What are the symptoms of a cold in babies?

Everything that affects our baby, especially when he is not even six months old, affects us overwhelmingly. Unfortunately, viruses exist, and although we take all the care in the world with our little ones, we often cannot prevent them from catching diseases such as colds. After all, we will not be able to keep him away from everything and everyone.

We talk about the baby’s first cold to help you recognise the symptoms, understand when to take him to the paediatrician and know what to do to relieve the main discomforts such as runny nose, cough and fever.

Colds are highly contagious; they are caused by viruses and transmitted by direct contact with people, primarily through respiratory secretions, such as coughing or sneezing, or objects contaminated with these secretions.

Colds are part of our lives. They start with congestion, and a runny nose can be accompanied by sneezing and coughing, leading to a sore throat. Sometimes a mild fever may occur.

If these symptoms are already uncomfortable and annoying for us, imagine what that can mean for tiny babies who still don’t know how to talk to explain what they feel, they can’t get rid of mucus through the nose.

For this reason, it is usual that if our baby has caught a cold, they are more irritable than usual. This Home remedy to cure a child’s cold may not be very effective, but it will relieve some discomfort and make him feel more comfortable.

In summary, some of the most typical signs of a cold in babies are:

1. They tend to lose their appetite, often due to tiredness and the large amount of mucus, which ends up being swallowed and filling their stomach.
2. They are more irritable and weak than usual.
3. They sneeze, have a lot of mucus or phlegm, and cough.
4. They have difficulty sleeping since discomfort makes them more restless.
5. They have nasal congestion and difficulty breathing.
6. Have a fever, temperature over 38 degrees Celsius.

Baby cold or flu:

One of the main doubts of all parents (especially if we are first-timers) is knowing when cold symptoms are severe enough for a doctor to diagnose. Often, we do not know how to tell if it is the flu or if our child needs some medicine. The symptoms of cold and covid 19 are superimposable, so, in the face of cold symptoms, we can do an antigen test at home or ask for an appointment with our doctor if we have doubts.

Whenever a baby under three months has a fever, it should be evaluated by a paediatrician more or less urgently. In the case of slightly older children, you should make an appointment with your paediatrician in case of fever, cough, sore throat, or refusal of feedings. And, at any age, you should go for a more detailed evaluation. Urgent in case of severity of symptoms (respiratory difficulty, a malaise that does not improve when the fever subsides, excessive drowsiness, dehydration). 

Relieve the cold of children over 12 months:

1. Good nasal hygiene with saline will make you breathe better.
2. Avoid a dry environment and maintain a comfortable temperature.
3. Putting him to sleep in a more upright position will allow him to rest.
4. We will offer liquids frequently.
5. Antipyretics can be administered in case of fever or discomfort, provided your paediatrician has previously recommended them.
6. Go to the paediatrician in case of the persistence of symptoms or worsening.

Parents usually get terrified when the baby, especially if it is tiny, has a fever; We continually put the thermometer on him and take him to the paediatrician as soon as it rises a few tenths. However, when the baby’s body temperature is higher than usual, we must watch that it does not increase too much.

To reassure ourselves, we look at the parameters collected by the Spanish Society of Pediatric Emergencies (SEUP) in its Guide for parents and caregivers ‘Should I go to the emergency room?’:

– We must go to the emergency room with our baby if he is less than three months old and has a body temperature of 38 ºC or more.

– In the case of slightly older children, we must visit the emergency room when the fever reaches 40.5 ºC.

– On the other hand, we should also go to a hospital if, along with the fever, additional symptoms occur, such as red spots that do not disappear when we press the skin, swelling of the lips or eyelids, we notice dizziness or loss of strength, you have shortness of breath, etc.

– On the other hand, going to the paediatrician’s office whenever possible (without urgency) is enough when: babies (between 3 and 24 months) have a temperature of up to 39 degrees (with no other alarming symptoms beyond this fever ).

– You must also make an appointment with the doctor if a body temperature of 38 degrees is maintained for more than five days.

Remember that all these tips are general guides intended to guide parents.