my baby has a cold?

Question

my baby is nearly 7 weeks old and she has a cold, her nose is a bit blocked and want to know if there's anything i can do to help her breath better.

Answer 1

I read some of the answers to this question and though I would't bother as there are loads of good and sensible answers. then I noticed a few really scary answers and thought I would just reassure you a bit.
Of course none of us can see your baby but you can and if you were desperatly worried i'm sure you would have seen the Dr by now.
I feel you just wanted some advice from folk with kids already.

Lots of babies get colds. I am a nurse working with the health visitors and just about every baby I've seen for the past 4 weeks has been full of cold.

If your worried seek help but don't panic.

Answer 2

If it is just her nose that is blocked that is making it hard to breath, either the steam from the shower or the saline nose drops work great. If she is wheezing she needs to be seen by the dr. My son was about 10 weeks and got a cold we ended up going to the er and he received a breathing treatment and an oral steroid. The breathing treatment was to break up the mucus so he could cough it out. (that is what the dr said) and the steroid was to help with the wheezing. In about a week he was better.

And not all colds are RSV. They tested my son for it and it was negative. Trust yourself you know if something is wrong with your baby. If she is congested and that is causing the breathing problem you should call the Dr. If she is getting blue around the lips at any time, including when she is coughing call the Dr and see if you should bring her to the ER or if the Dr can see her right now.

Good luck.

Answer 3

NO VICKS! NO OTC MEDS!

Call your daughter's doctor immediately!

Your child is 7 weeks old. Vaporub-type meds are NOT for babies under 3 MONTHS old. Decongestants and other OTC meds are NOT for babies under 3 MONTHS old.

Our daughter got sick when she was 6 weeks old. It started out as a stuffy, blocked nose and ended up with a 2 day hospital stay and a month of breathing treatments.... she had RSV. Our daughter was not a preemie and has never been in daycare, so, believe me when I say, any baby can get RSV.

What you want to do is call your daughter's doctor IMMEDIATELY. It is RSV season and you can not be too careful. They will probably want to see her.

I was in constant contact with our pediatrician from the time our daughter started getting sick. It was on a Sunday and our ped actually sent us in the the emergency room to have our daughter checked out. The only things our daughter recommended to try to help our daughter feel better was saline drops in her nose (Little Noses works wonders... just don't overdo it. The saline can end up burning your child's nasal passages if you use it too much.) followed soon after by a nasal aspirator.

Call your pediatrician immediately. At your daughter's age, a cold is not something that should be treated lightly. What may be just a cold for you or I, could be RSV and, if left untreated, could kill your child.

Call the doctor. Now.

EDITED TO ADD: No, not all colds are RSV. But why take the chance? Just take your child to a doctor. Why trust a bunch of strangers when it comes to health of your child????

Answer 4

its always a nice idea to sit with her in a bathroom filled with a bit of steam for around 15 mins or so which can help unblock her wee nose.

you can also tip your baby's head back and squeeze over-the-counter saline (salt water) drops into her nostrils to loosen up the mucus. Then suction out the liquid and mucus a few minutes later with a rubber bulb syringe. If your baby is having trouble nursing with a stuffy nose, try this tactic about 15 minutes before a feeding. She will then be able to breathe and suck at the same time. Apply vaseline to the outside of your baby's nostrils to reduce irritation.


Elevate the head of your baby's mattress by placing a couple of towels between the head of the mattress and the crib springs. Sleeping at a slight incline may help relieve her bunged up nosep, but don't overdo it. If your baby is a restless sleeper, she could end up flipping around so her feet are higher than her head, defeating the purpose of the elevation. (Never use pillows to prop up your baby as they could suffocate her. And don't put anything under the legs of the crib because that could make it unstable.) You might even consider letting your baby snooze in her car seat in a semi-upright position.

As long as she has plenty of cuddles from mum and lots of fluids it should pass soon - good luck!

Answer 5

I don't want to alarm you but a cold in a baby can very quickly become worse so keep a good eye on her and I would contact your doc or NHS 24 to ensure all bases are covered and nothing else is wrong. My son was 10 weeks old and I thought all he had was a cold then he went down hill rapidly and we had to go to hospital, he had bronchilitis which is rife between oct and march. He had to stay in hospital for 3 nights and get fed through a tube as he couldn't take a bottle.

Not trying to scare you just please act quickly if it gets worse.

Vaporub on a heater in her room, prop the end of her cot up when she is sleeping and calpol.

Answer 6

Shame... I feel it with you... My son had a cold at 10 weeks.. His pediatrician prescribed Salex Nasal Drops/Spray... Its a saline solution that's available over the counter and can be used as often as needed... I just used 1 drop in each nostril and it did the trick, Also try and elevate her when asleep and let her sleep on her left side with a rolled towel behind her back for support. This position keeps all passages open so she can breathe better... Good Luck...

Answer 7

raising the head end of your baby's moses basket can help ease her breathing while she is sleeping. always raise the whole basket never put anything under the mattress. I wouldn't give her any medication without consulting a doctor as she is very young but you could try a steamed up room. hope she feels better soon. x x

Answer 8

There is a product available from Chemists called Medised. It is very similar to Calpol as it contains paracetamol (and you must NOT give both products at the same time). The difference between the two products is Medised also contains an antihistamine which helps the baby breathe and also makes them drowsy and therefore helps them sleep. I can't remember what age you can give this from though. You had better check with the Pharmacist first.

Answer 9

I suggest trying saline. If you don't have a vaporizer in baby's room, I would recommend purchasing one and running it while your baby is sleeping. There isn't much you can do for such a little one, but these tips may help ease some of the congestion.

Answer 10

you can get nasel drops there saline water so are safe steam room if you have shower or hot enough water an steam little one out by putting some baby albass or karvol in water this will help get it all out of her also sorry spelling not good eucaliptus oil there are loads of produts snuffle babe is another its like vicks but not as strong rub it on her back at night always remember to leave window open a bit for her i know its chilly but central heating seems to block them up more so if she can breath fresh air as well you will notice improvement