What to do for a newborn with a cold?

Question

My baby is 5 weeks old and I think she has the cold. She keeps sneezing a coughing but it doesn't sound sore, also she is quite nasally and has a little squeak when she breaths its worse after she wakes up. What is best to do for a baby her age?

Answer 1

Take her to the doctor to rule out any infection that may be causing her blocked nose.

Try using of a humidifier in the her room to relieve her blocked nose this will allow her to breathe more easily.

You could also try using the steam inhalation method, just run the bath in a closed bathroom to fill it with steam, and sit in there with her for 10 - 15 minutes. Just be careful not to heat the room to an uncomfortable temperature.

Answer 2

first you should go to the doctor asap.or give her some cough medicine.

if it gets worse then give her lots of sleep and water.just don't worry so much.

Answer 3

humidifier,  bulb syringe out nasal passages only before eating. put a pillow or blanket under the matress in the bed to elevate head or have them sleep in a car seat. this will make it comfy to sleep.  NO MEDS

Answer 4

take her to the doc plz

Answer 5

With both my children, when they were tiny and had colds, I kept a bowl of very hot boiled water mixed with a drop of eucalyptus oil next to their cots when they were sleeping, the steam really helped to unblock their noses. Also, a warm (not hot!!!) bath is good.

I didn't take them to the doctor because

a) newborns can't be given any medicine so the doctor wouldn't have been able to prescribe or recommend any medication

b) a cold is a cold - the human body sorts itself out after a few days.

Sure, if the child had seizures or a strange rash, breathed very heavily or seemed floppy and unresponsive or exhibited other serious reactions, then they need to see a doctor. But a bit of phlegm even a tiny baby can cope with...  

Answer 6

My son had a bad cold when he was the same age.  Unfortunately there is very little you can do.

If she's stuffy, raise the head of her bed to elevate her head a bit. We used sleep positioner that was a foam wedge anyway and just placed a folded receiving blanket under it to get it up a touch more.  You can also use a cool mist humidifier (about $20 @ Wal-Mart).

If she has a runny nose you can use a bulb syringe to extract mucous from her nose.  Be very gentle and try not to do this too much.  With such a young infant you can inflame the sensitive tissue in her nose causing it to swell and actually make the situation worse.  Try to keep her sitting up as much as possible when she's awake (like in a bouncy seat or car seat) and this will help alleviate her stuffiness.

There are no meds (even infant Tylenol) you can give them at this age.  Do not use anything other than water in a dehumidifier either.  It's not recommended for an infant (even though it's just in the air they are still ingesting it).

Other than that all you can do is give her lots of hugs and kisses.  Watch for fever and call your pediatrician for anything over 101º.

Good luck ~ Hope she's feeling better soon!

Answer 7

i would take her to the doctor just to be safe..invest in a cool air humidifier with vicks ...

Answer 8

Please, a baby of that age you must go to the doctor or hospital if you are not sure. Answers won't tell you.

Answer 9

take her to the doc to make sure its nothing serious. but a humidifier running might help a little bit i wouldn't reccomend any meds unless the doc. prescribes something

Answer 10

No medicines for a baby this young unless prescribed by a doctor.  Use a cool mist humidifier or vaporizer with just water in it running overnight in the room where your baby sleeps.  Pick up Ocean nose drops at the pharmacy and put 2 drops in each nostril if the baby is stuffy. Elevate the baby's head and chest by sleeping him an an elevated seat.  Aspirate mucous out of his nose with the aspirating bulb they sent you home from the hospital with and finally, call your doctor if he has a fever or if that cough becomes more frequent or sounds deep.

Answer 11

As baby is so young, there isn't all that much you can do, just lots of tlc and hope that it gets better.

I put some eucalyptus oil for children on a cloth high in my daughters room for over night, and that helped her to get the sleep she needed to heal naturally.

If the breathing gets difficult (like snotty!!) then I would suggest running all the hot taps in the bathroom, closing the windows and doors and letting her breathe in the steam.  That also helped my little girl, and soothed her cough too.

It's really hard though, as they don't seem to make meds for children under 6 months...obviously they don't get colds...do they?!!!

Good luck and I hope she is better soon, xx

Answer 12

Call your doctor... Your baby is precious...

My son often sounds nasally and he sneezes a lot... I think he has allergies... I am going to the doctor at 3:00...

Your doctor will be glad to help you with medicine or other ideas to help...

Answer 13

my daughter had a cold about her age and the doctor just told me I needed to get a cool mist humidifier. They are too young at this age to have Tylenol or anything. If it gets worse I would take her to the doctor to be on the safe side. Keep an eye on her body temp.