First comes the sniffle. Then the cough, the clinginess and the 2 a.m. wake-up because “my nose is not working.”
Young children get 6 to 8 colds a year and kids in playschool get up to 12. Almost all are viral and clear up in 7 to 14 days. No medicine shortens a cold. Your job is to keep your child comfortable enough to eat, drink and sleep and to spot the few signs that need a doctor.
How Long Does a Cold Last in Toddlers and Babies?
Symptoms get worse before they get better. Day four, when the child looks worse than on day two, is when most parents panic. That is normal.
| Day | What usually happens |
|---|---|
| Days 1-2 | Sniffle, scratchy throat, sometimes a low fever. Clear runny nose. |
| Days 3-5 | The peak. Thick congestion, worst cough, poor sleep. Mucus often turns yellow or green. |
| Days 5-7 | Fever gone. Appetite and energy return. Nose still running. |
| Days 7-14 | Runny nose tapers off. |
| Weeks 2-3 | A dry cough can linger, mostly at night. |
A cough at week three that is slowly improving is fine. One that is getting worse needs a visit.
Green mucus does not mean your child needs antibiotics. The colour comes from your child’s own white blood cells and shows up in viral colds too. Antibiotics do nothing against cold viruses.
Home Remedies for Cold and Cough in Kids That Work
Saline nose drops before feeds and sleep. Safe from birth and plain saline drops (sodium chloride 0.65%) cost under ₹100 at any chemist. Put 2 to 3 drops in each nostril, wait 30 seconds, then use a nasal aspirator for babies. Do it 15 minutes before a feed and at bedtime. A baby with a blocked nose cannot feed well, so a clear nose often fixes feeding and sleep together. Two to four times a day is enough.
Fluids, little and often. Small sips every 20 minutes beat a full glass once an hour. Warm water, dal ka pani, clear vegetable soup, rasam and nariyal pani all count. A child passing urine every 6 to 8 hours is drinking enough; our guide on keeping children hydrated lists the signs. Breastfed babies do better with shorter, more frequent feeds and mothers can keep breastfeeding while sick.
Honey for night cough, only after age one. Half to one teaspoon at bedtime. In trials it eased night cough better than dextromethorphan, a common cough syrup ingredient. Never give honey under 12 months, even mixed with ginger or tulsi juice, because of the risk of infant botulism.
Steam, done safely. Ten minutes in a closed bathroom with the hot shower or geyser running loosens mucus before bed. Never hold a child over a bowl or bucket of boiling water; emergency wards treat steam scalds every winter. Keep our burn and scald first aid guide handy.
Traditional Indian Remedies: Which Are Safe for Kids?
Every family has a dadi-nani protocol. Some of it helps.
| Remedy | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Ajwain potli (roasted carom seeds in a cotton cloth) near the chest | Fine as a warm compress. Test the heat on your wrist. Never leave it in the cot. |
| Warm mustard or coconut oil massage on chest and back | Soothing, though it does not clear mucus. |
| Haldi doodh for kids over one | Fine as a warm drink. |
| Ginger, tulsi or mild kadha for kids over one | A few sips of a weak one is fine. |
| Oil, garlic juice or ghee dropped into the nose | Skip. Oil can be breathed into the lungs. |
| Camphor, Vicks-type menthol balms under age two | Skip. Camphor is toxic if swallowed. |
| Anything other than breast milk or formula under 6 months | Skip. That rules out honey, kadha, janam ghutti and gripe water. |
The rule: warmth on the outside is fine. Nothing goes into a baby’s nose except saline.
Can Kids Eat Banana, Curd and Rice During a Cold?
Yes. No study shows that banana, curd, rice or milk cause a cold or make mucus worse. A sick child who wants curd rice should get curd rice, at room temperature if cold food bothers the throat. Cutting foods out only lowers how much they eat, which is the bigger problem.
Can I bathe my child during a cold? Yes, with lukewarm water, drying and dressing them before they leave the bathroom. The warm air often eases a blocked nose. Skip it only if your child is shivering with fever.
Which Cough Syrups Are Safe for Kids in India?
For young children, almost none.
In October 2025, after child deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were linked to a contaminated cough syrup, the Union Health Ministry (DGHS) told doctors and chemists not to prescribe or dispense cough and cold medicines to children under two. It said they are generally not recommended under five either. Since 2023, CDSCO has required a “not for children below 4 years” warning on the common chlorpheniramine and phenylephrine combination.
Do not buy cough syrup over the counter for a toddler or reuse a sibling’s bottle. No aspirin at any age in children.
For discomfort or fever, these have a place:
| Medicine | Age | Dose |
|---|---|---|
| Paracetamol | From birth (ask a doctor under 3 months) | 10-15 mg/kg every 4-6 hours, max 4 doses in 24 hours |
| Ibuprofen | 6 months and older | 5-10 mg/kg every 6-8 hours, not if dehydrated or vomiting |
Dose by weight, not age. Drops and syrups come in different strengths, so check the mg per ml on the label.
How to Help a Baby Sleep With a Blocked Nose at Night
Do not tilt the cot and do not put a pillow, rolled towel or wedge under a baby’s head or mattress. Babies under 12 months sleep on their back on a firm, flat surface, even with a cold. A tilt lets the head slump forward and narrows the airway.
What works: saline and suction just before sleep, bathroom steam in the bedtime routine, holding your baby upright on your chest for a while before putting them down and shorter night feeds. Kids over two can have an extra pillow.
Expect three or four rough nights. Take turns with your partner so one of you sleeps; our post on sleep myths has more.
Cold, Flu or Pollution Cough?
Flu hits suddenly with high fever (39-40 °C) and body aches. A cold builds slowly with low or no fever. Wheezing in a child under two may be RSV bronchiolitis and needs a doctor that day.
In north Indian cities, a cough that starts around Diwali and lasts until January may be the air, not a virus. On high-AQI days, move outdoor play to the afternoon and keep windows shut in the morning and evening. A child whose cough returns every winter should be checked for asthma.
The IAP recommends a yearly flu vaccine from 6 months to 5 years; here is how to prepare your child for the vaccine appointment.
When to Take Your Child to the Doctor for a Cold
See a paediatrician the same day, or go to the emergency room, for any of these:
- Fast breathing, flaring nostrils, skin pulling in under the ribs, or grunting
- Blue or grey lips
- Refusing to drink, or no urine for 6 to 8 hours
- Unusually drowsy, floppy or hard to wake
- First-time wheezing in a child under two
- Fever above 39 °C for more than three days, or fever that comes back after the child seemed better
- No improvement by day seven, or getting worse after day five
- Ear pain or ear pulling with fever
- A barking cough with a harsh sound when breathing in (croup)
Under 3 months: any temperature of 38 °C (100.4 °F) or higher needs a doctor immediately.
Watch the child, not the thermometer. A child at 39 °C who drinks and plays is less worrying than one at 38 °C who will not drink. See signs of distress in children. For borderline calls, the government’s free eSanjeevani video consult saves a wait in a crowded clinic.
Can I Send My Child to School With a Cold?
A runny nose alone is fine. Fever is not. A child with fever stays home until 24 hours fever-free without paracetamol or ibuprofen.
Back-to-back colds in the first year of playschool are normal. Handwashing with soap after school and before meals does more than any immunity booster, as do good sleep and healthy eating habits.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is a child contagious with a cold? Most contagious in the first two to three days, though children can shed the virus for a week.
Why is my child’s cough worse at night? Lying down lets mucus drip down the throat. Saline before bed and honey for over-ones help. A night cough lasting weeks, especially with wheeze, needs a doctor’s check.
References
Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. (2025). Advisory on rational use of cough syrups in paediatric population. Reported by News On AIR: https://www.newsonair.gov.in/health-ministry-advises-cough-syrups-should-not-be-prescribed-or-dispensed-to-children-below-two-years
Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. (2023). Order on labelling of chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylephrine FDC: “not to be used in children below 4 years of age.” Reported by The Tribune: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/regulator-bans-anti-cold-syrup-for-under-4-children-574238
Indian Academy of Pediatrics, Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Immunization Practices. IAP Immunization Schedule. https://iapindia.org
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2024). Coughs and Colds: Medicines or Home Remedies? HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/chest-lungs/Pages/Coughs-and-Colds-Medicines-or-Home-Remedies.aspx
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2022). Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2022 Recommendations for Reducing Infant Deaths in the Sleep Environment. Pediatrics, 150(1).
Paul, I. M., et al. (2007). Effect of honey, dextromethorphan and no treatment on nocturnal cough and sleep quality for coughing children and their parents. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 161(12), 1140-1146.
Oduwole, O., et al. (2018). Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 4, CD007094.
Seattle Children’s Hospital. Colds. https://www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/a-z/colds/
ThePrint. (2025). Paediatric wards in Delhi hospitals brimming with respiratory cases. https://theprint.in/health/paediatric-wards-in-delhi-hospitals-brimming-with-respiratory-cases-it-started-after-diwali/2391407
This article is general information, not medical advice. Confirm doses and warning signs with your own paediatrician, who knows your child’s weight and history.