How to look after your baby's cold

Ask a doctor: Caring for your baby's cold

Every parent remembers their baby's first cold. 

Those snotty, loud anxiety-provoking, sleepless nights, and you can't keep your kids comfortable… Cherished memory. 

But reality is that every single year, millions of kids get infected with colds. It's common. It's part of childhood.

Even if you take all the measures, healthy babies can still get several colds a year. This is totally normal.

And symptoms can be very subtle, like a runny nose, red eyes, a stuffed up nose, a hoarse voice, coughing. And symptoms can also last for up to two weeks.

But fortunately, most of the treatment is supportive care you can do right in the comfort of your home.

Hydration is extremely important for helping kids get over colds.  

For kids who have runny noses you can try suctioning with a bulb suction or any other suction device to help clear some of that mucus.

Now, on the other hand, if kids are really stuffed up, humidity can help them clear some of that as well, whether that is from a humidifier, steam from a shower – as long as it's not too hot – or saline drops.

A lot of parents also ask about giving babies medications for a cold. The problem is some of the syrups, herbal treatments, those medications at the drugstore, are not necessarily effective or even safe for young babies. If you have any questions about giving your kids medications, you want to talk to a doctor.

Speaking of which, you want to make sure you talk to a doctor if your babies have a fever, especially if they're under three months old, if you're worried about dehydration or if you notice your baby with a cold is struggling to breathe. And if your doctor prescribes you any antibiotics, it's important to take them exactly as directed.

But keep in mind, the majority of colds are caused by viruses, so they will go away on their own with supportive care.

Dr. Alok Patel is a pediatrician at Stanford Children's hospital, producer and ABC News correspondent.