Your Baby's 1st Cold

Has your baby had their first cold yet?  It is just the beginning of cold season and there are many more colds ahead during the next 5 months of upper respiratory season.  

I remember as a mom/pediatrician that the first cold a baby has is the hardest. Like so many things in life, once you have some on the job training, you can look back and realize that you can manage many issues, including the common cold. 

A baby with a cold looks like we all do, they have red rimmed eyes, a runny nose, a cough and they act like they don't feel well. A baby may also run a bit of a fever on the first day of a cold, so remember, fever is your friend (another post). 

The best way to treat a cold is the same for baby/child/adult, you just have to treat your symptoms. Unfortunately, there is still not a cure for the common cold, and when there is one day, the cure will win the Nobel Prize in Medicine! 

For an infant, one of the biggest problems is the congestion and runny nose and the fact that cannot yet blow (or even pick) their own nose.  But, at the same time they are snotty and have a hard time breast feeding or taking a bottle and worst of all they don't sleep well. Us older parents were used to using the bulb syringe, but now the parents of babies are swearing by the Nosefrida. 

I must admit I was totally skeptical and thought they were inserting this contraption way into their baby's nostril!  We doctors used to use a Lee catheter somewhat like this in the delivery room to clear a baby's nose but this little device is placed at the edge of the nostril, rather than into the nose itself.  

A small tube extends from this and the parent then uses their mouth to suck on the tube (like a straw) and the mucous is sucked into this little tube with a filter to keep the mucous from going up the tube. (no buggies in the mouth). Does that all make sense?  You can use just the right amount of suction with your mouth and then you can see the mucous come out of the nose and throw away the tube and filter. 

 I remember that gross bulb syringe I used long ago had disgusting stuff inside of it once I cut it open to investigate, so this little Nosefrida seems to make sense. It also doesn't upset the baby like putting a bulb syringe inside the nostril. 

Suctioning out the nose may make it easier for your baby to take their bottle and to sleep! This may mean you get a bit more sleep yourself, which is always at the top of the list for new parents. Regardless, remember it will take 7 - 10 days for your baby to get over their cold. 

Lastly, wash your hands and cross your fingers that you don't catch it!