There are very few things you can do to treat an infant if she has caught a cold. If your infant is breast fed, the best approach is to start treating the mother, as all the medicines will go down to the child directly with breast milk. If not, you can start by running a hot steamy bath and adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil or Vicks Vaporub to the water. Hold the naked baby in your arms and sit with her in this tub. The vapors will open up her pores and sinuses and allow her to breathe easily and clear congestion. Prepare a paste of honey, fresh ground ginger and holy basil. Mix a drop of this to a tablespoon of warm water. This will loosen mucus.
Make a vegetable broth with chopped vegetables boiled in water. Strain this and give it to the baby while it is warm. You can also make chicken broth the same way. Add a pinch of salt or sugar, and a drop of garlic juice to the broth. You can also heat a few cloves in a skillet till they start to burn and turn white. Then they will release fumes. Bring the baby within sniffing distance of these fumes. This remedy is almost magical in getting rid of a cold for infants.
answered by G R