A baby who is breast-fed usually develops only a mild cold, even when his mother may have a fairly severe one, because maternal antibodies against the cold virus are believed to enter the breast milk and reduce the illness in the baby. Recent studies suggest that frequent colds in young children who attend day care build up the children's immune systems and may make them less likely to have asthma and other respiratory conditions later in childhood. For a young child, the fever lasts two to three days, and the child may be irritable and may not want to eat much until the fever subsides. The child's nose may run with clear mucus, followed by yellow or green mucus for a few days, and a cough commonly develops within just a few days. When medicating, remember that aspirin has not been recommended for children at all since the 1980s because of concerns about Reye's syndrome.
Infants often do well with extra breast-feedings, or with formula diluted a bit with water.
Your doctor may recommend a commercial rehydrating solution made especially for infants. Older infants and toddlers will enjoy beverages such as fruit juices, commercial drinks such as Gatorade or lemonade, Jell-O, ice cream and Popsicles. Offer frequent small meals with some of your child's favorite foods, but don't be surprised if he's not interested. It's important to keep the nose clear so that your young one can breathe more easily. You can teach your toddler how to blow his nose at about 12 to 15 months of age.