15-Month-old with a Cold

Sorry your baby is sick - that's the worst, isn't it?

I have a friend who is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in an ER, and her rule of thumb regarding appetite in kids when they are sick is, "it is the first to leave, and the last to return". I would just do your best with bland solid foods (bananas, chicken, noodles, toast, etc - comfort foods) and continue nursing as best as you can. She'll get what she needs for now, and make up for it when she is feeling better.

Humidify & fluids are the best things right now. We also use a vapor plug in (vicks has one and I can't think of the other brand name) and Johnson & Johnson's vapor bath in the tub when our boys are sick. We also use Vicks on their feet, with socks on at night. Our ped also recommends a little of Benadryl to dry up the runny noses & drainage - ask your ped about their recommendations & dosages, obviously.

hopefully she will be running around & happy within a few days ~ our guys were down for the last week, and are now finally on the mend, so I can definitely sympathize!

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Hi K.,

When my daughter was sick (all winter long!) the only thing that I found that helped her when breastfeeding was putting saline drops in her nose. She hated them, of course, but they helped open her up a bit and get out the goo. I also had to find creative nursing positions to keep her head elevated. I was sick, too, and could barely drink through a straw so how they nurse is beyond me!

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Hi K., altho breastmilk is full of vitamins good for any child, milk is one thing we won't give a sick child. Juice, icy pops kool-aid, jell-o, mom's chicken soup, or cambells, broth. The flu went through our hole house, & everyone lost weight, over the counter day decongestints, boil water for moisture in the air. Push the juice and popsiciles. Hope she feels better soon.

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Kids will eat when there hungry. If she isn't feeling well than she won't eat. She wants mom cuz she feels better with mom. Just do what you feel is best. when she starts feeling better she will eat more. Secondly who says shes underweight? Some kids who are breastfeed can be a little underweight but there healthy so what. Most pediatricians want kids to be heavy on formula. Your a mom do what your gut says. Not what the dr thinks hes not her mom you are. Hes just there to ease your concerns and get paid.

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Hi K. -

I completely feel your pain! I am going through the same thing with my 2 year old son and 9 month old daughter. Both are miserable...coughing, snotting, running...miserable! Ours also started last Thurs. and last night was the worst for my daughter. My son is also underweight, no longer nursing and not eating. Just keep doing the best that you can to offer healthy food for them, breastmilk and other beverages and she will be ok. I know it is hard to watch when they are alreasy underweight and not eating like they should be!

This little virus is a nasty one. We had been so fortunate and healthy all winter and the kids have never really been sick, so this was a new experience for us.

I use the cool mist humidifer and baby Vicks, which seem to help. Some good homeopathics (we have had good luck with) are Sambucol, but I think that is best when started at the onset of the virus and Silver (helps prevent secondary infection...kind of like a natural antibiotic). I also just recently tried Sinupret, but I think your daughter may be too young for it...and it does contain some alcohol, which I wasn't fond of, but it really helped relieve my son so he could get some rest. I have heard Benadryl can be helful, but have not tried it. I think really, the only thing that is going to help is time. It is not fun waiting it out though!

Good luck.

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I only want to say that this is another reason why it's so great to continue to breastfeed through toddlerhood!

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awwwww! Sounds like she is miserable. Unfortunately a cold lasts 7-9 days and sometimes up to 2 weeks and there isn't a darn thing you can do about it. Please be careful about giving her antibiotics. Alot of dr.'s prescribe them unnecessarily and even 80% of ear infections don't need antibiotics! Just give her some motrin. Nurse when she needs it. you can try warm lemonade w/ honey if she has a sore throat. Also a cool mist humidifier is a life saver. I also like a little bit of that baby vick's on their chest and back. Just let her rest, sleep drink lots of fluids and she'll bounce back in no time!

Good luck (from a mom of two who happens to also be an RN!)

:oD

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My 3 month old has been real congested of late. Think it may just be that time of year. We have a humidifier and vaporizer in our room. We do NOT but the inhalent in but it does seem to help. I have been keeping the asperator bulb handy and use it at least twice a day, once when he wakes in the morning and before the night feed. Something that really helped him was that I would take as hot of a shower as I could and a long one. With him in his bouncy seat or laying back on his boppy. The steam really help loosen everything up. Now, if it is cold where you are at then you can steam her for awhile, then bundle her up with her nose exposed and take her outside. I know, sounds weird, maybe a little out there, but it works. I don't know why. I have not needed to go that far. You could also try dripping some saline spray into her nose, I believe warm salt water will work. If you need the Dr. gave me a nasal spray that is non antibiotic. Helps this everything.
Do hope this helps, good luck

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Dear K., My heart goes out to you and your little one...what you're dealing with is so frustrating.

So that I understand better your situation may I ask a few questions?

Has the Doctor talked with you about how your breast milk helps your little build an immune system? Has the Dr talked about how you can build up your milk supply?

I have some very effective steps for helping you and your daughter fight this and come out on the other side with a stronger immune system than being in the antibiotic cycle. Is this the kind of information you would like?

blessings, M.

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Hi K.,

Generally speaking, a cold lasts 7-10 days.

I have a 14 month old son who has had a cold on a monthly basis this year. He started with Roseolla (sp), Croup and then an ear infection (all in Nov) and seems to get a cold around the middle of each month since. His appetite has decreased this time around (cold and ear infection), but the way I look at it is that when I do not feel good I do not eat either.

When he gets really congested I do the old hot shower/steam trick. Run the shower on hot and close the bathroom doors. Take your daughter and sit in the bathroom for about 10-15 minutes and the steam will help ease her breathing/congestion (at least for awhile). Saline nasal spray/drips help, too. Just drop them in her nostril (don't spray), after a few minutes use the nasal aspirator (I call it the sucky thing)to help remove some of the mucus----completely safe.

Two more things- 1) Benedryl- It is the one thing you can safely give your infant. My son is 20lbs, so I give him just under a tsp. He was born prematurely and with SVT (extremely fast heart rate) and benedryl is the one thing dr told me to give him. It will help dry up the mucus because of the antihistamine and help her sleep a litte better.

2) If you are interested there is a Similac formula called Neosure (Yellow can). It is formulated with something that provides extra calories to help preemies gain weight (most have trouble).

I know this was long, but hope it helps!

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Humidify. Humidify. Humidify and then push fluids. This will help keep the mucus from becoming too thick. The eucalyptus (menthol) addition is great too. When we are all sick, I put a big pot of water on the stove to boil and throw in a few eucalyptus leaves to treat all of us at once :) It is stinky, but it helps us all breathe easier. Also, if the fluid is staying in her head, it might be a good idea to elevate her head during sleep. You can do this by placing a pillow under the mattress of her crib, (with small babies putting them in their infant car seat works great too!) If she's able to take a sippy, diluted orange juice would be a good idea too for the extra vitamin C. Make sure you dilute it a bit though as OJ can upset little stomachs in large doses :)

Good luck!

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Building her immune system as well as yours is always ideal. Probiotics are very good. They are not a vitamin or an herb, just good bacteria. I use one that has live delivery of the good bacteria (flora) directly to the intestine.

For right now, echinacea is good, but check with your pediatrician to make sure. The one I have also has garlic and elderberry which works great with the echinacea. Since you are breastfeeding these are things you can take to help her. And/or give them to her.

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Hi K., The best thing you can do for your daughter is keep her nose cleaned out. You can make your own nasal saline drops with 1/4 teaspoon table salt to 1 cup of water. Put 3-4 drops of water in each nostril to wash the snot down. Babies can't blow there noses. I would recommend you doing this every couple of hours, especially before she nurses. She will probably hate it but the wash will let her breathe better. Try a cool mist vaporizer in her room. Good luck

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Try a bath with California Baby's Cold and Flu calming bath. It should help clear her nasal passages temorarily.

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Hi K.,

I'm sorry your little one is feeling so badly. I'd suggest continuing to nurse her through the cold. Your breastmilk is providing antibodies to fight off the infection. There really is nothing better you can give her at this time. You could try a drop or two of saline solution in her nose about 10 minutes before you nurse her. It will loosen the congestion and make breastfeeding easier. Some moms put a drop of breastmilk in their baby's nose for the same reason. Some put a drop in each ear when they have an ear infection as well, because of it's antibacterial effect.
You mentioned that underweight. Any solids you give her would be lower in calories than the breastmilk. It's actually considered best to keep nursing through that. If she's just not in the 50 percentile for her age, that's fine. Even if she's at the lower end, as long as that's where she's been , I wouldn't worry about it. If you have further questions, I'd be happy to answer them. I'm a Lactation Consultant. HOpe everyone's on the mend soon. S.

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use some saline in her nose to thin the mucus... then use the suction bulb to clean out her nose.. if her nose is clean then she can breathe and suck..'

a warm bath helps loosen the mucus and then you can clear her nose.. or put her in the shower with you.

I give mine pseudaphed so they can breathe. there is controversy over cold meds in young kids. I only give single ingredient products... pseudaphed - no cough and cold syrup..

colds take 7-10 days..

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Don't worry about how little she's eating, she'll make up for it when she feels better (just like we do). There is nothing you can do to make her eat more. (I've been there and my oldest was also small for his age and he hardly ate sick or not. He's now 5 and he's where he should be and he eats like horse!) I give my kids a bath when they're sick or crabby, hoping to at least take their mind off of it. Then it might help her nose drain out more. I also alternate Ibuprophen and Tylenol. It seems that there's alot of colds, etc. going around now and are lasting a long time. Hang in there with comfort and tissues!

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I use the Pedicare plug ins. They really help clear up my son at night but that is only part of the equation.

I know they don't recommend any cold meds for those under 2.

Do the saline and suction - the safest route. She will probably hate it. LOL

I am not real familiar with homeopathics, but I did you hylands products when my son was younger. you may want to see if they have a cold remedy.

Good Luck.

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Hi K.;

I understand your frustrations, trust me. It is not fun when our little ones are sick and not happy.

As for your question on homeopathy- Yes. I have used them quite successfully -however, I also work on my son's feet and work around his spine with a special blend of oil I made him. I'm a Certified Massage Therapist and Reflexologist, so after I became one, I noticed we were sick much less often and our symptoms were less. There is something to be said about alternative care compared to modern medicine. (or using them together - however the doctors will not agree with this in any way. Mine still fight me even though I was able to stop taking Rheumatoid Arthritis medications using alternative medicine when modern medicine left me like a zombie or worse.)

As for what to use, I do recommend getting a very good book - you can find them at the library or even a reputable bookstore. Just try to choose wisely as some of them are not always filled with the best info. (Not all the homeopathics in the store are labeled correctly either, which is another reason I think people give up on them.) To try and give you suggestions via internet is too hard as many factors are taken into consideration when choosing a homeopathic.

Good luck and I hope she feels better soon!

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Hello K., I had 3 asthmatic kids, they are all grown now, but a cold in our home was a nightmare. The best advice I can give you, boil pots of water on the stove to put lots of moisture in the air. Ask at the pharmacy for some menthol crystals. Drop a very small pinch in the boiling water. This will clear everyones sinuses out!! It helps prevent others from getting the cold as bad as the first. You should find that she will nurse better because of it. Try feeding her chicken noodle soup, it's been a scintifically proven wives tale for colds. Good luck.

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Suction her nose several times a day. Also, use a humidifier at night and naptime with eucalyptus oil in it. Good luck~

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Hi K.,

I'm so sorry your little one is feeling so miserable. I have used a homeopathic called Umka... which has helped us. In addition, when my daughter gets like that I use some saline drops and suction her nose a couple of times a day. It seems to help quite a bit.

I also run a vaporizer with eucalyptus drops in the water. That REALLY helps her sleep. My daughter isn't nursing any longer, but when she was, I would sit in her room with the vaporizer going and nurse her there. It helped.

Keep nursing. I'm not sure what you mean by 'under weight' for her age. My daughter has always been under the 50% mark in weight ... but she keeps growing on the same curve. She's just lean. She was never a chunky baby. Normal is what is normal for YOUR baby.

She will eat solids when she feels like it. She's nursing, keep doing that as much as you can. She's getting good nutrition through your milk. (and WOOT! yeah for extended bfing! You're doing soo much for her!)

I've heard from other moms the cold going around can hang on for awhile. Keep an eye on her. If she spikes a high fever again, or if her cough sounds rattly in her chest, or if she has wheezing take her back in.

I hope she feels better soon!

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Our son used to get terrible colds. Our Dr. always told us just to spray sailene, let it sit about 5 mins. than suction their nose out. We would also use a vaporizor along with the pedi care menthol vapor strips during nap and bedtime. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

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I also have a 15 month old who has a cold. As a last resort my ped said that I could give her 1/4 tsp of chldrens benadryl once a day. It really did help to dry up the snot. My daughter is also a light weight she is just over 20 lbs.
I hope she feels better soon!
K.

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Things that help my daughter out:
--elevating one end of her crib via blankets under the mattress
--baby saline solution for the nose
--taking a shower with me

Colds can last awhile. Hang in there. As ong as she doesn't get dehydrated she will be fine. My oldest was always skinny and I used to make him carnation breakfast drinks in the blender with banana and he would drink those. At least they have vitamins in them-and hey they come in strawberry and chocolate so it's like a treat. Just keep offering stuff and she will eat as she starts feeling better. Just keep her drinking. The cold is viral and you just have to wait it out.
Good Luck.

You are doing the best thing for her! Keep up the brastfeeding. Keep her and yourself hydrated well. Make sure you eat right too. For the congestion, turn on the shower HOT and sit in the bathroom with her for about 15-20 minutes, then nurse her. You could also put a humidfier in her room. Don't worry too much about her appetite, she will get it back, until then the breastmilk will hold her over.

Hi, I am a retired Resp.Tech. and my own two children, now grown with families of their own, suffered frequent ear and sinus infections. The antibiotic will help with the ear infection but a cold is a virus. So, just try to make her more comfortable. Run a vaporizer in her room ( strict cleanliness is a must and use only distilled water)and try an ear bulb syringe to suction out her nose. For optimum results squirt a saline solution up her nostrils and then quickly suction. She will HATE it and FIGHT it but the saline helps thin out mucous so it'll be easier to suction. Her appetite will be less due to feeling lousy and her difficulty in breathing. Since I am from a medical back-ground I am not really into the holistic or herbal therapies. Monitor her closely and if her fever shoots back up she'll need a return visit to the Dr. or if she developes a "barky" sounding cough which would mean croup. Colds are miserable but they run their course. I wouldn't worry too much about the weight loss because when she is better she will make up for it.Denise K.