Most people get colds in the winter and spring, but it is possible to get a cold any time of the year. Symptoms usually include sore throat, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, headaches, and body aches. Most people recover within about 7-10 days. However, people with weakened immune systems, asthma, or conditions that affect the lungs and breathing passages may develop serious illness, such as pneumonia. Common colds are the main reason that children miss school and adults miss work. Each year in the United States, millions of people get the common cold. Adults have an average of 2-3 colds per year, and children have even more.

Key Facts

• Every year, adults have an average of 2–3 colds, and children have even more.
• Many viruses can cause colds, but rhinoviruses are most common. Infections spread through the air and close personal contact.
• There is no cure for a cold. To feel better, you should get lots of rest and drink plenty of fluids.
• Symptoms of a cold usually include sore throat, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, headaches, and body aches.
• To reduce your risk of getting a cold, wash hands often for at least 20 seconds with soap and water and avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.​

Protect Yourself and Others

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Viruses that cause colds can survive on your hands, and regular handwashing can help protect you from getting sick.

How to Feel Better

There is no cure for a cold. To feel better, you should get lots of rest and drink plenty of fluids. Over-the-counter medicines may help ease symptoms but will not make your cold go away any faster. Always read the label and use medications as directed. Talk to your doctor before giving your child nonprescription cold medicines, since some medicines contain ingredients that are not recommended for children.

When to See a Doctor

You should call your doctor if you or your child has one or more of these conditions: a temperature higher than 100.4°F, symptoms that last more than 10 days, or symptoms that are severe or unusual. If your child is younger than 3 months of age and has a fever, you should always call your doctor right away. Your doctor can determine if you or your child has a cold and can recommend therapy to help with symptoms.

Get Smart

When you have a cold, mucus fills your nose, causing runny nose, congestion, and mucus to drip down your throat (post-nasal drip), which can cause a sore throat and cough. This mucus helps wash the germs from the nose and sinuses. After two or three days, mucus may change to a white, yellow, or green color. This does not necessarily mean antibiotics are needed.

Prevention Tips

• Wash your hands often with soap and water. Wash them for at least 20 seconds, and help young children do the same. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Viruses that cause colds can stay on your hands, and regular handwashing can help protect you from getting sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Viruses that cause colds can enter your body this way and make you sick.
• Stay away from people who are sick. Sick people can spread viruses that cause the common cold through close contact with others.
• Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, including objects such as toys and doorknobs.

• The ‘common cold’ is caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat and sinuses. A virus is a germ that makes people sick.

• Young children get lots of colds, some as many as 8 to 10 each year before they turn 2 years old. Colds tend to be more common in fall and winter when children are indoors and in closer contact with each other, so it may seem like your child has one cold after another all winter long. Young children have more colds than older children and adults because they haven’t built up immunity (defences) to the more than 100 different cold viruses that are around.

• Children can catch colds from siblings, parents, other family members, playmates or caregivers. Children with older siblings and those who attend daycare have more colds. Once you’ve had a cold virus, you become immune to that virus, so children get fewer colds as they get older. By the time they start school, children who attended daycare will have fewer colds than other children.

• If a child gets many colds, it’s not a sign of a weak immune system. It just means he’s exposed to many viruses. The only reason to have a child’s immune system tested is if the colds often lead to more serious problems.

Cold viruses are found in the nose and throat. Because children touch their noses, eyes and mouths often, put things in their mouths, and touch each other often during play, cold germs spread easily. There is also a lot of contact between parents or caregivers and children: holding hands, picking up, feeding, changing diapers and so on.

• Children with colds get viruses on their hands when they touch their runny noses or mouths or when they cough or sneeze. When they touch other children, they pass on the viruses.

• Children with colds get viruses on their hands and then touch an object, such as a toy or furniture. Cold viruses can live on objects for several hours and can be picked up on the hands of other children who touch the same object. These children then get infected when they touch their eyes, nose or mouth.

• Caregivers can get viruses on their hands and spread them between children by touch.

• Some cold viruses may be spread through the air when a child with a cold coughs or sneezes. Droplets from the cough or sneeze may reach another child’s nose or mouth.

• Typical cold symptoms are a runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, coughing and a mild sore throat.

• Some children may not want to eat, have a headache or be more tired than usual.

• Colds can sometimes cause fever, but the fever usually isn’t very high.

• Colds usually last about a week but can last for as long as 2 weeks.

• Some respiratory viruses that cause colds in older children and adults may cause more serious illness when they infect infants and toddlers. These illnesses include croup (hoarseness, noisy breathing, barking cough), bronchiolitis (wheezing, difficulty breathing), or sore eyes, sore throat and neck gland swelling.

• The influenza (flu) virus causes high fever, cough and body aches, strikes more quickly than a cold and causes infected persons to feel sicker. While children with colds usually have energy to play and keep up their daily routines, children with influenza are usually in bed.

Babies under 3 months of age have difficulty breathing through a blocked nose. Feeding becomes difficult. Call your doctor or take your baby to an emergency department if your baby:

• has trouble breathing;

• is not eating or is vomiting; or

• has a fever (rectal temperature of 38.5°C or higher).

Babies and children of all ages should see a doctor if the cold seems to be causing more serious problems. Call your doctor or take your child to an emergency department if you notice any of the following signs:

• your child is breathing rapidly or seems to be working hard to breathe;

• your child’s lips look blue; or

• coughing is so bad that the child is choking or vomiting.

These can be signs of pneumonia (lung infection) or bronchiolitis (an infection of the tiny airways that lead to the lungs). These conditions need to be treated by a doctor.

Call your doctor if your child shows any sign of a middle ear infection, which can result from a cold. These signs include:

• high fever (especially fever that begins several days after the start of a cold);

• earache;

• crankiness;

• vomiting; or

• pus draining from the ear.

Other reasons to contact your doctor:

• If your child wakes in the morning with one or both eyes stuck shut with dried yellow pus. Although red eyes and watery discharge are common with a cold, pus is a sign of an eye infection and should be treated.

• If your child is much more sleepy than usual, doesn’t want to feed or play, or is very cranky or fussy and cannot be comforted.

• It’s common to have thick or discoloured (yellow, green) discharge from the nose with a cold. This doesn’t need an antibiotic. However, if it lasts for more than 10 to 14 days, contact your doctor.

• There is no cure for the common cold. Colds usually go away on their own.

• Keep your child as comfortable as possible. If she doesn’t want to eat, offer plenty of fluids and small, nutritious meals.

• ‘Over-the-counter’ cough and cold medicines (which don’t need a doctor’s prescription) should not be given to children younger than three years old unless prescribed by your doctor. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before giving over-the-counter drugs to children under 12 years of age, or to anyone taking other medicines or with a chronic illness. Read label instructions carefully and do not give more than is recommended.

• Coughing helps clear mucus from the chest. If coughing is frequent, dry and is preventing an older child from sleeping, a product with dextromethorphan may help ease it, although studies have shown limited benefit.

• Decongestants and antihistamines have no effect on coughing. Decongestants taken by mouth are not very effective and can cause rapid heartbeat or insomnia (inability to sleep) in children. Antihistamines are not effective for colds.

• If an infant is having trouble feeding because of a stuffed nose, use a rubber suction bulb to clear mucus from the nose. Use saline nose drops or saline nose spray if the mucus is very thick. The spray goes well into the nasal passages and may be more effective than the drops.

• A cool mist humidifier may make a child with a stuffy nose more comfortable. Clean and dry the humidifier thoroughly to prevent contamination from bacteria or mould. Hot water vaporizers are not recommended because of the risk of burns.

• Medicated nose drops or sprays provide only brief relief and shouldn’t be used for more than 2 to 3 days because the congestion can actually get worse. Don’t use these products in children under 6 years old.

• Monitor your child’s temperature. To ease pain, aches or a fever with a temperature greater than 38.5°C, use acetaminophen (eg, Tylenol, Tempra and Panadol). Ibuprofen (eg, Advil and Motrin) may be used for children over 6 months old. Use the dose and schedule recommended on the package or by your doctor or pharmacist. Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA [eg, Aspirin]), or any cold medicine containing it, should be avoided in children and teenagers with colds because it can lead to brain and liver damage (Reye syndrome).

• Colds cannot be treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics should be used only when children develop complications from bacteria, such as an ear infection or pneumonia.

• Children can continue their normal activities if they feel well enough to do so. If they have fever or complications, they may need a few days of rest at home. Your child can keep going to school if he feels well enough to take part in the activities.

• In winter, children with colds can still play outside.

Although most colds in children don’t cause serious complications, they can cause stress and worry in parents and caregivers. It’s understandable that you might want to give your child medicine to treat a cold. But most children will get better on their own, and cough or cold medicine will not change the natural course of a cold or make it go away faster.

In addition, some cough and cold medicines can have serious side effects, such as slowed breathing, which can be life-threatening, especially in infants and young children. For those reasons, it’s important to know when your child needs medication, which treatments are recommended, and when to do without medicine.

These days, cold and cough symptoms can be especially worrisome, because they could be symptoms of COVID-19, the flu, or other potentially serious illness. If you are concerned about COVID-19, talk to your child’s health care provider.

Ways to Treat Colds in Infants and Children

Coughs are a normal symptom of a cold and help the body clear the mucus out of the airway and protect the lungs. Non-drug treatments for coughs include drinking plenty of fluids, especially warm drinks to soothe the throat.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers these tips for relieving cough and cold symptoms in infants and children:

A cool mist humidifier makes breathing easier by decreasing congestion in nasal passages. Do not use warm mist humidifiers because they can cause nasal passages to swell and make breathing more difficult.

Saline nose drops or sprays keep nasal passages moist and help avoid stuffiness.

Nasal suctioning with a bulb syringe or a similar product, with or without saline nose drops, works very well for children younger than a year old. You can use them on older children, too, but they often resist bulb syringes.

Acetaminophen or ibuprofen can be used to reduce fever, aches, and pain. Carefully read and follow the product’s instructions on the Drug Facts label or talk to your pharmacist or health care provider about dosage.

Encourage children to drink plenty of liquids to stay hydrated.

Giving Children Cough and Cold Medicines

Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are available to treat cough and cold symptoms. The FDA doesn’t recommend OTC medicines for cough and cold symptoms in children younger than 2 because they could cause serious and potentially life-threatening side effects. Manufacturers voluntarily label these cough and cold products to state: “Do not use in children under 4 years of age.”

Numerous OTC cough and cold products contain many ingredients that can lead to accidental overdosing. Learn about what drugs (active ingredients) are in a product by reading the Drug Facts label.

Nonprescription cough and cold products can be harmful to children if:

• They get more than the recommended dose or take the medicine too often.
• They take more than one product containing the same drug. For example, taking both a pain reliever containing acetaminophen and cough and cold medicine containing acetaminophen.

How can you be sure to give the correct dose? The FDA encourages drug manufacturers to provide a dosing instrument, such as a syringe or a cup, marked with the correct measurements. Use them—and not household spoons or tools from other medications—to measure medication.

Don’t give children medicines that are packaged and made for adults because adult medicines may overdose a child.

There Are No FDA-Approved Homeopathic Products

At your pharmacy and online, you may see other cough and cold medicine being sold for children advertised as homeopathic. It’s important to note that these homeopathic products are drugs because they are intended to treat or mitigate colds, even though some of these products might look similar to dietary supplements.

Homeopathic products are generally labeled as containing very small amounts of highly diluted substances, including ingredients from plants, animal or human sources, bacteria, minerals, and chemicals. The FDA has found that some of these products contain active drug ingredients in levels that far exceed the amount stated on the product’s label, and could cause significant harm to children.

There are no FDA-approved homeopathic products, and homeopathic products sold in the U.S. have not met the FDA’s requirements for safety and effectiveness. The FDA is not aware of any proven benefits of these products and urges you not to give homeopathic cough and cold medicine to children younger than 4.

In certain instances, children younger than 4 who took these products have experienced serious side effects, some of which required hospitalization, including:

• Seizure, allergic reaction, and difficulty breathing.
• Low blood potassium and low blood sugar, which may result in headache, crankiness, drowsiness, and weakness.

These serious side effects occurred soon after children took a homeopathic cough and cold product; however, it is not always possible to know whether a reported side effect was caused by a medicine.

When to Call a Doctor

Not every sniffle or cough merits a trip to the doctor’s office. When in doubt, call your health care provider.

Some symptoms can signal that your child may have something more serious than a cold. For all children, call a doctor if you see any of these symptoms:

• A fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in an infant 2 months or younger.
• A fever of 102 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in children at any age.
• Blue lips.
• Labored breathing, including nostrils widening with each breath; wheezing; fast breathing; the ribs showing with each breath; or shortness of breath.
• Severe headache.
• Not eating or drinking, with signs of dehydration (such as decreased urination).
• Excessive crankiness or sleepiness.
• Persistent ear pain.
• If the child is getting worse.

Children under 2 years of age should not be given any kind of cough and cold product that contains a decongestant or antihistamine because serious and possibly life-threatening side effects could occur. Reported side effects of these products included convulsions, rapid heart rates and death. What about older children? When giving cough and cold medicine to children over 2 years of age, parents and caregivers should use caution.

A meeting about the safety and effectiveness of cough and cold drug product use in children by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2007 revealed that there were many reports of harm, and even death, in children who used these products. During 2004-2005, an estimated 1,519 children less than 2 years of age were treated in U.S. emergency departments for adverse events, including overdoses, associated with cough and cold medications. Manufacturers voluntarily removed over-the-counter (OTC) infant cough and cold products intended for children under 2 years of age due to these safety concerns.

Treating Toddlers and Older Children

Cough and cold products for children older than 2 years of age were not affected by the voluntary removal and these products are still sold in pharmacies and other retail outlets. Manufactures also voluntarily re-labeled these cough and cold products to state: “do not use in children under 4 years of age.” 

Parents need to be aware that many OTC cough and cold products contain multiple ingredients which can lead to accidental overdosing. Reading the Drug Facts label can help parents learn about what drugs (active ingredients) are in a product.

When giving children 4 years of age and older a cough and cold product, remember, OTC cough and cold products can be harmful if:

• more than the recommended amount is used
• they are given too often
• more than one product containing the same drug is being used.

Children should not be given medicines that are packaged and made for adults. 

Other Options for Treating Colds

Here are a few alternative treatments for infants to help with cough and cold symptoms:

• A cool mist humidifier helps nasal passages shrink and allow easier breathing. Do not use warm mist humidifiers. They can cause nasal passages to swell and make breathing more difficult  
• Saline nose drops or spray keep nasal passages moist and helps avoid stuffiness  
• Nasal suctioning with a bulb syringe -- with or without saline nose drops -- works very well for infants less than a year old. Older children often resist the use of a bulb syringe  
• Acetaminophen or ibuprofen can be used to reduce fever, aches and pains. Parents should carefully read and follow the product’s instructions for use on the Drug Facts label  
• Drinking plenty of liquids will help children stay hydrated.

• Keep babies under 3 months old away from people with colds, if possible.

• Make sure your child has received all of the recommended immunizations. While they won’t prevent colds, they will help prevent some of the complications, such as bacterial infections of the ears or lungs. Influenza vaccine protects against influenza but not against other respiratory viruses.

• Handwashing is the most important way to reduce the spread of colds:

  • Wash your hands after coughing, sneezing or wiping your nose.

  • Wash your hands after being in direct contact with someone who has a respiratory infection.

  • Wash your own hands and your child’s hands after wiping your child’s nose.

  • When water and soap are not available, use premoistened hand wipes or alcohol-based hand rinses. Keep hand rinses out of the reach of children because they may be harmful if swallowed.

• Teach children to prevent spreading colds by covering the nose and mouth with tissues when they sneeze or cough, by disposing of tissues immediately in a wastebasket, and by washing their hands after wiping the nose or handling tissues.

• Avoid sharing toys that young children place in their mouths until the toys have been cleaned.

• If your child attends daycare, tell the caregiver about any symptoms and ask if your child should stay away from daycare that day. When both parents work outside the home, plan ahead by making arrangements for when your child becomes ill.