Foods to Avoid When Your Baby Has a Cold (Public Health Network)
With significant temperature fluctuations between day and night in northern regions, babies with weaker immunity are prone to colds. During treatment, dietary choices are crucial—unsuitable foods can prolong recovery. Here’s how to manage your baby’s diet when they’re under the weather.
What to Feed a Baby with a Cold
Staples and Legumes: Rice porridge, millet porridge, cornmeal porridge, rice water, soft noodles, mung beans, japonica rice, lotus root starch paste, almond paste, and bean products—all in liquid or semi-liquid forms.
Meat, Eggs, and Dairy: Milk and dairy products, egg custard, lamb liver, pork kidney.
Vegetable Choices: Leafy greens like Chinese cabbage, bok choy, amaranth, and cilantro; root vegetables like carrots, ginger, and potatoes; melons and gourds like winter melon, cucumber, bitter melon, and tomatoes; various mushrooms, scallions, and garlic.
Fruit choices: Juicy fresh fruits like apples, pears, oranges, watermelon, water chestnuts, and sugarcane.
What babies with colds should avoid:
Seafood and other heat-inducing foods;
Rich, greasy, or heavy foods, which may cause internal heat;
Raw, cold, or cooling foods, which may damage the spleen and stomach, worsen symptoms, and prolong recovery.
If fever is present, avoid high-protein foods; dilute milk or formula.
Sweets, as they promote heat and hinder cough recovery.
Hard-to-digest foods like eggs.
Dry nuts like peanuts and melon seeds, which are high in oil and may increase phlegm production;
Sour foods, such as yogurt;
Tonics and other nourishing foods.
Beyond these, what are the dietary principles for babies with colds?
Dietary Considerations for Babies with Colds
Ensure ample water intake and frequent urination by offering plain water.Fever typically depletes the body's fluids, and timely, adequate hydration effectively reduces temperature.
Ensure ample intake of vitamin A-rich foods. During colds and fevers, the body requires increased nutrients. Vitamin A deficiency can weaken respiratory and digestive mucosal defenses, making children susceptible to complications like bronchitis, pneumonia, or enteritis from colds.
Prioritize zinc-rich foods.Zinc boosts children's immunity, preventing recurrent colds and mouth ulcers. Moderately supplementing with vitamin C-rich juices can aid recovery from colds. Parents can prepare fresh juices like lemon, pear, or orange juice, but these should not replace water. What should babies eat when sick? Proper dietary planning is crucial.