Cold

It seems babies can catch cold up to 8 times an year, which means misery days and nights to both the kids and the parents, seeing them unable to breathe and sniffle..and my doctor says that it is good that the kid suffers them in the first year of life and get immunity.. I am not really sure if he was consoling/comforting a miserable me or if it is true but I have heard the same opinion a few more times, so for my convenience, I choose to believe it :).. that it is good for them~!!

A few tips that I gathered and attest by experience with LO are
1. Saline nasal drops, one or two drops at a time, hourly or so until the breathing is easy.
2. Virus is the cause of cold not bacteria, so keep away from antibiotics as much as possible.
3. Use ear buds or nasal aspirator very gently to clean the baby nose when it is dripping.
4. Usually they are gone within 3 to 5 or at the max 7 days, if it still doesn't go, then is the cause of concern. If the baby has this snore-type of breathing/wheezing continuously (guraka laaga) then better get the kid checked to see if the lungs are clear or not.
5. Keep the baby's head elevated on a pillow to allow easy breathing.
6. Rubbing Vicks on the foot and covering immediately with socks.
7. Eucalyptus oil or Zinda Tilismat drops on a handkerchief placed next to the kid's pillow.
8.  Crush Vaamu or Ajwain and put it in a transparent cloth and let the kid smell it.

If you are in the habit of giving head-bath daily to the baby, just skip it until the kid is cold-free.

Cold and ear ache
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Continued cold and earache kind of go hand in hand with the kids, so if the kid is extremely fussy, pulling out on ears or hair or both of them and showing signs of pain then give a bit of pain reliever and see. If this is accompanied with bouts of fever, then the kid has an infection and needs to be treated emergently, so contact the doctor.

**TIP**
Mix Tea Tree oil 2 drops and almond oil and clear the ear with earbud tip, it works for infections, try not to poke it deep inside.

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Home Remedies and Some more
^^Use humidifier in room and if baby is breast feeding mom should drink lots of water.
^^Use aspirator to pull the mucus, be very cautious when using the aspirator and make sure what is already sucked out is not going in.
^^Do the bathroom steam therapy.. Run the hot shower for a while, say about 20 minutes closing the bathroom door which would allow accumulation of steam in the room, sitting with the baby in the room for about 15 minutes would help.(I PERSONALLY DO NOT LIKE IT BECAUSE OF THE WATER USAGE/WASTAGE PART).
^^Also Vapour plug-Unit is a good remedy which can found in any store in US, we just need to plug them in baby's room they will sleep through the night.. they are non-alcoholic, it contains eucalyptus oil, so you can go for it.....
^^The facial steamers that we use for facial would help but it should be kept at a safe distance from the baby, pour some water in it, put some vicks in it and leave it on in a room.. the room will have vicks smell and it will give some relief.
^^Heat the coconut oil until it is a little warm, mix camphor (karpuram) and apply on the baby's chest like you are massaging.
^^Applying eucalyptus oil or nilgiri oil or Zinda Tilismat to a hand kerchief and keeping next to the baby's pillow would help in easy breathing.
^^If the baby is a little older, then taking the kid to the restroom and sucking out all the mucous when their nose is dripping (mukku cheedadam) would allow free breathing.

*Tried and Tested***
Take a few garlic pods, grate them/smash them into pulp, add a little turmeric to the pulp, add a little gingelly oil/sesame oil.. just heat it a little on the stove on low flame either in a big spoon or a plate and let it cool down and put it on the baby's head (maadu meeda jeelakarra bellam pettinattluga pettali).

Just garlic pod pulp and turmeric into a pulp and placing on top of the head also would work really well.

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DO NOT PUT ANYTHING IN THE EAR OF AN INFANT UNTIL AND UNLESS THE DOCTOR RECOMMENDS IT. SOME PEOPLE POUR CASTOR OIL, COCONUT OIL, ETC, WHICH ONLY CAUSES HARM IN SUCH SMALL BABIES... PLEASE AVOID THAT.