My son is 12 months, and he got his 1st cold (since last Thursday). Stuffy nose (congested nose). Have been cleaning his nose as often as possible. last night he started coughing ( but it sounded like phlem) today he has been coughing phlem - not all the time, but often enough. he has no fever and eats pretty good. My question is - How long will his cold last? Can I give him soy milk instead of homo milk right now due to the phlem. and is his cold congatious? Thank you for taking the time in reading this.
Hi... Thank you for consulting in Chat Doctor. Cough and cold are viral 95% of the times in child Chat Doctor.  For cold, you can use anti-allergics like cetirizine and for nose block, saline nasal decongestants will do. Paracetamol can be given in the dose of 15\u00a0mg/kg/dose (max ceiling dose 500\u00a0mg) every 4-6th hourly, that too only if fever is more than 100F. I suggest not using combination medicines for fever, especially with Paracetamol. For cold, you can use Cetirizine at 0.25\u00a0mg/kg/dose every 12 hourly for 3 days. For nasal block, plain saline nasal