Colds are most commonly caused by a viral infection. A cold can cause your child to have nasal congestion, nasal drainage, cough, fever, difficulty eating, and fussiness.
You can help your child with these symptoms by doing the following:
- Giving Tylenol (or Motrin only if your baby is over 6 months of age) to help with fever and fussiness
- Using saline drops along with a bulb suction or Nose Frida to help alleviate nasal congestion and drainage
- Using a humidifier or allow your child to sit with you in a steam bath to help promote nasal drainage and improve breathing
- Elevating the head of the bed with a pillow underneath the mattress to help alleviate nasal congestion
- Making sure your child stays hydrated with milk/formula, Pedialyte, or water (if your child is over 6 months of age).
You can also try OTC “baby cough syrup” such as Zarbee’s or Hyland’s brand. These are non-medicated cough syrups that may or may not improve your child’s symptoms, however they are not harmful to try. There are no prescription cough or decongestant medications that we can give for any baby under the age of 2.
Viral illnesses that cause colds will resolve on their own without any intervention. Antibiotics do not help in these cases as the cause in the majority of cases is a virus which does not respond to an antibiotic. However, if your child continues to have a fever for more than 4-5 days, has worsening of symptoms, difficulty breathing, wheezing, or you are worried about dehydration, please schedule an appointment to see us.