How to care for a baby with a cold

When your baby is sick with a cold, it’s normal to think they need medicine, like an antibiotic or cold medicine. But some simple home measures are better for helping your baby get over a cold.

They include:

• Drinking lots of fluids — congestion gets worse when your baby is dehydrated.
• Using a humidifier to loosen the congestion.
• Using a bulb syringe to clear out the baby’s nose. Squeeze the air out of the bulb and gently insert the tip of the syringe into your baby’s nostril. This will clear out some of the mucous. Do this no more than four times a day. Also, ask your doctor how to use nasal saline drops to help the process.
• You can consider giving your baby children’s acetaminophen (such as Tylenol or a generic alternative) or ibuprofen (such as Motrin, Advil, or a generic alternative) for fever or discomfort. Check with your doctor for the right dose.

Often, your baby will start to feel better within a few days.

Be aware that many symptoms of COVID-19 — such as fever, cough, fatigue, and stuffy nose — are similar to those of a common cold. For that reason, it's best to check in with your doctor whenever your baby shows cold symptoms. This is especially true if your baby attends daycare or is in close contact with other kids who are too young to be vaccinated.

When to worry

It can take several days to a couple of weeks for a cold to get fully better. Some babies will sniffle longer than that. It’s also common for babies to have less appetite, which is usually fine as long as they are drinking fluids. Some babies will have vomiting or diarrhea with a cold.

Call your doctor if your baby:

• Has a high fever (102 degrees Fahrenheit or higher), or a new fever after being sick for a few days. If your baby is less than 3 months old, call for any fever 100.4 or higher.
• Has a cough that won’t stop.
• Has sucking in around the ribs, flaring around the nose, or rapid breathing.
• Gets a pale or blue color to the skin.
• Is much sleepier or crankier than normal.
• Refuses to drink fluids or does have not wet diapers every 6 hours.

It’s most likely that these won’t happen, and your baby will be just fine. A baby with a cold mostly needs lots of TLC and some patience.