Fighting the Common Cold in Babies

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It is heartbreaking to see your baby suffer from common cold. Very common in occurrence, the youngest children have almost 6 to 8 colds every year. Older children attending day care, play schools and frequent visits to park are more prone to have common cold because of proximity with other children who may be suffering from common cold.

What causes common cold?

Studies have reported that there are more than 200 different cold viruses. The most common virus causing colds are rhinovirus in all age groups. It has been found that by the age of 5 years, virtually all children have been exposed to one or the other cold virus.

How do I know it is common cold

The symptoms of a common cold are seen after about 10-12 hours of a viral infection while an influenza virus may take 1 to 7 days to appear as symptoms. The mean duration of a common cold is 7 to 10 days in children but in younger children it may last longer.

The most common symptoms of common cold in babies and children are;

     1.       Runny nose (watery discharge at first, which later becomes thicker and yellowish)

     2.       Sneezing

     3.       Nasal congestion

Symptoms which may be associated with a complication of common cold are;

    1.       Dry cough worsening when the baby lies down

    2.       Fever

    3.       Itchy throat

    4.       Fatigue

    5.       Loss of appetite

Complications of common cold

The symptoms of common cold may persist in some children even after 3 weeks. The most common complications arising as a result of cold are acute otitis media occurring in almost 20% of children with viral upper respiratory infections.

The viral infection may also affect the middle ear fluid and cause an inflammation in the mucosa of the middle ear. Bronchitis, pneumonia or sinusitis are certain other complications associated with cold.

Doctor's problem

The biggest problem associated with the cold in infants and younger children is that they cannot express their symptoms. Diagnosis in infants is especially difficult when fever is the major symptom during the early phase of the infection and the doctor is faced with the difficulty of distinguishing viral infections from severe bacterial infections.

Treatment of common cold

There are no known cures for common cold, but symptoms can be treated to provide relief to the baby or the young child. The treatment that has been recommended for common cold in babies and young children are;

    1.       Suctioning of mucus with a suction bulb. Over the counter saline nasal drops may be used to soften the hard mucus before the suctioning of mucus. This will help the baby to feed properly and sleep well.

    2.       Keep the air in the room humidified to moisten the air, reduce congestion and facilitate breathing in the babies.

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    3.       Make the baby sleep on his /her belly with head elevated to ease breathing.

    4.       Petroleum jelly or similar ointment should be applied lightly to the outside of and under nose to prevent chapping and reddening of the skin.

    5.       Decongestants prescribed by the physician are given to ease congestion so that the baby can eat and sleep properly.

    6.       Nose drops are given after being prescribed the doctor to ease the congestion. Overuse may lead to a rebound reaction and worsen the condition of the baby.

    7.       Cough medicine may be prescribed by the doctor to ease a dry cough in extreme cases. But, generally cough suppressants are not prescribed for the babies. American Academy of Pediatrics cautions against the use of any cough medicines in infants and children. Antibiotics should be used only in case of secondary bacterial infection.

    8.       The baby should be isolated from others in the family for the initial three days to prevent spreading of the cold to others.

    9.       Dietary changes: baby should be continued on normal diet. The intake of milk and other dairy products may be reduced as these can thicken the secretions. Fluid intake should be increased to replenish the lost fluids. Vitamin C rich foods should be given to the baby.

Red alert!

Mostly, children cope well with cold but there are instances where immediate intervention of the doctor becomes inevitable. Rush your baby to the doctor in any of these conditions;

    1.       If this is  a first cold of your baby

    2.       If your baby is under 3 months or 4 months of age and has a fever over 101˚F

    3.       If the temperature suddenly goes up or stays for more than 2 days

    4.       A dry cough lasting for more than 2 weeks or interfering with the baby’s sleep, causes choking or vomiting, becomes thick and productive or wheezy

    5.       A cough lasting for more than three weeks in an infant or six in an older baby

    6.       If breathing difficulties develop

    7.       If a thick greenish yellow nasal discharge develops lasting for more than a day

    8.       If the nasal discharge is streaked with blood

    9.       Unusual amount of crying or loss of appetite