Everyday tips

A blocked nose makes feeding and sleep harder for a baby. Saline drops or spray loosen dried mucus. Put a few drops in each nostril, then wipe or gently clear the nose. Doing this before feeds and before sleep often helps most. Offer plenty to drink.

Do not use decongestant drops or sprays in children under 6 unless a doctor advises it.

• Give your baby a teething ring to chew. You can chill it in the fridge first. Do not freeze it, because it can hurt the gums.
• Rub the gums gently with a clean finger.
• From 6 months, cold soft fruit can soothe the gums. Stay with your baby while they eat.
• Wipe drool from the face often to prevent a rash.
• Avoid sweet biscuits and sugary foods. They can damage new teeth.
• Do not use adult pain gels.
• Never tie a teething ring or anything else around your baby’s neck.

If your baby is in pain, paracetamol from 2 months or ibuprofen from 3 months can help. Our fever guide gives the doses.

• Change wet or dirty diapers quickly.
• Clean the skin with water and dry it gently.
• Leave the diaper off for a while when you can.
• Make sure the diaper is not too tight.
• Avoid soap, scented wipes, talc and lotions on the diaper area.
• A barrier cream at each change protects the skin.
• Bathe your baby once a day, but not more than twice.

Colds are caused by viruses. They usually get better in 1 to 2 weeks, sometimes longer in young children. Antibiotics do not help a cold.

• Offer plenty of fluids and let your child rest.
• Use saline drops for a blocked nose.
• Do not give cough or cold medicines to children under 6, unless a doctor advises it.
• After age 1, a warm drink with lemon and honey can soothe a cough.
• Never give honey to a baby under 1 year.
• Paracetamol or ibuprofen can ease aches and fever.

No honey before 1 year. No cough or cold medicine before 6 years, unless a doctor advises it.

• Keep babies under 6 months out of direct sun. Use shade and light clothing.
• For older children, use a sunscreen of SPF 30 or more on all bare skin.
• Use a wide hat that shades the face, neck and ears.
• Stay in the shade in the middle of the day, when the sun is strongest.
• Offer water often on hot days.

• Use a car seat on every ride, starting with the first ride home.
• Keep your child facing the back of the car for as long as possible. Stop only when they reach the weight or height limit of the seat. Many seats allow this until age 2 or later.
• Never put a rear-facing seat in the front seat if the airbag is on.
• Children under 13 should ride in the back seat.

• Under 1 year: no screens. Read, sing and talk together instead.
• 1 year: screen time is not recommended.
• 2 to 4 years: no more than 1 hour a day. Less is better.

Clean hands stop many germs from spreading. Wash with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Wash your hands:

• before you prepare food or feed your child
• after changing a diaper or helping with the toilet
• after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
• before and after caring for a sick child

Teach your child to wash too, before meals and after the toilet.

Call the Red Cross on 140 or go to the emergency room if your child struggles to breathe or cannot swallow fluids or saliva.

Call the doctor if:

• a cough lasts more than 3 weeks
• a sore throat lasts more than 3 days
• an earache is not better after 3 days
• a diaper rash does not clear, spreads, or comes with a fever
• your child has a high temperature or seems very unwell