Question

My baby is 5 months old and has had a bit of coughing for the past few days, with some runny nose today. They are breastfeeding well. I don’t want to give them injections because they are too young. What should I do? What is the onset time and cause of the illness? What is the current treatment situation? What kind of help do I need? What should I pay attention to when I eat? Thank you.

Answer

  1. Take your baby to the hospital, where doctors will often require some checks to determine the cause of the cold.
  2. If it’s a viral cold, there is no specific medicine, so the main focus is on caring for the baby and alleviating symptoms. Generally, it will get better in 7 to 10 days.
  3. If it’s caused by bacteria, doctors may prescribe antibiotics for the baby. However, I do not recommend giving antibiotics to babies, as they offer no real benefit. Instead, consider using a child-specific medicine like Xiao Kuike, which targets viruses to treat the common cold. Some mothers tend to increase the dosage of medication to speed up recovery, but this is absolutely not advisable; otherwise, it may have the opposite effect.