Common cold in babies

A common cold in a baby is a viral infection in the nose and throat. A stuffy and runny nose are the main symptoms of a cold.

All babies are likely to get the common cold. That’s partly because they’re often around older children. Also, babies bodies are not yet ready to fight off many common infections. When their bodies build up protection, it’s called immunity.

Babies and young children usually have 6 to 8 colds a year. They might have more if they go to child care.

Treatment for the common cold in babies involves easing their symptoms. That might include giving them fluids, keeping the air moist and helping them keep the inside of their noses clear.

Very young infants must see a healthcare professional at the first sign of the common cold. That’s to make sure they don’t have croup, pneumonia or other more-serious illnesses.

The first symptoms of the common cold in a baby are often:

• A stuffy or runny nose.
• Mucus coming from the nose. It might be clear at first but then might thicken and turn yellow or green.

Other symptoms of a common cold in a baby may include:

• Fever.
• Sneezing.
• Coughing.
• Not wanting to eat.
• Fussiness.
• Trouble sleeping.
• Trouble nursing or taking a bottle due to the stuffy nose.

Babies’ immune systems take time to mature. Most colds don’t cause problems. A cold with no complications should clear up within 10 to 14 days.

But it’s important to take babies’ symptoms seriously. If symptoms don’t improve or if they get worse, it’s time to talk to a healthcare professional.

For babies younger than 3 months old, call a healthcare professional early in the illness. In newborns, it’s important to make sure they don’t have a more serious illness.

For babies 3 months old or older, call a healthcare professional if the baby:

• Isn’t wetting as many diapers as usual.
• Has a temperature higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
• Seems to have ear pain or is unusually cranky.
• Has red eyes or has yellow or green fluid coming from the eyes.
• Has trouble breathing or is wheezing.
• Has an ongoing cough.
• Has thick, green mucus coming from the nose for several days.
• Has other symptoms that worry you, such as a scary cry or not waking up to eat.

Get medical help right away if the baby:

• Refuses to nurse or drink fluids.
• Coughs hard enough to cause vomiting or changes in skin color.
• Coughs up bloody mucus.
• Has trouble breathing or whose skin around the lips looks blue if the baby has white skin, and gray or white skin around the lips if the baby has brown or Black skin.
• Has trouble breathing or whose skin around the lips looks pale, gray or blue-colored depending on skin color.
• Has low energy or is extra sleepy.

The common cold is an infection of the nose and throat, called an upper respiratory tract infection. More than 200 viruses can cause the common cold. Rhinoviruses are the most common.

A cold virus enters babies’ bodies through the mouth, eyes or nose.

Once infected by a virus, a baby’s body usually can fight off that same virus in the future. That’s called immunity. But because so many viruses cause colds, babies may have several colds a year and many throughout their lives. Also, some viruses don’t give lasting immunity.

Babies can be infected with a virus by:

• Air. Someone who is sick can spread the virus to a baby by talking, sneezing or coughing.
• Direct contact. Someone with a cold who touches a baby’s hand can spread the cold virus to the baby. The baby then can get the virus by touching the eyes, nose or mouth.
• Surfaces. Some viruses live on surfaces for two hours or longer. Babies can catch a virus by touching a surface that has the virus, such as a toy, then touching the eyes, nose or mouth.

A few factors put babies at higher risk of a common cold.

• Immature immune systems. Babies are at risk of common colds because they haven’t yet come into contact with most of the viruses that cause them.
• Being with other children. Children don’t always wash their hands or cover their coughs and sneezes. So being with children can increase a baby’s risk of catching a cold. Being with anyone who has a cold can increase the risk of getting a cold.
• Time of year. Colds are more common from fall to late spring. But babies can get colds anytime.

A common cold can cause:

• Acute ear infection, called otitis media. This is the most common complication of the common cold. Ear infections occur when bacteria or viruses enter the space behind the eardrum.
• Wheezing. A cold can trigger wheezing, even in children who don’t have asthma. For children with asthma, a cold can make it worse.
• Acute sinusitis. A common cold that doesn’t clear up may lead to an infection within the spaces inside the nose, called sinuses. This is sinusitis.
• Other infections. A common cold can lead to other infections, including pneumonia, bronchiolitis and croup. A healthcare professional needs to treat these infections.

There’s no vaccine for the common cold. The best defense against the common cold is using common sense and washing hands often.

• Keep babies away from people who are sick. Don’t let anyone who’s sick visit a newborn. If possible, don’t use public transportation, such as buses, and don’t go to places where there are a lot of people.

• Wash your hands before feeding or touching the baby. Wash hands well and often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

  Teach older children how important is it to wash their hands. Remind them not to touch eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.

• Clean baby toys and pacifiers often. Clean surfaces that people touch. This is especially important if someone who spends time with the baby has a cold.
• Teach everyone in the house to cough or sneeze into a tissue. Throw away used tissues right away. If you have no tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow. Then wash hands well.
• Know your child care center. Look for a child care setting that makes sick children stay home. And look for one that has other ways of keeping children well, such as regular hand-washing and surface cleaning.

A healthcare professional can generally diagnose a common cold by a baby’s symptoms. For a possible bacterial infection or other condition, a chest X-ray or other tests can rule out other causes of the baby’s symptoms.

Most common colds get better without treatment in 7 to 10 days. But coughs might hang on for a week or more. Antibiotics don’t help cold viruses.

Medicines to reduce fever and pain

Don’t give medicine to a baby without talking to the baby’s healthcare professional.

If a fever is making your baby too uncomfortable, you can try a fever reducer you can get without a prescription. However, fever is a natural response to the virus. So it may help to let your child have a low-grade fever.

For treatment of fever or pain in children, consider infants’ or children’s medicines such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others).

For children younger than 3 months old, don’t give acetaminophen until your baby has seen a healthcare professional. Don’t give ibuprofen to a child younger than 6 months old or to children who are vomiting or are dehydrated. Use these medicines for the shortest time.

If you give your child a pain reliever, follow the dosing guidelines carefully. Call your healthcare professional if you have questions about the right dose for your baby.

Children and teenagers recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms should never take aspirin. This is because aspirin has been linked to Reye’s syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, in such children.

Cough and cold medicines

Cough and cold medicines aren’t safe for infants and young children. They don’t treat the cause of a cold and won’t make it go away sooner. And they can cause serious, sometimes deadly, side effects.

Don’t use medicines that are available without a prescription, except for fever reducers and pain relievers, to treat coughs and colds in children younger than 6 years old.

You usually can treat an older baby’s cold at home. To make your baby as comfortable as possible, try some of these suggestions:

• Offer plenty of fluids. Liquids are important to avoid losing too much body fluid, called dehydration. Formula or breast milk is the best choice. Encourage your baby to take in the usual amount of fluids. Extra fluids aren’t necessary. If you’re breastfeeding your baby, keep it up. Breast milk offers extra protection from cold-causing germs.

• Suction your baby’s nose. Keep your baby’s nose clear with a rubber-bulb syringe. Squeeze the bulb syringe to let out the air. Then put the tip of the bulb about 1/4 to 1/2 inch (about 6 to 12 millimeters) into one side of the baby’s nose. Point it toward the back and side of the nose.

  Stop squeezing the bulb syringe and hold it in place while it sucks the mucus from the baby’s nose. Remove the syringe from the nostril. Empty it onto a tissue by squeezing the bulb fast while holding the tip down. Repeat on the other side of the nose.

  Repeat as often as needed on each side of the nose. Clean the bulb syringe with soap and water.

• Try saltwater drops for the nose, called saline nasal drops. These drops can moisten the inside of the nose and loosen thick mucus. You can get these drops without a prescription.

  Put the drops in each side of the nose. Wait for a short time. Then use a bulb syringe to draw mucus out of each side of the nose.

• Moisten the air. Running a cool-water humidifier in your baby’s room can ease a stuffy nose. Change the water daily and follow the instructions for cleaning the unit.

If you need to see your baby’s healthcare professional, here’s some information to help you get ready for the appointment.

What you can do

Make a list of:

• Symptoms you’ve noticed in your baby, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment, and when they began.
• Key personal information, such as whether your baby goes to child care or has been around someone with a common cold. Include how many colds your baby has had and how long they lasted. Note whether your baby is around someone who smokes.
• All medicines, vitamins or supplements your baby takes, including doses.
• Questions to ask your healthcare professional.

For a common cold, some questions to ask include:

• What is likely causing my baby’s symptoms?
• Are there other possible causes?
• What tests are needed?
• What’s the best course of action?
• My baby has other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
• Are there restrictions we need to follow?
• Are there medicines that aren’t safe for my child at this age?

Be sure to ask all the questions you have about your baby’s condition.

What to expect from your doctor

Your healthcare professional is likely to ask you questions, including:

• Have your baby’s symptoms been ongoing, or do they come and go?
• How bad are they?
• What, if anything, seems to improve them?
• What, if anything, appears to worsen them?
• Has the stuffy nose caused your baby to eat or drink less?
• Does your baby have as many wet diapers as usual?
• Has there been a fever? If so, how high?
• Are your child’s vaccinations up to date?
• Has your child taken antibiotics recently?