when baby cough cold because If you catch a cold, usually parents or babysitters will immediately panic about it. Baby cold medicine is then used as a practical solution to stop the little one's suffering.
Although it is motivated by good intentions, in fact, giving cold medicine to babies is not a recommended option. Moreover, if the drug is a cold medicine that is sold freely in the market. For babies, especially those aged two years and under, cold medicine can have serious side effects. Unmitigated, the baby's life is at stake.
Can I Give Fever Reducing Medication?
Keep in mind, actually an influenza virus infection that causes your little one to get a cold cough can get better on its own in approximately 5-7 days. So baby cold medicine is not always necessary. In infants who have flu and fever, it is still allowed to be given fever-reducing drugs. In fact, a low-grade fever in babies is a sign that your little one's body is trying to fight off the virus.
Giving pain relievers, such as paracetamol, aims to reduce the discomfort caused by fever when the baby has a cold. However, do not expect that the flu will be cured, because fever-reducing drugs are not intended to eradicate the flu virus. The flu will generally subside on its own after a few days.
What must be considered by parents or caregivers is regarding the administration of this fever reducer and the age of the baby. If your little one is under three months old, then paracetamol or the like is not recommended, because the dosage guidelines can be confusing. Consult your pediatrician first so that you can give the right dose.
Another heat reliever that can be used as an option is ibuprofen. However, this type of drug should only be given to infants aged six months or older. However, it should be noted that even if the baby is over six months old, do not give this medicine if your child is dehydrated, has stomach pain, or is vomiting for a long time. This drug is not an over-the-counter drug, so it should only be given according to a doctor's prescription.
What Should Be Done?
Instead of giving baby cold medicine, some of the actions below are suggested to parents when their baby has a cold:
- Relieve your little one's feverIf your little one is 3 months old or younger and has a fever, it is recommended that parents or caregivers contact the doctor immediately. Do not just give fever-reducing drugs that are sold without the advice of a doctor. If in doubt, contact your doctor to confirm the correct dosage.
- Give drink to preventdehydrationIt is important to maintain the baby's body fluids, regardless of the age of the little one. For babies who are less than four months old, only breast milk or formula is needed, not other fluids. If your baby is four months old or older, you can add a little water in addition to breast milk. How about fruit juices? Juice diluted with water can be given to babies on condition that they are six months old and over.
- Make Little One mera nYemenSo that your baby's breathing is better when he has a cold, try making your little one sleep with his head slightly elevated. To make this position easier, place a few towels between your head and the mattress. But do not position the head too high because it risks disturbing the baby's airway. This is at risk of causing the Little One to experience sudden death due to difficulty breathing. To help your little one sleep and rest more comfortably, you can give a gentle massage or play slow music so your little one can rest better.
- Relieve stuffy noseWhen you have a cold, the thing that bothers you the most is a stuffy nose. So that the baby is not too tormented with nasal congestion, doctors recommend using a nasal aspirator or nasal spray that contains saline. This is expected to relieve the throat from the flow of mucus and clear the nose from snot.
- Make a warm steam roomParents can also put warm water in the tub or turn on the hot shower in the bathroom. This is recommended to reduce the difficulty of the baby's nose breathing when he has a cold. Accompany your little one sitting in the bathroom for about 15 minutes. This is done so that the baby who has a cold can breathe in the warm steam that fills the room.
- Keep clean and air qualityYou can also use a room humidifier (humidifier) to maintain humidity and air quality. So that your little one can rest comfortably, while preventing the symptoms from worsening, it is recommended not to smoke or use air freshener in the house. Doing so can damage the baby's respiratory tract and make it short of breath.
Although baby cold medicine is not recommended, contacting the doctor is still recommended, especially if the baby has a fever with a temperature above 38 degrees Celsius. Babies who do not want to eat and drink, cough that does not go away for more than three weeks, are weak, and have signs of dehydration are also advised to be taken to the doctor. In addition, your little one also needs doctor's help if the baby's lips look blue, the ears hurt, and the baby has difficulty breathing with a wheezing sound.