Cold & Cough Home Care

Caring for Infant & Toddler Colds at Home

Colds are a normal part of childhood, but they can feel especially stressful when they hit in the middle of the night. Luckily, for most Little Spuds families in Clark County, Washington, colds in infants and toddlers can typically be safely managed at home with a few simple steps.

Keep Little Noses Clear of Congestion

• Use saline drops with a suction device (like a bulb syringe or NoseFrida) to clear nasal congestion.

• Keeping your infant and toddler’s nose clear helps them breathe, eat, and sleep better.

• Encourage frequent small sips of fluids to keep kids hydrated and help loosen mucus.

  • Infants should have a minimum of one wet diaper every 4-6 hours and children should be peeing minimally once every 6-8 hours.

Treat Pain & Fever

For comfort, age-appropriate fever and pain medicine can reduce discomfort from headaches, sore throats and body aches - this helps kids drink better, stay hydrated and have better rest.

• Remember: always check with your child’s pediatric provider before giving any medication to your little ones.

  • Never give ibuprofen to infants under 6 months.

  • Check with a pediatric provider before giving any medication to babies under 3 months.

Cough Care

• Suctioning little stuffy noses is the best way to help night time coughs in little ones.

• Honey can soothe coughs for children over 1 year of age, but should not be given to infants less than 12 months old.

• A cool-mist humidifier at night can loosen mucus and calm irritated airways.

• Cold and cough medicine should never be given under the age of 4 years.

  • Always check with your child’s pediatric provider before starting any over the counter cold and cough medication.

  • Giving cough medicine to your baby or child without asking a trusted pediatric expert first can make the cough worse, especially if they have early pneumonia, a family history of asthma or are currently taking medications that may interact with the ingredients in cold and cough medicine.

Other Comfort Measures

Other comfort measures that may also help include:

• A warm bath for aches.

• A little petroleum jelly (vaseline) under an irritated nose.

• Steam from a hot shower to ease stuffiness.

• Some families use elderberry or zinc, which may offer some benefit, but always check with your provider before starting supplements.

When To Schedule A Sick Evaluation

It’s important to know when to seek care. It can be helpful to check in earlier in the course of your infant or toddler’s symptoms so your child’s provider can re-evaluate if symptoms get worse. It’s time to schedule a visit with a pediatric provider if your child is struggling to breathe, refusing to drink, very irritable or unusually sleepy, has persistent high fever, ear pain, or worsening symptoms. And remember—sometimes peace of mind is reason enough to check in before symptoms get worse.

With simple care at home and timely check-ins when needed, you can help your child recover comfortably and safely.

Schedule A Visit With Little Spuds!

Need to schedule an in-home visit with Little Spuds? Booking is easy, appointments available M-F, through the Request a Visit link HERE and from the main menu on our website. Already established with Little Spuds? Simply send a text requesting a visit to 360-375-7161 or send a secure message through the Spruce Health app on your phone. Connect with Little Spuds over the Spruce Health app HERE.

Little Spuds is happy to provide expert pediatric urgent care services within the comfort of home. Little Spuds Mobile pediatric urgent care services are available to families living in the following Southwest Washington cities:

• Battle Ground, WA

• Felida, WA

• Kalama, WA

• Kelso, WA

• La Center, WA

• Ridgefield, WA

• Salmon Creek, WA

• Vancouver, WA

• Washougal, WA

• Yacolt, WA

Little Spuds Pediatrics is: expert pediatric urgent care, in the comfort of your home.