Please note: This information was as current as we could make it on the date given above. But medical information is always changing, and some information given here may be out of date. For regularly updated information on a variety of health topics, please visit familydoctor.org, the AAFP patient education Web site.

Runny Nose and Your Child's Cold

What causes my child's runny nose?

A runny nose usually starts when your child's cold is starting to get better. When the cold virus first infects the nose and sinuses, the nose starts making lots of clear mucus. This mucus helps wash the virus out of the nose and sinuses.

After two or three days, as the body fights back, the mucus changes to a white or yellow color. As the bacteria that usually live in the nose grow back, they change the mucus to a greenish color. This is normal. It doesn't mean your child has an infection that needs to be treated with medicines like antibiotics.

Does a runny nose need to be treated?

No. Runny nose, cough, fever, headache and muscle aches may bother your child during a cold, but medicine won't make them go away faster. Using a cool mist vaporizer or giving your child an over-the-counter decongestant medicine may help. Check with your doctor to see which medicines are okay to use.

Why not take antibiotics?

Taking antibiotics that your body doesn't really need can be harmful. After each antibiotic, your child is more likely to have resistant germs in his or her nose. If your child gets infected again, it's more likely to be with these resistant germs. Resistant germs aren't killed by the usual antibiotics.

If your child gets infected with a resistant germ, it might be necessary to use more expensive and powerful antibiotics or even antibiotics that have to be given in the hospital. Because a runny nose generally gets better by itself, it's best to wait and take antibiotics only when your child's doctor says it is necessary.

Information in this handout was adapted from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention handout "Otitis Media with Effusion: Guide for Parents."

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This handout provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. To find out if this handout applies to you and to get more information on this subject, talk to your family doctor.

Visit familydoctor.org for information on this and many other health-related topics.

Copyright © 2000 by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Permission is granted to print and photocopy this material for nonprofit educational uses. Written permission is required for all other uses, including electronic uses.

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