Cold Question?

Question

I am a stay at home mom and I have had a bad cold for about 3 days now(sore throat, cough, runny nose). Today my 4 month old woke up with a running nose, I am sure she has caught my cold. Is there anything I can do for her. Do I need to call the doctor or wait it out? Thanks

Answer 1

You should contact your doctor if the baby has fever or starts coughing.

My 4.5 months old caught a cold 4 days ago, so I use saline drops and humidifier. It's hard for baby to breastfeed with stuffy nose, so I pump and use fast flow nipple on the bottle to make it easier for him. I also put few drops of my milk in baby's nose - it's an old home remedy. The baby doesn't object saline drops or milk - unlike prescribed nasal drops that I stopped using after trying on myself (too painful for a young one).

One more thing if your baby does develop more cold symptoms: you need to make sure you can cope with baby being sick. I found it extremely hard, especially being already exhausted from my cold that I, same as you, had for 4 days. Get help, if you can and make sure to take care of yourself so you are strong enough to handle baby being week, not smiley, fussy at night and during feeding. I hope your baby doesn't get sicker, but it's better to be ready.

Take care.

Answer 2

As long as the baby doesn't have a fever, you don't need to call the doctor. You shouldn't give her medication until she is 6 months old, but the good news is that babies tend to get over colds faster than adults.

You can try putting saline drops in the baby's nose, and then using an aspirator after a few minutes. Don't stick the aspirator in too far, and don't do it all the time, or you will irritate the nose further. About 5 minutes before each feeding is ideal.

Also, having a vaporizer next to her or going in a steamy bathroom with the hot shower on will help clear up congestion.

One final note - if you are breastfeeding, the baby may not nurse as well. Don't give up - she needs the antibodies from the milk more than ever when she is sick! You may have to try nursing her in a more upright position for a while, or nursing her more often.

Good luck, and hope you both feel better soon!