Most baby colds don’t need medicine. The best treatment is keeping your baby comfortable with fluids, nasal clearing, and humidity while the virus runs its course, typically over 7 to 10 days. There’s no cure for the common cold at any age, but a few simple techniques can make a real difference in how your baby feels.
Keep Your Baby Hydrated
Babies fighting a cold need extra fluids, especially if they’re losing moisture through a runny nose, mild fever, or fussiness that disrupts feeding. For infants under six months, breast milk or formula is all they need. Offer feedings more frequently than usual, even if your baby only takes a little at a time. Older babies who have started solids can also have small amounts of water or an electrolyte drink.
Watch diaper output to gauge hydration. Six to eight wet diapers a day is normal. If your baby drops below three or four wet diapers in a day, that’s a sign of dehydration and worth a call to your pediatrician.
Clear the Congestion
A stuffed nose is often the biggest source of discomfort because babies breathe primarily through their noses, especially while feeding. Saline drops and a bulb syringe (or nasal aspirator) are your main tools here, and they’re safe to use multiple times a day.
Start by laying your baby on their back. Place two to three drops of saline into each nostril, then hold your baby’s head back gently for about a minute to let the saline loosen thick mucus. Next, squeeze the air out of the bulb syringe before you insert the tip. Place the tip gently into one nostril and slowly release the bulb so it pulls mucus out as it expands. Point the tip into a tissue, squeeze hard to empty it, and repeat on the other side.
Try to limit bulb syringe use to about three times a day, since overdoing it can irritate the nasal passages. Timing it just before a feeding makes breastfeeding or bottle-feeding easier because your baby can breathe while sucking.
Use a Cool-Mist Humidifier
Moist air helps thin congestion and soothes dry coughs. Place a cool-mist humidifier in your baby’s room, especially during sleep. Always choose cool mist over warm mist for children. Hot water or steam from a warm-mist humidifier can burn a child who gets too close, and spills pose the same risk.
Clean the humidifier frequently. Mold, bacteria, and mineral buildup can develop quickly and end up in the air your baby breathes, which defeats the purpose entirely.
Managing a Fever
A low-grade fever is part of how the body fights infection, but it can make your baby uncomfortable. Acetaminophen is an option for babies eight weeks and older, dosed by weight rather than age. Ibuprofen can be used for babies six months and older, also by weight. Your pediatrician can confirm the right dose for your baby.
For babies under eight weeks old, any fever above 100.4°F (38°C) requires immediate medical attention. At that age, even a mild fever can signal a more serious infection, so don’t attempt to treat it at home first.
What Not to Give Your Baby
The FDA does not recommend over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children under two. These products can cause serious side effects in infants, including slowed breathing, seizures, and dangerously low blood sugar. Manufacturers voluntarily label most of these products for ages four and up. Homeopathic cough and cold products carry the same warning: the FDA is not aware of any proven benefit, and children under four who have taken them have experienced allergic reactions, breathing difficulty, and hospitalization.
Honey is a popular home remedy for coughs in adults, but never give it to a baby under one year old. Honey can contain spores that cause infant botulism, a rare but serious illness. Stick to saline, fluids, and humidity instead.
Safe Sleep During a Cold
It’s tempting to prop up one end of the crib to help your baby breathe, but this is not safe. Sleep surfaces with one end higher than the other allow a baby’s body to slide down, pushing the chin toward the chest and potentially blocking the airway. This risk, called positional asphyxia, also applies to crib wedges, pillows, and hammock-style sleepers.
Your baby’s sleep surface should stay firm, flat, and level. No pillows, blankets, or positioners. If congestion is making sleep difficult, try clearing the nose with saline and suction right before laying your baby down, and run the humidifier nearby.
Signs That Need Medical Attention
For babies under three months, contact your pediatrician early in any illness, even if symptoms seem mild. Young infants have immature immune systems, and what looks like a cold can sometimes be something more serious.
For babies three months and older, call your pediatrician if your baby:
- Has a fever above 100.4°F (38°C)
- Is producing fewer wet diapers than usual
- Has trouble breathing or is wheezing
Get medical help right away if your baby refuses to nurse or drink, or if you notice color changes around the lips. On lighter skin, this looks blue. On darker skin, the lips and surrounding skin may appear pale, gray, or whitish. Either one signals that your baby isn’t getting enough oxygen.