How do you know when your baby has a cold & what should you do?

Question

2 month old, no fever, still eats and sleeps well but has a runny nose and mouth with an occasional cough.

Answer 1

I wouldn't worry too much about it unless your baby gets a fever, very bad cough, or just starts acting very off. What you could do in the meantime are a few things.
1. Get a humidifier for the baby's room. This will help with the congestion. Some have a place for things live Vicks Vaporub or an oil. A eucalyptus oil will help them breathe better.
2. Try the PediaCare Gentle Vapors plug if you have just a regular humidifier. This is a small unit, like a nightlight, that you plug in and slowly lets out baby-safe vapors. I use this with my daughter.
3. If your baby gets congested when sleeping in the crib at night, don't prop them up with pillows or blankets. Your baby could get tangled or suffocate. Try instead putting it underneath the mattress. This props it up on one end, but still keeps the sleeping area clear of harmful objects. This works like a charm. When my daughter was sick, she would only sleep when I held her, because she was propped up. So I did this and managed to get some sleep myself.
4. Make sure you give them lots of fluids. Formula, plain water, diluted apple juice, and pedialyte all work. At 2 months old, I wouldn't give them anything other than those listed. Other juices aren't good for such young stomaches.
5. Last resort would be to medicate. I would only do this if your baby really seems to be suffering. The doctor won't perscribe an antibiotic for them because they don't work on colds. If you do medicate, call your doctors office first to find out how much to give the baby. All medications at that age are given by weight, not age.

Answer 2

Well its like when you have a cold. Stuffy nose, running nose , watery eyes. There isn't much you can do to to prevent a cold because babies immune system are immature, which makes them vulnerable to illness. Make sure you wash you hands all the time, and if in daycare your child will be sick more often. My son is 6 month old, and he got a cold from daycare once. I wash my hands before picking him up, disinfect pacifiers, and linens. You might want to invest in a cool mist humifier. So it regulates cool clean air in the room. Just be extra careful with your infant, I wouldnt take him out of the house alot and around other peope. If the cough changes sound to a more distinctive, take him in the doctor ASAP.

Answer 3

yeah that's a cold. You can determine how bad it is by the mucous. If its green there is still infection. If you can hold her/him upright while sleeping that would be good otherwise prop a pillow under the mattress. Turn on the humidifier if you don't have one then sit in the bathroom with the hot water running in the shower. That will loosen the cough. Keep an eye out watch for signs of pneumonia, again look at the phlegm, the phlegm is usually yellow, bloodstained or rust-colored.

Answer 4

How do you know when you have a cold? What do you do? Kids are the same as adults...its not like kids are another species!

**I should correct the statement above. Kids are smaller versions of adults. If you normally take cold medicine, don't give them exactly what you would take. Buy kids medicine and talk to your doctor.

Answer 5

sounds like a cold. They won't want to put a baby that young on antibiotics unless they really really have to. But just make sure she keeps eating and drinking. Let her sleep if she's tired, because our immune system heals us while we sleep. And by all means if you feel like your baby needs to see the doctor, just go ahead and take her. Always trust your instincts.

Answer 6

It sounds more like allergies than a cold, but there's no real way to tell other than going to a doctor.

From parent-to-parent, I'm going to give you a little advice: unless you child is acting completely out of the ordinary, don't worry. Give your child liquids and let her do what she needs to do.

In other words, don't medicate just because you can. Let the system runs it course and only use medicine if your child is acting different.

Answer 7

It could be a cold or it could be allergies. Just keep your eyes on the baby to see if anything else changes or gets worse. It could be the baby fighting off a cold through their mucus. It's better to be running than be stuffed.

Answer 8

take your baby and make a bath and use that menthol bath soap to help soothe the baby then after sit on the toilet or foor and turn the shower on really hot to make the room steam up This will make the baby breath easier and calm. Worked on all 3 of my kids.

Answer 9

If the baby shows signs of cold, coughing excessively, running nose, temperature.. then they probably do.
You should consult a doctor if you a really concerned. www.webmd.com might help also.

Answer 10

you carnt treat colds in people so just let it run its corse, if it starts to boather your baby then u can give him "2.5ml of calpol (but double check with your doctor untill he?she is 3 months). just make sure the cold doesnt settle on he/she chest if it does contact your doctor straight away.