering, kisses and remember to be patient when they are troubled or cranky as cold takes time to heal so a little patience and lots of love goes a long way.

Things to do:

Prevention is better than cure. As babies are more prone to catch infections faster with their still developing immunity its best to avoid situations and places where they could catch one.

Crowded public places
Politely ask sick friends and relatives to not visit until better
Wash your hands thoroughly and ask anyone who holds the baby to do the same
Keep the baby's room, crib, toys, clothes and things baby touches clean and sanitized
Don't let anyone smoke or light incense near the baby
Keep sick older children or family members away from the baby

When to see the doctor ?

Call your doctor immediately if your baby is having any of the below symptoms.

Fever in babies below 3 months of age
Fever higher that 102F in babies above 3 months of age
Troubled breathing or shortness of breath
Difficulty in feeding or refusing to feed at all
Experiencing night sweats, chills, dehydration, weight loss or wheezing
Unusually sleepy, fatigued or shows signs of dehydration (dry skin, lips, sunken eyes and soft spot)