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Common cold in babies: Three ways to make colds more bearable for infants

For the daily trials that frustrate the average new parent, there's nothing like a stuffy nose to upend all plans and make a restful night sleep impossible. Here's how to help them feel better.

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By
Sarah Lindenfeld Hall
, Go Ask Mom editor

For the daily trials that frustrate the average new parent, there's nothing like a stuffy nose to upend all plans and make a restful night sleep impossible.

They are no fun for babies. They're exhausting for parents. And they're a common reason why parents, especially during the colder months, make regular stops at their pediatrician's office.

According to WebMD, babies will get eight or more colds during their first year. And it can take more than a week before they begin to feel better.

What's a parent to do?

I checked in with Dr. Linda Collazo, a pediatrician at UNC Family Medicine & Pediatrics at Wakefield, to get some tips for parents with a sniffling baby.

Here are tips and tricks to make your baby feel better.

Get some saline mist

My family regularly turns to saline nose drops when we start to get the sniffles. It's a great way to clear out the gunk.

But Colazzo recommends steering clear of the drops for little ones because it's hard to control the amount of the solution that goes up the infant's nose.

"I don't like those in infants because they feel like they are drowning," she says.

Instead, she recommends using a saline mist, which you can pick up at a big box store, grocery store or pharmacy. The mist typically comes in a small aerosol can and can be found near the diapers or other baby remedies. Though you can make it at home, Collazo doesn't recommend it.

"With well water, you could put an infection into the nose," she says. "Get a commercial product."

(It's worth noting that tap water used in a neti pot recently caused a deadline infection.)

Another tip: Never share a saline spray or mist.

NoseFrida

Invest in a nasal aspirator

That blue bulb syringe that you probably brought home from the hospital works OK, Collazo said. But sometimes those bulbs go a bit too far into the nasal passages and irritate them, she says. What's more, bacteria and fungus can grow inside them, and they can be tricky to clean out.

Nasal aspirators, she says, do a better job moving the snot around and are more sanitary.

The NoseFrida is a very popular brand. When her boys were younger, Collazo used the Graco BebeSounds Nasal Aspirator, which worked well. She did, however, quickly learn to turn the music off on the device because as soon as her boys heard it, they'd start screaming because they knew they were about to get their nose aspirated.

Both devices pull the snot out of a baby's nose, but in different ways. With the NoseFrida, you attach one end to your baby's nose and then suck it out. I know it sounds gross, but, don't worry, it's designed so the snot never actually reaches your mouth. The Graco device is battery operated. Both catch the mucus in a reservoir, so you can see how successful you were - and easily clean it all up.

You won't always see visible results when you use the aspirators, but that doesn't always matter.

"It does really help move the mucus along a little bit," she says. And in a little baby, every little bit helps.

One word of caution: Keep your nose suctioning to no more than four times a day.

If you use it more, she says, "you're actually going to irritate the nasal passages more, and it's going to make it harder for them to breathe through their nose."

You can use the saline mist throughout the day, however. And, she says, it can be incredibly effective when you squirt each nostril twice with the saline mist, wait a few minutes and then use the aspirator.

Switch out your vaporizer for a cool mist humidifier

Vaporizers work, but the hot water that bubbles up inside them can be especially dangerous for little ones. They can lead to burns and other dangers, including additional infections that come from the tiny particles that they emit and babies breathe in.

The cool mist humidifier offers the same benefits, says Collazo, but without the dangers.

Zarbee's

Take some medicine - maybe

Newborns shouldn't take any medicine that's not prescribed by a doctor, Collazo says. Any baby under two months old who isn't feeding well or has fewer wet diapers needs to go to the doctor for an evaluation. And those same babies, with any kind of fever, should head straight to the emergency room, she says.

Babies who are older than two months can start taking a pain reliever. Babies two months to six months should only take acetaminophen, Collazo says. Babies older than six months can also take ibuprofen. And all children should never take aspirin, which can cause Reye's syndrome, a condition that involves swelling in the liver and brain, she says.

For kids under six years, Collazo also recommends that parents steer clear of any over-the-counter cold medications. Decongestants, in particular, can cause heart problems in young children. Infants up to age 1 should use only the saline mist, aspirators and cool mist humidifier for relief. Kids ages 1 and up, she says, can try natural remedies such as Chestal Cough & Congestion, Zarbee's and Similasan.

The good news is this: Colds don't last forever. Eventually they'll get well, and you'll have a week or so before they pick up the next one.

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