Newborn conjunctivitis Redness in the eye area of a newborn can be caused by a blocked tear duct, irritation, or infection. Newborn conjunctivitis can be serious, so talk with your pediatrician right away.

Although red eyes and watery discharge are common with a cold, pus is a sign of an eye infection and should be treated. If your child is much more sleepy than usual, doesn’t want to feed or play, or is very cranky or fussy and cannot be comforted.

A likely cause of watery eyes in infants can be blocked tear ducts. These often resolve on their own. Other causes of watery eyes in infants and toddlers include infections like conjunctivitis (pink eye) or even the common cold. Your child may even experience watery eyes from irritants or hay fever.

When a baby is teething, doctors have found symptoms consistent with this process. In addition to irritability, drooling, and loss of appetite, a runny nose is also a symptom. All that extra discharge might be caused by inflammation around the teeth.

I know, this one seems so silly, but it really is true! Babies’ eye brows can get red when tired.

People often attribute a runny nose and other symptoms to teething. However, there is no evidence that teething causes a runny nose, a fever, diarrhea, vomiting, or excessive crying. These symptoms more likely result from exposure to the wider world and childhood illnesses.

Colds. Contact the doctor if your baby has a cold that interferes with his or her breathing, has nasal mucus that lasts longer than 10 to 14 days, has ear pain or has a cough that lasts more than one week.