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Why a newborn baby has cold nose and hands when walking and indoors
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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A cold nose in a newborn is most often not a problem, although this symptom worries parents. Only in some cases can a cold nose in a child be the cause of a disease, and in other cases it is only a feature of the newborn's adaptation to environmental conditions. But it is necessary to know all the "symptoms of danger" and when to contact a doctor.
Causes of a cold nose in a newborn
Cold noses are most common in newborns. Why does this happen?
A baby is born not fully developed. After birth, its circulatory system is still learning how to supply the entire body with blood. Its priority is to send blood to vital organs - the heart, lungs, digestive and urinary organs. Because of this, blood is redirected from less important parts, such as the nose, arms and legs, to more important parts of the body. Reduced blood flow to peripheral areas of the body is what causes a baby's nose to become cold.
There are a few other physiological reasons why newborns have cold noses. The fetus floats in amniotic fluid. Some of this fluid gets into their nasal passages during birth, and it can take a few days for the fluids to clear out of the nasal passages, causing symptoms such as a cold nose or discharge.
Newborns do not breathe regularly. Instead, they typically take shallow breaths, then pause and take deeper breaths. Deeper breaths create turbulence in the nasal passages, causing the air to move unevenly. A baby's nasal passages are equipped with tiny hairs and mucous glands to trap dust and other floating matter, thereby performing a protective function. This process can lead to turbulent air not being warmed enough and entering the lower respiratory tract. This system is imperfect, which is why a baby's nose immediately becomes cold in cold air, because the process of warming the air and its movement is disrupted. But this is only a temporary process, which normalizes closer to the first month of the baby's life.
Newborns cannot breathe through their mouths for the first few months of life. Because babies have small nasal passages, they breathe through their noses most of the time. This is one reason why newborns often have cold noses, as this is where most of the air passes, especially during feeding.
Why does a newborn have a cold nose and hands? The reason in this case is often the wrong temperature in the room, outside during a walk, or improper dressing of the child. But just because your child's feet and nose are cold, it does not mean that you need to wrap him up too much, because this will lead to overheating and the risk of developing a cold. Here is an empirical rule: dress your child the same way you dress, and then add another sweater or jacket. It is important to assess the temperature during a walk by touching the arms, legs and nose.
Occasionally, a cold nose and feet can be a sign of something more serious happening inside your baby's body. It's worth worrying if a newborn's cold nose appears against the background of a rise in body temperature.
The pathogenesis of such changes is that when the child's body temperature rises, several stages of this process occur. At the initial stage, the body temperature rises, then it remains elevated for some time, and then decreases on its own or under the influence of antipyretic drugs. It is at the stage of temperature reduction that certain parts of the body cool down, including the nose, legs, hands may become cold.
But the increase in body temperature does not happen without a specific reason, so it is necessary to look for the reason for this. A cold nose and runny nose are usually the first sign that your child has a cold.
A cold is an upper respiratory tract infection that most often causes a newborn's fever, along with a cold nose as one of the symptoms. These infections are caused by one of many viruses, with rhinoviruses being the most common. Once your baby is infected with a virus, he or she will usually develop immunity to that particular virus. The viruses that cause colds are contagious and can be passed on to your baby in several ways. Airborne: Someone with a cold can spread viral particles by coughing, sneezing, or even talking. Direct contact: A person with an infection can pass viruses on to your baby by touching them. Also, known viral agents can survive on surfaces such as toys or utensils for several hours.
These are the main reasons why a child gets infected with the virus and these symptoms include a cold nose.
Risk factors
Risk factors for a cold nose in a child are primarily a violation of the temperature regime, but the main risk factor that needs to be taken into account is contact with a person who is sick with a viral infection. This factor must be taken into account and avoided for such a small child.
Symptoms of a cold nose in a newborn
A cold nose in a newborn at home or on a walk is most likely caused by a low temperature. In this case, you need to make sure that the child is not cold. If you are not sure, then you need to measure the child's body temperature.
Diagnosis of a cold nose in a newborn most often requires measuring body temperature, especially if this symptom is not the first time. Body temperature can be measured with a mercury thermometer, an electronic thermometer, or an infrared thermometer. It is believed that the most accurate measurement of body temperature is done with an infrared thermometer on the eardrum. A mercury thermometer is also quite accurate, but the measurement must be done in the armpit or groin for at least 10 minutes. An electronic thermometer can be considered the least accurate, but if measured correctly, the result must also be taken into account. The body temperature of a newborn baby, due to imperfect regulation of temperature, fluctuates between 36.5 and 37.5 degrees. Therefore, diagnosis is very simple: if the body temperature is below 36.5, the child is cold and needs to be dressed, fed, or the temperature in the room increased. If the body temperature is above 37.5, the child is probably sick. Thus, the main principle of diagnosis of a cold nose in a child is measuring body temperature.
The first signs of the disease, along with a cold nose, may develop within the first 24 hours after the body temperature rises. Other symptoms that occur with colds and viral infections include:
Low-grade fever (<38°C), sneezing, coughing, red eyes, hoarse voice, decreased appetite, irritability, and trouble sleeping. These symptoms most likely indicate a cold. In newborns, these symptoms usually resolve within two weeks without requiring treatment from a doctor. If your baby is managing his symptoms without medication, wait and see what happens. Your baby will likely be on the road to recovery before you know it, since he has antibodies from his mother.
When a cold nose is combined with pronounced serous discharge from it, snoring, and feeding problems, these are manifestations of rhinitis. This is an acute viral infection characterized by inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nasal cavity. In this case, a cold nose can be one of the first signs, even before the onset of nasal discharge.
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Complications and consequences
The consequences of a cold nose, if these are isolated cases, are usually not serious. When a child has a systematically cold nose during a walk, it is likely that he is lightly dressed and then he can get sick.
Complications in newborns can occur when a cold can lead to more serious infections, including an ear infection, also called otitis media. This is a very common complication of a cold. It can happen if a virus or bacteria gets into the baby's ear canal.
Complications may also include secondary respiratory tract infections, which are often bacterial and include pneumonia, croup, and bronchiolitis.
Differential diagnosis
Differential diagnosis should be made between conditions where a cold nose is a sign of mild chills or a reaction to cold air, as well as between infectious conditions.
Treatment of a cold nose in a newborn
The principles of treating a cold nose in a newborn are certainly etiological. If you have diagnosed that the newborn has a cold nose and its body temperature is below 36.5, then you need to cover it or change it into something warmer. Sometimes a hungry child's body temperature can also decrease, so the child also needs to be fed. If all this helps, then this treatment is sufficient.
Treatment of a cold, when a child has not only a cold nose, but also nasal congestion with abundant watery discharge, must be carried out. After all, in such a case, the child cannot eat normally due to nasal congestion.
In such cases, the main principles of treatment are the toilet of the newborn baby’s nasal cavity with the restoration of free nasal breathing.
Saline sprays for babies or nasal drops are considered safe and effective in treating rhinitis and restoring nasal breathing. Saline drops can be made at home by mixing one teaspoon of salt with 1/2 cup of warm water. Before use, the water must be completely cooled. It is best to use special adapted pharmacy products with a known amount of the substance. To treat the baby's nasal cavity, you need to drip two drops of saline solution into each nasal passage and wait two to three minutes. After this, you need to suck out the contents from each nostril in turn with a special nasal baby aspirator. This procedure should be carried out several times a day when nasal breathing worsens, as well as before feeding.
At night, to help your child sleep better, and no more than three times during the day, you can use special vasoconstrictor nasal drops. They reduce swelling, relieve congestion and excessive nasal discharge. Antiviral agents can be used in complex therapy for viral nasal infections.
It is imperative to continue breastfeeding, because this is the main immune protection for a child at this age.
Prevention
Prevention of a cold nose in a newborn is, first of all, proper care, the correct temperature regime and dressing according to the weather. Walking in the fresh air is not only a risk of cooling, it is, first of all, a preventive measure for disease, since viruses die in the fresh air.
Forecast
The prognosis for this problem is always favorable, since most often a cold nose is a symptom of disorders of the imperfection of thermoregulation mechanisms in newborns, which goes away over time. If a child has a cold, then with proper care and treatment the prognosis is also favorable.
A newborn baby may have a cold nose at home or outside, which may indicate that the child is not dressed for the weather. If environmental factors are excluded as a possible cause of a cold nose and extremities, then you need to measure the body temperature to make sure that it is within normal limits. If there are other signs of a cold, in addition to a cold nose, then you need to see a doctor.