Dubbing air pollution as one of the leading killers of children worldwide, the study throws light on how children are more susceptible to air pollution during their fetal development and in their earliest years. And that's because children breathe faster than adults. With AQI (Air Quality Index) being poor and onset of winters, we frequently encounter outpatient and emergency visits to the hospital of babies presenting with coughs and colds. Some recommendations in which you can protect your baby from the current scenario include.

Continue Breastfeeding
If you are breastfeeding, please continue to breastfeed even if you or your baby or both have a cold/cough. Frequent handwashing and wearing a mask during breastfeeding can help if you as a mother are suffering from cold/cough. Breastfeeding builds immunity and offers protection against number of illnesses.

Humidification of the room
Dry air is a common problem in the current weather and breathing becomes comfortable if air is humidified. Simple measures like keeping the hot shower open to make the bedroom air moist, keeping a steamer on (taking care its further away from the baby to avoid burns etc), Humidifiers can help.

Oil based heaters
They are preferred to electric ones, also ensure its placed further away from the baby.

Nasal saline drops
One drop each nostril 10 minutes prior to feeds usually help with most colds in babies. These can be given upto 4-6 times a day for the period of illness but do consult your pediatrician before administering them.

Keep the home environment clean
It is important to keep the home as much dust free as possible. Avoid stuffed toys etc as they gather dust and are hard to disinfect.

Avoid multiple visitors at home
Avoid too many visits by relatives etc in the first few months, later on with routine immunizations baby maybe able to fight infections better.

Avoid crowded places
Do take the baby out for a walk but avoid times when the places are likely to be crowded.