When your baby has a cold, it can break your heart. Without being able to communicate very well, it’s hard to know exactly what your baby needs and how you can help him or her to feel better. Luckily, there are a few tried-and-true things you can do to help any child with a cold or cold-like symptoms to start feeling better as quickly as possible, which never seems to be soon enough. To show you how, here are three tips for taking care of an infant with a cold.
Be Careful With Medications
If an adult or even an older child starts getting a cold, it’s generally fine to begin using over-the-counter medications to try to fight the symptoms. And if the cold gets bad enough or something else seems to be the problem, visiting a doctor can get you a prescription for something a little strong. However, with babies, medication isn’t always the best idea. Teresa Pitman, a contributor to Today’s Parent.com, shares that medications we can take as adults often don’t help or can even be harmful to your baby. While they can be helpful for fevers, if your baby has cold symptoms, it’s best to stay away from medications or other drugs unless advised to give them by your child’s pediatrician.
Rest, Rest, Rest
One of the best things you can do with and for your child with a cold is to let him or her rest. When your child is resting, you’re allowing their body to use all their energy to fight off the infection and get them healthier. For little babies who aren’t quite mobile yet, resting is relatively easy. But if you have an older baby or a toddler, resting can be hard. To help with this, Karen Miles, a contributor to BabyCenter.com, recommends using these days to let your child watch their favorite shows or movies while cuddling on the couch or even in a blanket fort on the floor. Keep lots of liquids nearby, and try to make resting as enjoyable of an experience as possible.
Bring On The Humidity
If some of the symptoms your baby’s experiencing are a stuffy or runny nose, one great way to combat this is with humidity. Linda DiProperzio, a contributor to Parents.com, shares that when you’re baby’s sleeping, running a humidifier in their room will help to loosen up their mucus while they sleep. You could also put a few drops of essential oils in the water to assist with this. When the baby’s awake, try sitting in the bathroom with a hot shower running to create a makeshift steam room. This steam will also help to open your child’s airways and make it easier to breathe through a stuffy or runny nose.
When your baby gets a cold, consider using some of the tips mentioned above to help ease their discomfort and get them feeling better soon.