Common colds and coughs

Babies average 6–10 colds in their first year, more if in daycare. Symptoms typically last 7–10 days. No cough or cold medicine is safe or effective under age 4, per the AAP — comfort measures do the work. Run a cool-mist humidifier in the room, use saline drops and a bulb syringe or nasal aspirator for congestion, elevate the head of the mattress slightly, and offer extra fluids. Skin-to-skin cuddles calm a sick baby more than anything else. Call the pediatrician for fever over the age-specific thresholds, difficulty breathing (retractions, grunting, flaring nostrils), refusing fluids, unusual lethargy, or a cough that gets worse rather than better after day 5. RSV and bronchiolitis look like bad colds early on.