What to Give a Baby With the Flu

The flu is a contagious virus that often spreads during the winter. Symptoms of the flu include a sudden high fever, a runny nose, muscle aches, a dry cough, a headache, chills and fatigue. If your baby has the flu, it is important to understand what you can give her to relieve her symptoms.

Food and Fluids

Most importantly, when your baby has the flu, you need to provide him with plenty of fluids. If your baby is exclusively nursing or bottle-feeding, nurse or bottle-feed him often, possibly on demand. If your baby is eating solid foods, try small amounts of baby cereal or other bland foods that are easy to digest as well as fluids, such as water or watered-down juice. Don’t be surprised if your child seems to want to eat very little.

Medication

Talk to your doctor about giving your baby Motrin or Tylenol. Most doctors will approve these painkillers; however, they will only treat the fever and pain, not other symptoms. Never give a baby aspirin, which can cause Reye’s syndrome, a rare liver disorder. In addition, do not give any other cold and flu medicine without explicit instructions from your doctor.

When to Call the Doctor

Call your pediatrician immediately if your baby is less than 3 months old and develops a fever of over 100.4 degrees. Do the same if your baby is between 3 and 6 months and develops a fever over 101 degrees, or is older than 6 months and develops a fever higher than 103 degrees. Also watch your child closely. If she is experiencing any ear or face pain, has difficulty breathing or looks extremely ill, call your pediatrician. If a cough lasts for more than a week, contact your pediatrician.