How To Treat Your Baby’s Cold. There is nothing so disgusting than…
By: Brian Ford
Tags: Fatherhood, Motherhood, Parenting Blog, Parenting, Baby Products

There is nothing so disgusting than having a cold. For an adult, the fever kicks in a blocked nose and lack of appetite. Worst of it all is running nose. You can’t comfortably bend down to pick a dropped pen without a discharge flowing from your nose.

If you feel this way, how well do you know what your baby goes through when he is down with a cold?

I can admit, it’s not a walk in the park for the little human beings. Especially blocked nose that makes them breathe through the mouth.

Although if you are a parent who is on the right side of history. You may have 2–3 tips that might help your baby feel better. And here are some of the recommended tips:

Ways to Manage Your Baby’s Cold

The discomfort that comes with your baby catching a cold is unbearable. How can you help in such a scenario? Well, you can at least relieve your baby’s discomfort to help him feel better. And at least ease the infection from getting worse by making sure he gets enough liquids and rest. For example, formula or breastfeeding if he is 3 months and below.

With older babies, you can let them drink some water. And if he is 6 months old you can let him drink juice. To relieve his nose congestion, you can get over the counter saline solution drops in their nostrils. After that you can suction the nostrils with a rubber bulb syringe to get rid of liquid and mucus.

It works best if you do it 15 minutes before you start feeding your baby. Since it might be hectic to feed your baby while he is having difficulties breathing through the nose. Also, apply some petroleum jelly on the outside part of your baby’s nostrils to help reduce irritation.

Also, you might decide to sit in a steamy bathroom with the toddler while the hot water from the shower is running for at least 15 minutes. Or you can use cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer to maximize the moisture in the baby’s room. This provides relief to the baby. A warm bath can also work wonders and can provide more comfort.

Putting your baby to sleep in a slight incline position helps relieve nasal congestion. Although, avoid at any point to use a pillow in the baby’s crib to do this. We all know pillows are among the leading causes of SIDS in babies.

To avoid this, you can use towels. Roll up 2 or 3 towels and put between the mattress and the crib spring. Also, you can decide to let him sleep in the car seat in a slightly tilted upright position.

If your baby is less than 3 months old. At any sign of illness, be sure to contact your doctor. More so if he has a fever of 100.4 degrees or he is coughing. Your doctor will give you instructions on what might be the cause of fever in infants. In case the symptoms don’t improve within a span of 5 to 7 days and the cough worsens, has a wheezing sound.

there might be a possibility of respiratory syncytial virus, pneumonia or an ear infection. Notify your doctor and let her take it from there

Signs Your Baby has Colds

A running and stuffy nose are the first sign that can alert you your baby has a cold. At first, the nasal mucous discharge will be clear and thin. But after a few days, the color changes to yellow-green. It should not worry you much since it’s a normal gesture when it comes to cold symptoms.

Some other signs you might notice are:

1.Fever

2.Sneezing

3.Fussiness

4.Coughing mostly at night

5. loss of appetite

6.Difficulty sleeping

7. Difficult suckling or nursing due to nasal congestion.

Note:

You will find out that colds have almost similar symptoms as other ailments like pneumonia, flu or croup. That said, you shouldn’t be quick to administer treatment without any diagnosis from a doctor.

What Are the Causes of Colds in Babies?

Colds are caused by viral infections and thus can never be treated by antibiotics. Babies getting colds are usually cases. Especially older babies. And normal activities can expose your baby to the germs. For example, outside play or a visit to the mall.

A fun fact is that breastfeeding babies are more immune to the virus than babies fed on formula. The reason being breastmilk has antibodies, enzymes and white blood cells responsible for preventing the baby from contracting the infection.

Although we can’t conclude that breastfeeding babies are fully immune to colds.

How to Keep Cold Away from Your Baby

The most essential way to keep your baby far from getting cold is by avoiding contact with people suffering from it. This is because the viruses causing colds can be very contagious. It can be a little bit difficult in case it is a sibling or one of the parents sneezing or coughing.

But it can be achieved by making sure the affected people wash their hands before holding your baby.

Related Posts: Best Baby Wipes Dispenser Review of 2020 How To Handle Teething in Toddlers