How do you tell between a cold and teething?

[jenny]

DD has had a runny nose for the past few days. It's like a leaky faucet!

She has no fever and mild diarrhea (I think)

Her canines are coming in.

So how do I know if she's got a cold or if this is associated with teething??

[deannanb]

is she eating and drinking?
and otherwise acting "normal"
(as normal as an almost 1 year old can act) =)

is the runny nose clear or green?
it could be the teeth or allergies
does tylenol help?

[jenny]

she's acting normal. a bit clingy at times and cranky.

the runny nose is clear. but it just keeps coming out.

i hate to think that an 11 month old has allergies

we gave her hyland's teething biscuits last night if it was from teething. we haven't been doing tylenol b/c no fever.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

I would avoid Tylenol as much as possible, more recent reports question the safety, due to liver damage.

If it is clear, and the stool is a bit more loose, it is probably teething. Is the baby drooling?

Seasonal allergies are very rare before age 3.

Do you have those Munchkin mesh food bags? The ones that are small and the baby can suck on? I used to freeze a chunk of banana, put it in a bag, and let my DD suck on that.

[jenny]

she's not really drooling, she kinda stopped doing that after her first tooth came in.

i do have the mesh feeders but the girl won't suck on anything unless it looks like a remote control, board book, cell phone or plastic water bottle.

ok. just wanted to see if anyone thought it might be a cold.

thanks.

[Tondi G]

I sounds like teething but it could be a cold. My kids would sometimes get a runny nose with teething but it wasn't like a faucet. My DS had a cold (and EI that was treated with abx) that just wouldn't quit not too long ago. the running was crazy and he was sore and red under his nose. I finally caved and gave him a dose on benedryl at bedtime... he slept great and woke up finally without a leaky nose!