What to do to help a 4 month old baby with a cold, runny nose and cough?

Answer 1

FIRST talk to your pediatrician.

Personally I use the Little Noses Products...They are really good and they're gentle
http://www.littlenoses.com/

What can I do to help my child’s cold?
There are approximately 200 viruses that cause colds. The most common cold symptoms are:
Runny or stuffy nose
Cough
Sore throat
Sneezing
Fever
A decrease in appetite; decrease in energy level; as well as fussiness may also be signs of a cold.

Unfortunately, there’s no cure for colds, however you can provide temporary relief from cold symptoms while the virus runs its course.

Helpful Hints:
Make sure your baby drinks plenty of fluids. This will help make coughs more productive by loosening phlegm
Use a cool mist humidifier in your baby’s room to put moisture in the air to help your baby’s stuffy nose and dry scratchy throat.
NOTE: Vaporizers vs. Humidifiers
Both vaporizers and humidifiers accomplish the same goal - to put moisture into the air. Cool mist humidifiers put moisture into the air by using a motor that converts the water to a fine mist. A vaporizer produces moisture by boiling the water with a heating element converting the water to steam. In general, cool-mist humidifiers are recommended over vaporizers

Answer 2

It's so hard when they are this age. You cannot do/give much medicine and it always hurt me more to see them uncomfortable.

Use saline (salt water only - no medicated sprays) drops to help loosen what is in his nose then suck as much out with a bulb syringe. They will not like this, but it helps them breath. Try to do this 10-15 min. before feeding so they can breath easier when eating.

For sleeping, prop the crib up at the head end with a couple of towels under the mattress. If your baby's like mine was, he would end up head down and even stuffier! When it was real bad he would spend a couple of nights buckled in his car seat with me laying next to him in the living room. This kept his head up and the drainage going down.

For the cough try running the hot water in the shower and get some steam in bathroom and you and baby stay in for 10-15 min. Then open the door a bit and slowly let the steam out. This lets baby cool down and avoids setting heat/smoke detectors off.

WHEN TO CALL DR
If baby is not producing 8 or more wet diapers a day (possible dehydration), has a fever over 101, or anytime you are unsure if they should see baby. Even if it is 2 AM and you are worried - call them - this is what they are there for!

Take Care!

Answer 3

Our 3 1/2 month old also has a cold. You don't want to give him/her something that will stop the coughing because the coughing is good for breaking up and eliminating mucus. Baby tylenol will help ease the aches and pains (call doc to get proper dose based on weight). I've been sucking all the snot out of her nose, and I've found that laying her on her belly across my knees helps all the snot run out of her nose. My little girls appetite has also been nearly nonexistent so we've been giving her a couple ounces of pedialyte every couple of hours to keep her hydrated. Here's a homemade pedialyte recipe:
List of Ingredients

1 quart water
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

* Optional:
1/2 pack any flavor Kool Aid (no sugar added) or to taste
1/4 tsp. salt substitue (for potassium- sold as NuSalt)

Recipe

Heat up a small amount of the water and dissolve all other ingredients in it.
Add remaining water and stir well. Keep in refridgerator.

Edit: If you do use a vapor rub, make sure to buy one that does NOT have camphor as an active ingredient. At certain levels, camphor can be toxic for babies, so look for one that is labeled safe for your child's age. Source: March 2007 issue of American Baby magazine.

Answer 4

I would simply start by bringing her to the doctor. When my son was 6 months old he had the same thing, so I did what I thought was best -- put a humidifier in his room. Turned out I made him worse. The humidifer coated the flem in his lungs (bronchiollitus) making it harder for the body to cough it out. Plus I didn't realize he had an ear infection as well b/c he didn't have a fever.

The dr gave us a nebulizer and that helped immensely.

Other than that, get a nose bulb to suck the stuff out of her nose. Cuddle her a lot, and as long as she doesn't have a fever, let her enjoy a nice bath.

Hope that helps:-)

Answer 5

First off, don't give anything over the counter, other than Tylenol, without seeing the baby's doctor first. Reason being - OTC medications can mask other, more serious, symptoms in a baby under one year old.

If you're comfortable with watching your baby at home, run a cool mist vaporizer in the house - especially in the baby's room - to put moisture in the air. (Humidifiers can burn.) Try elevating the head of the baby's mattress a little to ease the postnasal drip - put a folded towel under the head of the mattress. OR, your baby might be more comfortable sleeping in their baby seat, which is fine too.

If there's any problems with feeding, sleeping, or breathing, you need to at least speak to the doctor.

Answer 6

How do you know that he has a cold? Runny nose could indicate teething, even though its early, babies can teethe for months without actually producing a tooth. The coughing could be him/her clearing their throat. They don't know how to do that yet, so thats how they acheive what we can do without thinking about it. If you think it may be a cold anyways, go to the doctor before medicating your baby.. there may be no need. Good Luck!

Answer 7

unless directed by a dr, do not give OTC meds even Little Nose products do not have dosage for babies under atleast 6 mos. Saline drops (2 per nostril) and nasal aspirator. Sit in the bathroom with the shower on hot so that the steam can break up the congestion. If you have them, use a humidifier over night.

Answer 8

Sounds like you are doing everything correctly!! Saline, Tylenol, and using the bulb syringe are all good things for little ones colds!! It is a good idea for babies to catch colds, ear aches, fevers...etc.....this allows their immune systems to build up resistance to these bugs. If your doctor did not prescribe any kind of meds for your baby, it could very well be a viral infection. Bacteria infection are treated with anitibiotics, while virals are not.

Answer 9

Of course consult your doctor. I use a vaporizor at night, and use the Vick's baby rub on her chest. Also the Little Noses spray is great and the little stips you place in their mouth that melt work great, but be sure you get the infant ones.

Answer 10

well, medicine is not good for a four months baby rather you can try some home remedies to soothe him. inhaling steam is very effective in this case, or you "might try babies magic tea" of secrets of tea, its an herbal blend and has amazing effects.