How to treat a baby with a cold

Cold

Cold is a part of growing up of every baby and statistics say that every baby has at least eight to ten colds before its first birthday. Cold is a condition that is not so serious, but it can be very difficult for the parent and a baby. If their baby has a clod, some parents prefer to use home medicines that their mothers used when they were small, too. It is not recommended to use over-the-counter medicines, because there are lot of side effect that may worse the condition of a baby.

Prevention

It would be good to know what can be used in order to prevent your baby from catching a cold. The best thing for that would be breastfeeding, if possible. Antibodies that are in mother’s milk fight against cold and provide its immune system with resistance from all sorts of infections. Maintain the hygiene of your baby and everyone who gets in contact with the baby. Clean hands are very important, so wash them every time when you want to get in contact with the baby. Make sure that your baby is in a fresh air cleared room, and avoid second hand smoke, because it can only increase the difficulty in the breathing of your baby. Make sure that people who are sick don’t get in contact with your baby, because they can transfer the infection to baby.

Treatment of cold

If your baby already has a cold, there are some methods that can be used in order to ease difficulty and relax the baby. Make hot steam from the shower in your bathroom and sit in it with your baby for 10-15 minutes. The steam will open the airways of your baby, and make breathing on the nose less difficult. After that, extract the secretion from baby’s nose with bulb syringe. A mixture of salt and water in a form of nasal drops is good for dry nasal secretion. Nowadays, there is a saline that can be bought in a form of gel that is spread around and inside the nose. Nasal drainage can be promoted if you put your baby in a semi-upright position. That can be also encouraged if you put a pillow under the head of baby’s mattress. It is not good to leave a pillow in the crib with the baby when not attended because it may suffocate. Baby’s room should be moisturized during night, and in the case of cold, you should give your baby a lot of fluid.

When to call a doctor?

You should call doctor drainage from ears, or an ear pain is presented, and if there is a difficulty with breathing. If you face with baby’s cough, call a doctor if your baby is coughing up mucus that is green, filled with blood or rust colored. If a cough lasts for more than ten days, you should take your baby to a doctor. Fever and high temperature are also clear signs that you should call a doctor, especially, if your baby is under four months and has a fever of 101F. If fever is followed by symptoms such as vomiting, stiff neck, rash and trouble breathing, call a doctor.