How to take care of a young baby with a cold

80% to 90% of colds are caused by viruses, and there are more than 200 types of viruses that can cause colds; 10% to 20% of colds are caused by bacteria. Babies under 1 year old are more susceptible to colds because their immune systems are not yet fully developed. The following is a look at how to take care of a baby with a cold.

Generally, a cold will last 7 to 10 days, and sometimes it can last about 2 weeks for a baby. Cough is often the last symptom to disappear, and it often lasts for several weeks. Babies who often play with older children usually get 6 to 10 colds in the first year; they may even have a runny nose all winter.

Therefore, new mothers must learn how to care for babies with colds.

Symptoms of a baby cold

The main symptoms include cough, fever, nasal congestion and runny nose, sore throat, and gastrointestinal dysfunction. Among these symptoms, parents are most worried about fever and cough. For the common cold, the fever symptoms are often not severe, but some special viral infections such as influenza virus infection may cause high fever.

When to see a doctor

If your baby is under 3 months old, you should take him to the doctor as soon as he shows cold symptoms. If your older baby shows any of the following conditions, you should take him to the hospital immediately: the cold lasts for more than 5 days; the temperature is over 39 degrees Celsius; the baby has ear pain.

Baby cold care methods

1. Get enough rest

1.1: For colds, good rest is essential. Let your baby sleep as much as possible, reduce outdoor activities appropriately, and don't make your baby tired. Take good care of your baby's diet and let your baby drink more water. Sufficient water can make the nasal secretions thinner and easier to clean.

1.2 Let your baby eat more fruits and juices rich in vitamin C. Try to eat less dairy products, which can increase the secretion of mucus. For babies with decreased appetite, mothers should prepare some easily digestible foods with good color, aroma and taste.

2. Let your baby sleep more comfortably

If your baby has a blocked nose, you can put one or two towels under the baby's mattress and slightly raise the head to relieve the blocked nose. Never let babies under two years old sleep directly on the pillow or put the pillow under the mattress, as this can easily cause suffocation or damage the cervical spine.

3. Help your baby blow his nose

3.1 The baby is still too young to blow his nose by himself. The best way to help the baby breathe smoothly is to help the baby blow his nose. The mother can apply a little vaseline oil in the baby's external nostrils, which often relieves nasal congestion.

3.2 If the mucus is thick, you can try to use a nasal aspirator or twist a medical cotton ball into a small stick to remove the mucus. If the blocked nose has caused difficulty in feeding, you can use saline nasal drops 15 minutes before feeding, and then use a nasal aspirator to suck out the saline and mucus in the nasal cavity.

4. Keep the air moist

Mothers can use a humidifier to increase the humidity in the baby's room, especially at night to help the baby breathe more smoothly. Don't forget to clean the humidifier with white vinegar and water every day to avoid the accumulation of dust and germs.

5. Give your baby a steam bath

Turn on the hot water or shower, close the door, and let your baby stay in a steamy room for 15 minutes. Your baby's stuffy nose will definitely improve significantly. Don't forget to change your baby into dry clothes immediately after the bath. If you let your baby play in slightly warm water for a while, it can also relieve the symptoms of nasal congestion and lower the body temperature.

How to treat a cold

1. Ensure adequate fluid intake. Drinking warm liquids (such as boiled water, warm apple juice, hot tea, hot chicken soup, etc.) can help relieve symptoms.

2. Humidify the room and place the humidifier near the child. Humidified air is conducive to the discharge of nasal secretions, but do not use heated steam atomization, because it not only has no therapeutic effect, but will damage the airway mucosa.

3. For local treatment with sea saline nasal drops or nasal sprays, it is recommended that infants should use an ear bulb to suck out the secretions in their nasal cavity (squeeze the ear bulb before putting it into the nostrils to suck out the secretions) and keep an upright posture to facilitate the flow of secretions.

4. It is recommended that infants should use an ear bulb to suck out the secretions in their nasal cavity and keep an upright posture to facilitate the flow of secretions.

How to prevent colds in babies

1. Exercise

It is very important to use natural factors to exercise the body, such as sleeping with the windows open, outdoor activities and sports, etc. These are all positive methods. As long as you persist and do them regularly, you can enhance your physical fitness and prevent upper respiratory tract infections.

2. Pay attention to hygiene

Wearing too many or too few clothes, room temperature being too high or too low, sudden weather changes, environmental pollution and passive smoking are all causes of upper respiratory tract infections and should be prevented.

3. Avoid cross infection

Wash your hands after contact with a sick child and wear isolation clothing if necessary. Isolation not only protects nearby children, but also reduces the risk of complications in sick children.

4. Drug prevention

Kamanshu, 5 ml for infants and 10 ml for children, orally, 3 times a day, 3 to 6 months as a course of treatment. Levamisole, 2.5 mg (kg·d), 2 days a week, 3 months as a course of treatment. Chinese medicine Astragalus, 6 to 9 g daily, for 2 to 3 months.