Cold

(Upper Respiratory Infection - URI)

1. Caused by viruses, therefore antibiotics do not help.

2. It will run its normal course in 7-14 days.

3. Before feeding infants, you may need to suck child's nose out, use saline nose drops as needed to loosen the mucus. Remember babies breath only through the nose, therefore this nasal suctioning is very important.

4. Keep child well hydrated. Drink plenty of water/ juices.

5. You can use decongestant / antihistamine for children over 4 years of age.

   1. Dimetapp - I prefer this ones as it is gentle.

   2. Sudafed - Is only a decongestant can make child fussy.

   3. Benadryl

   4. Claritin

   5. Tavist

6. Watch for Complications (You may need antibiotics for bacterial infection)  *Generally if 2 or more of the following are present, or one is quite severe then call the office for an appt.

• Thick green mucous.
• Quits eating.Fever (over 101.5) for more than 48 hours.
• Getting better, then the child gets definitely worse.
• Ear Ache.

7. Remember for the first 2-3 days of a cold the child will often be irritable.  Watch him for awhile to make sure he has alert reactions and can breath without distress.