Self Care

• Drink fluids like water, juice, soup and non-caffeinated beverages to help loosen mucus and to keep yourself from becoming dehydrated.
• Gargle with salt water for a sore throat.
• A cool-mist humidifier may help relieve stuffy noses. Clean the humidifier often to avoid a buildup of harmful mold.
• Saline nasal drops and suctioning with a bulb syringe can help infants and small children breathe better. Be gentle because aggravating the nasal passages could make swelling worse. Usually you can limit use to four times a day, just before feeding or putting infant to bed at night.
• Choose over-the-counter (OTC) medicines that fit your symptoms.
• Check with a doctor before treating children suffering from cold and flu symptoms with medicine.
• Read OTC medicine labels carefully. Just because they're over-the-counter doesn't mean dosages don't count. Don't exceed recommended dosages or length of use. Using a nasal spray for too long during a cold could cause an even stuffier nose.
• Check expiration dates on medicine.
• Don't double up on ingredients. If you take more than one medication at a time, be careful not to duplicate ingredients. You don't want to take two different medicines that both contain acetaminophen. Too much can damage the liver.
• If your doctor prescribes an antibiotic for a sinus infection, finish the entire dose as your doctor directs you.
• Don't use topical nasal decongestants longer than for five consecutive days.

Caring for an infant with a cold

Infants breathe through their noses even if they're blocked. That's why a baby struggles so much with a cold and always sounds worse than an adult. Treating the symptoms aims to help the infant breathe easier through the nose. Check with your child's doctor before using any of these methods to relieve cold symptoms:

• Humidify the room to keep nasal secretions moist.
• Use salt water nose drops in infants to help keep nasal mucus thin. This is especially recommended before feeding an infant so that the infant can breathe through the nose during a feeding.
• If the mucus in an infant is thick, a parent may gently suck it out with a bulb or nasal syringe.
• Keep the infant upright in a seat as much as possible.
• Anti-fever medication may be used according to the dosage schedules. However, don't use anti-fever medication in a child younger than 3 months without first consulting your doctor.
• A number of cough suppressants containing DM (dextromethorphan) are available. Dosages may vary. Consult your doctor for the correct dose for your child. These medicines may not be used for every child.

More on Cold, Flu and Sinus

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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.