SAFE COLD REMEDIES FOR MUMS AND BABIES
So it’ s happened, you and your baby have come down with a cold. While nothing but time will cure a cold, there are some remedies that are safe for you and baby that will ease the symptoms and make you feel better. For pregnant women and young babies it’ s always best to get advice from your GP, practice nurse, LMC or pharmacist before taking any remedy, but below are some tips to keep in mind.
Pregnant mums The best thing to do is get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids. Paracetamol can be useful for any aches and pains. If necessary, some nasal sprays can help with decongestion, but talk to your pharmacist about which ones are safe in pregnancy. Saline nose drops are an alternative or steam inhalations, but take care to avoid scalding. Avoid combination cold remedies as they contain some drugs which are not ideal for your baby. If you have a temperature, talk to your LMC and / or your GP at once.
Breastfeeding mums The same things that are useful for pregnant Mums will of course be OK if breastfeeding. Again, it’ s very important to keep up with extra fluids and get plenty of rest. Generally, codeine and pseudoephedrine should be avoided but if you feel like you need something extra talk to your health professional who can advise you accordingly.
Babies It’ s important to keep babies hydrated, but if baby has a stuffy nose they may have difficulty breathing while feeding so feeds may take longer and be interrupted. Feeds can help calm baby down and
feel loved and cared for, and the sucking can also relieve blocked ears. If you’ re breastfeeding, let baby feed as often as they want. If baby’ s formula fed, give extra formula and / or cooled boiled water. Small frequent feeds are often the way to go.
Use a nose dropper to put 1-2 drops of cooled boiled water in each nostril before feeds( this is probably a two parent job!). This will loosen any crusty build-up and may trigger sneezing to clear out a blocked nose. Saline nose drops are also a useful alternative. For slightly older babies Karvol
18 decongestant capsules can be obtained from the pharmacist— they contain pine oil and menthol.
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Sprinkle contents into hot water, and place in the room a little way away from the cot to let the baby inhale the vapour but not be at risk of steam injury.
Baby Vicks can help with congestion and can be put on a cloth and pinned to baby’ s clothes rather than put directly on baby’ s chest or back.
For older babies, giving liquid paracetamol, at the correct dosage for baby’ s age and weight, can relieve them of low grade pain and discomfort and help them sleep. Always follow the directions on the bottle and never give babies adult strength cold remedies.
Give baby lots of cuddles— it’ ll