Infant Colds
Relief for Infant Colds
If you stay up on current issues, you already know products for infant colds are harder to find than in the past. There has been a recall on many of them due to improper use. It isn’t so much that the products are dangerous – but that parents were giving infants too much of them. They were also mixing different medications to cover all the symptoms. The body of an infant is too small and too underdeveloped to be able to handle that though.
As a result, you will find very few over the counter products to give a child for a cold. While the shelves of pharmacies used to be lined with them, now they are extremely limited. In some retail stores they are behind the counter and you have to ask a salesperson for them. You will also be given information about the risks of not following the directions properly. This is all being done according to the FDA guidelines.
Never, under any circumstances, give them anything that is for an adult to take. It doesn’t matter if you cut back the dose to a very small amount or not. If your child is very sick then you should consult with a doctor to help find a solution that is safe as well as effective. The other factor with products for infant colds is that your child may have an allergic reaction to some of the ingredients in them. This will create an array of other health concerns to deal with.
The use of a humidifier at home is great for infant colds. A child will have a hard time sleeping if they can’t breathe well. The humidifier can offer moist air and help to break up congestion. In fact, there are products out there now that have medicine in them. You can easily add them to the humidifier to enhance the benefits. Most parents agree they would rather go this route then to have to give their child more medicine.
A warm bath can help an infant to get some temporary relief from a cold. If your child is extremely congested, turn in the hot water in the shower and allow the steam to build up with the door shut. Hold your child in an upright position against you in the bathroom. The steam will help to loosen up the congestion and to allow your child to breathe through its nose normally for an extended period of time.
For a child that is suffering from a runny nose, consider some saline drops inserted into the nose. You can also use a suction bulb to remove the build up from the nostrils. Your child isn’t going to like this process, but it doesn’t hurt them. It will be done in a matter of minutes. They will be more comfortable once it has been done too.
Infant colds can linger for several days or even a week so you need to be prepared. Do all you can to keep your child as comfortable as possible as it runs its course. At the same time do your best to eliminate germs in the home. You don’t want other household members to get the cold. Then it can also be passed to the infant once again.
If your baby is also experiencing a fever, rash, refuses to eat, or is lethargic you should immediately seek medical attention. Infant colds are usually nothing to worry about but you could be mistaking an allergic reaction or some type of breathing problem as a common cold. It is best to find out from an expert what the situation is all about rather than just assuming.