Doctor or no doctor

[Elimat]

Hi parents, my almost 5 month old baby had a cold on Monday with mild symptoms, no fever, just fussiness, sneezing and a slight cough. I have been giving him calpol 3 times a day and yesterday only twice, morning and evening. Now he’s still sneezing a bit in particular in the mornings, temperature is normal, should I carry on giving calpol, no more calpol or contact my gp. Not sure on this one. First time mum.

I would say he’s probably fine but then again there’s no harm taking him to the doctor if you can get an appointment and they will be better equipped to answer any questions u may have

Also carry on with calpol I would say while you wait for the appointment

Doesn't really sound like they needed Calpol at all, it would be to bring a fever down or relieve pain, sounds like they've just had a cold that needs to run it's course. Kids will get a lot of colds this time of year, essentially runny noses now until March.

Preferably GP but if you can’t be seen today go to Pharmacist today and then GP on Monday

Really? For mild cold symptoms and no fever? Why would you need to see a GP?

It sounds like a standard cold, my 6 month old has had it too. I would generally only give Calpol for fever or pain tbh. Kids will pick up a lot of sniffles this time of year. Keep an eye on his breathing and temperature but he sounds like he's improving already. Obviously gp if you're concerned at all :)

Why would you take him to the GP? It sounds like he is getting better. Stop the Calpol and see how he is
If the temperature goes up again, start Calpol again.

Completely agree. If baby isn’t getting worse and doesn’t have any symptoms that are worrying or advised by the NHS to require a doctor what would a GP do?

I wouldn’t go to the GP and I probably wouldn’t give calpol unless he develops a fever. It sounds like a normal cold for this time of the year and so long as he’s feeding okay and has normal nappies, I’d just let it run its course.

I did go the GP for minor colds at least once with my newborn. What helped was learning the type of things they look for to decide if baby was fine and tips to look out for in future which might indicate they do need to be seen by a GP. I think it's part of developing a relationship. I remember one thing they taught me was to count their breaths per minute to get some idea if they are just bunged up nasally, or might have a chest infection. I found that even when they seemed to be struggling, they stayed within normal limits (temperature too).

I wouldn’t give calpol if no fever and no pain. It doesn’t sound too bad and it’s this time of the year unfortunately. But trust your instincts, if you’re worried, see the GP. I went a few times when my baby was little and they always told me that they’re happy for me to come in with a baby under 6 months and they’d much rather see them when it wasn’t necessary than not see them when it would have been.

Thank you for your advice, very much appreciated.