Why does my six-month-old baby have a cough and runny nose?

Nowadays, every child is the treasure of the family, and every parent is most concerned about their child’s physical health. Recently, many parents have reported that their six-month-old babies have coughs and runny noses. Many parents do not understand what is going on and are very worried. So today, we will introduce to you what causes a six-month-old baby to cough and have a runny nose. Let’s take a look together below.

The baby with a cold is feeling very uncomfortable

It is common for children to catch 5 to 6 colds a year. Typical symptoms of a cold include: runny nose, blocked nose, cough, sore throat, tiredness, loss of appetite, and fever. When babies under one year old catch a cold, they often experience fever (body temperature over 38°C), cough, red eyes, sore throat, and runny nose. Babies with a cold often have a decreased appetite. Babies under 6 months old often have difficulty feeding and breathing because they cannot breathe with a completely blocked nose.

Duration of the cold

Generally, a cold will last for 7 to 10 days, and in babies it may last for about 2 weeks. The cough is often the last symptom to go away and it often lasts for several weeks. Babies who often play with older children usually catch 6 to 10 colds in the first year; they may even have a runny nose all winter.

When to see a doctor

If your baby is less than 3 months old and shows symptoms of a cold, you should take him to the doctor immediately.

For older babies, you should take them to the hospital immediately if any of the following conditions occur: a cold lasts more than 5 days; a body temperature exceeds 39°C; the baby has ear pain; difficulty breathing; a persistent cough; or a runny, yellow-green, sticky nasal discharge.

Treatment of colds

1. When you take your baby to the hospital, the doctor will often ask the baby to undergo some tests so that they can find out the cause of the cold.

2. If it is a viral cold, there is no specific medicine. The main thing is to take good care of the baby and alleviate the symptoms. Generally, it will be fine after 7 to 10 days.

3. If it is caused by bacteria, the doctor will often prescribe some antibiotics for the baby, and the baby must be taken on time and according to the dosage. In order to make their children recover faster, some mothers often increase the dosage of medicine on their own. This is absolutely not allowed, otherwise it will backfire.

4. If your baby has a fever, you should take antipyretics as instructed by the doctor. If the body temperature is below 38.5℃, you don't need to take antipyretics. Don't take cold medicine indiscriminately. For infants under one year old, taking cold medicine randomly often does more harm than good.

5. If the blocked nose has made it difficult for the baby to feed, you need to ask the doctor to prescribe some saline nasal drops for you. Apply the drops to the nose 15 minutes before feeding. After a while, you can use a nasal aspirator to suck out the saline and mucus in the nasal cavity. Nose drops can thin out thick mucus and make it easier to clear. Never give your child vasoconstrictor or other medicated nasal drops without your doctor's approval.

The above are the reasons why six-month-old babies cough and have a runny nose, as introduced to us by professionals. So if parents have children with this situation, they can refer to the content introduced above, which will help us solve the problem for the children in a timely manner. Pay attention to your baby's physical condition at ordinary times. If he is sick, he needs timely treatment and don't delay.