Baby Cold Symptoms and
How to Give Care
by: Leroy Chan
Remember how miserable you felt when you last had a cold? Can you
imagine what your baby must feel when he experiences a cold for the first
time?
Viruses are responsible for causing colds. Infected people spread the
viruses when they sneeze or cough nearby healthy people. The virus gets
into the nose and throat where it multiplies.
What Are The Symptoms?
When your baby has a cold, there will be a number of symptoms. He will
be sneezing and have a runny nose. He may have a sore throat and it may be
difficult for him to swallow. His glands may become swollen.
He may not feel like eating much and he could become irritable. A cough
may develop. He may get a slight fever or have a body temperature of 101
to 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
When to Seek Medical Advice
If your baby is three months old or less and has cold like symptoms,
you should contact a pediatrician immediately. Cold like symptoms in a
baby three months old or less are misleading and could lead to a serious
ailment.
On the other hand, if your child is more than three months old you
should contact a doctor if you notice that he is breathing loudly and his
nostrils expand out with each breath. His nails or lips are becoming blue.
His mucus is thick, runny and green. He has a cough that hasn’t gone a way
for more than a week. His ears ache. His temperature is more than 102
degrees Fahrenheit. He has become more drowsy or grouchy.
How to Care For Your Baby
Medical experts tell us there is no cure for the common cold. However,
there are ways to alleviate the miserable symptoms your baby undergoes.
Make sure he gets plenty of rest and extra fluids. If he has a fever,
give him acetaminophen or if he’s older that six months he may take
ibuprofen (but don’t give it to your baby if he is dehydrated or
continuously vomiting).
If your child has a cough and is under three years old, don’t give him
a cough suppressing medicine unless it was prescribed by a pediatrician.
Coughing rids the lower respiratory tract of mucus.
If your baby has nasal congestion, you can use a rubber suction bulb to
draw out the mucus from his nostrils. If the mucus is too thick, you can
apply saline nose drops to soften the mucus before extracting with the
bulb. A humidifier can also be used in the baby’s room to help liquefy the
nasal secretions.
Concluding Thoughts
The best way for your baby to avoid a cold is to not have him near
people who are infected. But if your baby gets a cold, the best thing you
can do is make it comfortable for him. Soon his cold symptoms will
disappear and he’ll be back to health, that is, until the next episode.
But by now you’ll be ready for that, won’t you?
To learn more about newborns and what you can expect during your baby’s
first year visit:
http://www.firstyearbabyadvice.com
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