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Common Baby Illness: Cold

Cold is the common illnesses in most baby. It's caused by a virus. It's sometimes difficult to tell whether a baby actually has a cold or just has the normal baby snuffles.

A baby with a cold looks miserable and sounds 'wet'. Mucus flows from his nose. The mucus may slip down the back of his throat and make him cough. A baby finds it difficult to breathe and has trouble eating and sleeping.
There's no cure for a cold nor any medicine that makes the cold get better any quicker. You may give your baby some paracetamol to help reduce fever and discomfort. But remember that paracetamol is not a treatment for the cold itself. Some other medications may be dangerous so check with your doctor before using any. Mucus symptoms such as noisy breathing and a blocked nose can persist for six to eight weeks after the cold has gone, as babies take a lot longer to clear their bodies of mucus than adults do.

See your doctor if your baby loses interest in food, becomes floppy, develops a fever that won't come down, has difficulty breathing or develops blue lips.

Common Baby Illness: Cough

When coughing is associated with wheezing, a high fever, breathlessness or sleepless nights, you need to see your doctor. It is dangerous to give a cough suppressant to a baby or young child. Worrying coughs should always be investigated.

Common Baby Illness: Croup

Croup involves narrowing of the voice box and windpipe and is more common in toddler than in baby. It usually follows a viral infection in the upper respiratory tract that affects the voice box. The baby's cough sounds like a baby seal barking. The cough is accompanied by a 'crowing' noise as he breathes in.

A baby with croup may feel a little better if breathing warm, moist air. This can be done with vaporizers or by steaming up the bathroom. if the baby doesn't respond well to this and has difficulty breathing, go straight to your doctor or to a hospital emergency department.

Common Baby Illness: Diarrhea

Diarrhea means there are a lot of loose, watery bowel motions that are often mucusy, very smelly and a different colour to a baby's usual stools. Sudden diarrhea is usually caused by a viral infection in the gut (gastroenteritis). It's uncommon for exclusively breastfeed babies to get gastroenteritis during the first three months after birth, so don't confuse the normal loose green/yellow motions that young breastfeed baby pass with diarrhea.

It's also unusual for bottle fed baby to get gastroenteritis in the first three months as long as the water supply is reliable and the correct procedures are used to ensure safe bottle-feeding.

Medication is not a part of treatment for most cases of infectious of diarrhea. Antibiotics are only used occasionally for a specific, diagnosed bacterial infection. Medications such as adults take to stop the vomiting or diarrhea are dangerous for baby and should never be given.

The correct treatment for diarrhea is oral rehydration with fluids that contain some sugar and some salt - for example, diluted (non diet) fruit cordials. This is best achieved by giving frequent small amounts of fluids for 24 hours. However, if you are breastfeeding, you should continue with just breastfeeding, offering your baby extra breastfeeds too. For older baby who are eating food, a balanced diet should be recommenced as soon as possible, but continue to give only small amounts for a few days.

Most children respond well to reintroducing their normal diet early on in the course of gastroenteritis - although they may vomit after eating, or have some further diarrhea. However, their intestines are likely to recover more quickly if their normal diet can be reintroduced sooner.

Rarely, baby develops a temporary lactose intolerance following gastroenteritis that means their watery diarrhea comes back once full strength formula or milk is reintroduced. When this happens a lactose-free formula is required for two to three weeks until the bowel recovers. Breastfeed baby tolerate breast milk well and don't need lactose free formula.
Manu baby respond to these measures, but unfortunately there are times when the correct advice is not given or parents and health professionals underestimate the severity of the illness. If in doubt, take your baby to the nearest emergency department of a major hospital.