What to do if baby gets a cold ?

jcf

Hi
I'm a bit concerned about our 5 week old
It's that time of year again and my wife feels she

-may- be getting a cold -no real signs yet
But if we do and the baby catches it - at such a young age
I think we'd need to take him to the hospital yes ?

How Strange

If in doubt bring him to the gp. My son caught a cold at 6 weeks and he was pretty miserable for a few days but he didn't have a temperature or anything.

Rosy Posy

Don't go to the hospital with a baby with a cold! however miserable you all are at home, imagine how dreadful you will all feel after waiting around a&e for hours surrounded by drunks. You will be assessed by a triage nurse and since your case is not urgent you will be waiting for ages. It would be far worse for your child to be out of the house in a bright noisy stressful environment. My second and third babies both caught colds when they were very small babies (younger than your child)- with an older child mixing with other children and cold weather its inevitable. I found the biggest problem was when they had a blocked nose and had difficulty breathing/feeding. You can bring them into a steamy bathroom to help open their airways. You can also get a very mild menthol cream that you can mix with baby lotion and put on their nose, or, if they're breastfeeding put some stronger stuff on the mother's chest so they can breathe it when they are feeding. Weleda do a cold and flu homeopathic remedy that is suitable for babies which is supposed to be good. Also be prepared to stay at home and care for your child. Your number one priority is to make sure they are comfortable. Your number two priority is to make sure that you are well rested and fed. Beyond this don't try/expect to get anything done. Best of luck!

BostonB

You can usually ring the midwife in the hospital or the public nurse also for advice. I assume you were told who to go to?

Don't you do back to the maternity hospital for the first few weeks, rather than the GP.

Even if was an older child you go to a children's hospital not a regular A&E.

Davidth88

surprisingly new born babies have a healthy way of fighting colds etc. The chances of your five week old getting a cold is low.

until 6 months they have the mother's antibodies .

dont worry , enjoy your babies first christmas !!

implausible

That Karvol stuff is gold for clearing snuffy noses. I buy the oil and put it in an oil burner in his room. I use it for myself too.

Babies get colds, it's good for their immune system to have something to fight and most babies are more than capable of shaking them off.

Moonbeam

talk to the pharmacist or pun .

Jenniflower87

You can get saline nasal drops which are brilliant. They soften any mucous in the nose. Our baby got a cold at about 5 weeks and this is what we used. the doctor in the hospital told us to get them. You can get them in boots with all the teething stuff i think. Happy Christmas

BostonB

implausible wrote: »

That Karvol stuff is gold for clearing snuffy noses. I buy the oil and put it in an oil burner in his room. I use it for myself too...

Karvol says not for under 3 months on the box.

liliq

My baby has a cold at the moment, no temperature or anything though. The worst part of it for him seems to be trying to breath through a blocked nose, so we're using the saline drops. 2 drops in each nostril every couple of hours is really helping to clear out his nose even for a while. The amount of mucus that comes out is unreal! I think you can use the saline drops from pretty early on, they're only salt water really. A pharmacist could tell you which ones are ok to use for babies.

BostonB

Gross but theres also a "baby nasal aspirator"

cofy

I am just a mammy but colds are normal for babies this is how they build up their immune system. Unless your baby has a temperature avoid giving medications, their little bodies need to build resistance, just plenty of boiled and cooled water and avoid wrapping them up too warm as this may encourage a temperature. If still in doubt ask a medical professional.

Zambia

Dont let them go clubbing on new years eve!

How Strange

If you're breastfeeding then just give breastmilk. Theres no need for cooled boiled water. The breastmilk contains all the mothers antibodies which will transfer to the baby and help them fight the cold. Sometimes the mother catches the cold at the same time so she is creating the antibodies and then gives them to the baby through the milk. The saline spray or drops are helpful to loosen the mucus.

I've had loads of small colds in the last year but especially since my son started crèche. He has a bad cold for a couple of days, I get it too and he's all better in a day or two until the next one.

cbyrd

I have an 11 week old with a snotty nose thanks to his big brother snotting and kissing him all the time... he's only 2 next week so chances of stopping him are slim. Calpol saline spay i find better than the drops cos it kind of flushes everything out and makes him sneeze... don't lay him flat and i wouldn't give any water unless for constipation..wouldn't go near a hospital unless he's running a high temp for more than 24 hours and the gp would always be the first port of call... they'll refer you if it's necessary. just keep him out of sneezes way and avoid kissing him on the face and wash hands after sneezing.. good luck;)
just a note about the saline drops or spray.. don't use it too often cos it irritates the lining of the nose and can lead to nose bleeding.. happened with my (nearly) 2 year old when he was about 5 weeks.. discovered it was a milk intolerance causing problems but the pharmacist gave me this advice after he had a nosebleed

liliq

cbyrd wrote: »

just a note about the saline drops or spray.. don't use it too often cos it irritates the lining of the nose and can lead to nose bleeding.. happened with my (nearly) 2 year old when he was about 5 weeks.. discovered it was a milk intolerance causing problems but the pharmacist gave me this advice after he had a nosebleed

I've just discovered that about the drops I've been using them for my little man the lsat while and we've been getting a little bit of blood mixed in with the mucus. It's such a little amount though, that it's nearly the lesser of 2 evils- if I don't use the drops he's so stuffed up he can't drink or swallow because he cant breathe
Think I'll try bringing him into the bathroom and leave the shower on in the morning to try steam some of it out of him

BostonB

liliq wrote: »

I'...
Think I'll try bringing him into the bathroom and leave the shower on in the morning to try steam some of it out of him

Thats exactly what a humidifier is for. So you don't have to do that.

liliq

BostonB wrote: »

Thats exactly what a humidifier is for. So you don't have to do that.

I don't have a humidifier and am too stone cold broke for january to buy one unfortunatley, so think the shower on for a couple of minutes will be my economical option!

BostonB

I hear you.

But careful not to burn out the shower running it too long etc., or take the paint off the wall etc. The humidifer is about €30~40 and is handy because they auto shut off etc.