Colds and congestion

At home

Babies can get several colds a year. They last 7 to 10 days. No medicine cures them: the goal is for the baby to breathe, feed and sleep.

What to do

1. Put a few saline drops in each side of the nose and gently suction with a bulb syringe, before feeding and sleep.
2. Use a cool-mist humidifier and clean it every day.
3. Offer breast milk or formula more often.
4. For cough in children 1 year or older: a little honey (1/2 to 1 teaspoon).
5. Wash your hands and siblings' hands. Keep sick people away.

What not to do

• Don't give over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to children under 4. The FDA warns never under age 2, and labels say not under 4. From 4 to 6, only if the pediatrician says so.
• No honey before 12 months.
• Don't use menthol or camphor rubs (like VapoRub) under age 2, and never in the nose.
• Don't give leftover antibiotics: colds are viruses.
• Don't suction the nose hard or many times a day: it gets irritated.