This is an English rendering of a Polish public-health reference. The care paths it names (112, night and holiday care NiŚOZ, primary care POZ) are Polish. This is not medical advice.

PL

This is not medical advice Life-threatening emergency (Poland): 112

Home › Fever and symptoms of illness

What can cause a runny nose in a baby (teething, spit-up, dry air)?

Applies to age: 0–12 months

In short

A blocked or runny nose is one of the main symptoms of a cold, which is caused by viruses. Trouble breathing, or blue skin, tongue or lips, need immediate medical help; call 999 (the ambulance number in Poland) or 112 (the emergency number in Poland).

Sources: NHS, Portal Pacjenta, NFZ i Akademia NFZChecked: Report an error

What is normal

All claims: international norm

  • A blocked or runny nose is one of the main symptoms of a cold.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    a blocked or runny nose

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • Colds are caused by viruses.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    Colds are caused by viruses and easily spread to other people.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • Children have 5 to 8 colds a year on average.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    Children have 5 to 8 colds a year on average.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • Most colds in younger children go away within 2 weeks.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    Most colds in younger children get better within 2 weeks.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • In young children, cold symptoms may last longer.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    Symptoms of a cold can last longer in young children.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • A little one with a cold may be irritable, have trouble eating and sleeping, and breathe through the mouth.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    They may also be irritable, have difficulty feeding and sleeping, breathe through their mouth, and get sick after coughing.

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

When to worry

All claims: international norm

Worth discussing with a doctor:

  • A cold that does not go away after 10 days is worth seeing a doctor about.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    your cold symptoms do not get better after 10 days

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

ER / 112 (Poland)

Some claims: international norm

Immediate medical help needed: international norm

  • Trouble breathing (for example grunting, the belly sucking in under the ribs, fast breathing) needs immediate medical help.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    your child is having difficulty breathing – you may notice grunting noises, their tummy sucking under their ribs or they may be breathing quickly

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • Blue or gray skin, tongue or lips need immediate medical help.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    your child's skin, tongue or lips are blue or grey

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • When life is in danger, call one of the emergency numbers, 999 (the ambulance number in Poland) or 112 (the emergency number in Poland).
    Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    Jeśli potrzebujesz natychmiastowej pomocy, bo zagrożone jest Twoje lub czyjeś życie, możesz zadzwonić na jeden z dwóch numerów ratunkowych: 999 lub 112.

    Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [2]

  • Significant shortness of breath is one of the situations in which you call an emergency medical team (ZRM).
    Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    nasilona duszność

    Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [2]

See a doctor

Some claims: international norm

Urgent medical assessment needed: international norm

  • When a child has a cold that is getting worse, it needs an urgent medical assessment.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    your child has had a cold and it's getting worse

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • Eating or feeding clearly less than usual needs an urgent medical assessment.
    Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)

    Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:

    your child is feeding or eating much less than normal

    NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]

  • Night and holiday care (NiŚOZ) is medical help outside the working hours of primary care (POZ) clinics.
    Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    Nocna i świąteczna opieka zdrowotna to pomoc lekarska po godzinach pracy przychodni POZ.

    NFZ i Akademia NFZ · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [3]

  • Go to night and holiday care (NiŚOZ) when symptoms get worse and you cannot wait until morning.
    Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ – show the quote

    Verbatim quote from the source:

    Polish original

    objawy się nasilą i nie możesz czekać do rana

    NFZ i Akademia NFZ · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [3]

international norm “International norm” next to a section heading means its claims come from a non-Polish source, because no Polish source in our registry covers this topic. When this applies to only some of the claims, the foreign ones carry the same label next to their source.

International norm

“International norm” next to a section heading means its claims come from a non-Polish source, because no Polish source in our registry covers this topic. When this applies to only some of the claims, the foreign ones carry the same label next to their source.

Sources

  1. NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia)
    License: Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The summary is ours and is not attributed to the NHS.
  2. Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl)
    License: CC BY 3.0 PL. Source: Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.
  3. NFZ i Akademia NFZ
    License: Treści NFZ – wykorzystanie ze wskazaniem źródła, bez obrotu komercyjnego. Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ. Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.

See an error or outdated information? Report an error in this answer. Answer checked against the sources on October 14, 2026.

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