Therapy
A sniffles in babies should subside without complications, usually after 2 to 10 days. It is important to keep a close eye on the child and to consult a doctor as soon as possible in case of complications and uncertainties. This is the case if the child has a fever, the symptoms worsen and do not subside on their own after 7 days at the latest, or if earaches occur additionally.
An indication of the latter may be that the infant repeatedly touches the auricles with its hands. In addition, refusal to eat, refusal to drink, weakness, shortness of breath and rashes are also reasons to consult the pediatrician. However, the pediatrician should also be consulted in the case of existing pre-existing conditions.
Otherwise, there are measures that can effectively help the infant to recover. One should pay attention to a sufficient fluid intake of the infant. This helps to liquefy the mucus.
It also helps to flush the baby’s nose with physiological saline solution. This dissolves the mucus and helps to remove the pathogens from the nose. After rinsing, the mucus or secretion can be carefully removed with a pipette.
Nasal rinsing with essential oils or other additives should be avoided, as they can cause irritation of the sensitive baby’s nose. Decongestant nasal drops contain so-called a-sympathomimetics such as xylometazoline and tramazoline. These are also available in small doses for infants.
They constrict the nasal mucosa and thus have a decongestant effect, making it easier for the mucus to flow out and for the baby to breathe. However, they should be taken with caution, as they can lead to a so-called rebound effect. The decongestant effect decreases after about a week, so that the nasal mucosa swells up again due to the medication.
This in turn favors the further intake of the nose drops. For this reason, such drugs should be used sparingly and their use should be discussed in advance with a pediatrician. This also applies to antiviral drugs.
As a rule, no drugs are necessary for a simple cold. The irritated skin of the nose can be treated with an ointment. In the case of fever, there are already antipyretic drugs for infants which the paediatrician can prescribe with a dosage adapted to the body weight.
This also applies to cough-relieving juices. In case of side effects such as rashes or vomiting, the medicine should be discontinued and the pediatrician should be contacted immediately. In general, a lot of rest and sleep is very important for weakened infants to recover quickly.
