3 1/2 Month Baby Is Sick

They do have baby vicks out there, that might help her. Also Johnson and Johnson has a bath soap to put in there water. It is called "JOHNSON'S® Soothing Vapor Baby Bath". It is at any store you go to. The baby has to be at least three months. But it helped both of my gilrs. They also have one that has lavender in it for bed time. So when she starts feeling better try the lavender one to just relax her a little to help her sleep. Hope this helps! Oh, with her congestion, you can put something like a baby blanket under her crib sheet to prop her up alittle to keep her elevated. Or something just to have her propped slightly. Or if she will, sleep in the swing.

The only other thing I would suggest is Vicks BABY Rub on her chest and back a couple of times a day. You could also try vicks vapor bath just before bedtime. I did both of these and my kids slept better.

My daughter had the same thing at 3 months. She had a terrible cough and would cough so hard she'd gag or throw up alittle. When I finally took her to the doctor she ended up having a pretty bad double ear infection. The fluid in her ears was draining down her throat making her cough. After a day on antibiotics she was back to her happy self. you can also try elevating her mattress when for her naps and bedtime, that also helps keep her nose and chest clear. Good luck!!

there is not much to do except not get sick your self and keep her comfortable. My mom gave me some concetrated chammomile that i diluted into my babies bottle(breast milk that i pumped). It helps break up congestion. my mom also used to put garlic oil on our feet then put some socks on them. haha stinky, but garlic is great for you.
personally I just used chammomile.

HI K. - I agree with a couple of the other moms. You may want to go see your pediatrician and have McKenna checked for RSV. It has been going around a ton this year. My son had it at 2 months and another baby I know had it at 3 weeks. My son didn't always run a fever with it either. If he did - it was a low-grade fever and every time we went to the ped office - it was normal. It's not fun but it's nice to have it checked out - they check the baby's oxygen levels to make sure they are breathing ok. Sometimes hospitalization is necessary; however, it wasn't in our case - I think we caught it pretty early. We also did the steamy bathroom suggestion, humidifier, the Little Noses nasal spray, and the vapor plug-ins. I agree with the other moms, I've heard having the baby sleep in the car seat or swing might be easier especially with the congestion in the nose. Good luck!

Hi K.,
I had to respond to your message because I found it ironic that I too, have a baby girl named McKenna. She is 6 months old now but I do recall her getting chest congestion. She attends daycare and it is a pretty common thing in our household now, especially living in Minnesota. There really isn't anything more to do but perhaps elevate her when she sleeps. I found it very difficult for McKenna to Sleep or nap so I would either put her in her car seat or lay her on my chest while I was propped up in bed. As you know, the parent never gets much sleep. The cool mist humidifier did seem to work alittle as did the aspirator.Good luck

Hi K.,
Sorry to hear that she is sick! My doctor told me to try lots of clear liquids at room temp when my daughter was sick. What she liked best was apple juice and clear pedialyte or water. Also, they make a Vix rub for babies, maybe ask your doctor if that is ok to try.

My daughter seems to constantly bring something home from daycare, so I can empathize with you! The best things I've found have been a warm bath with Johnson's Vaporbath and a steam humidifier. I have also used the plug-ins, but was a little concerned about how strong the vapors get in her enclosed room (?). Good luck!

You can rub Vicks Baby Rub (or another brand) on her chest. You can also put a little Vick's vapo steam (made for humidifiers) in the water in her humidifier, as long as it is a hot steam humidifier and not a cold steam humidifier. There also used to be a baby bath made for colds that you could use in the tub in place of regular baby bath - not sure if they still have it.

I got this recipe from a friend who says it works wonders. Now I'm trying very hard to remember exactly what was all in it.

Basically, you put a pot of boiling water on the floor and set a chair next to it. Put lemon wedges and cloves of garlic into the water. (This is the part I was trying to remember. Was it just two ingredients? If it were me, I'd probably try cayenne pepper too, just for fun.) Hold your child and cover the two of you up head to toe in a blanket to keep all the steam in. Stay in there until the steam wears off or as long as you like. Apparently, both of you will come out feeling better. :)

I'm a huge fan of the SudaCare or Vicks vapo plugs. Just put in one of the refills and plug in. The nightlight is blue so the baby will sleep and thier room soon smells like a giant cough drop. Every time my daughter gets a cough, we plug one of these in and she will always sleep through the night - no cough attacks. Good luck.

Have you tried baby vicks on her chest? The menthol will help her breath, and I also got an email a while back about rubbing vicks on feet covered by socks can help with a cough. Worth a shot.....

Try using the VICKs Baby rub - it isn't the regular Vicks so it is safe for babies. Also, Saline Nose Drops are a God send for nasal congestion if it ever goes into her nose. I have been using them with my son since he was about a month old. One thing that I thought of while reading your post is the possibility of RSV. I know that doctors always say that the babies will run a fever - but my son never did and neither did my neice when she just recently was diagnosed with it. I am definitely not a doctor but you may want to check that out just for you peace of mind.
Good Luck!

Our little one had several colds early in his life as well, and unfortunately there isn't much you can do. Aside from what you are already doing, we used to put some pillows under the mattress of one end of his crib. This would allow his head to be a bit higher and help him breathe a little better when he slept. For the cough, we also used a humidifier and would take him into the steamy bathroom to let him breathe in all that warm moist air. Good luck...it's never fun to see your little one sick!

Try infant Tylenol for discomfort and infant Vaporub on the chest. Even if the nose does not appear stuffy, I have found it helps ease chest congestion. Push fluids and give her lots of hugs and time in the rocking chair. As much as we hate it when our kids are sick, it forces us to step back from our busy lives and just spend time holding and loving on our little ones. Consider that the silver lining. Hope she gets better soon!

SAHM of seven

I know your probably going to get this response a hundred times over, but sit in a steamy bathroom with her. This will make you feel better about your little one being sick and theres nothing you can do about it. Strip her down to diapers or wrap in baby towel, you strip down to whatever your comfortable with and hold her close skin on skin, 10-15 min should do it. That will loosen congestion and hey you get a steam in the process.
You can also put Vicks on her feet when she's in a sleeper. We did this with my daughter when she had a cold and I swear it worked.

Hello K.
I hope that your baby girl is feeling better. I know that a sick baby is no fun. My suggestions would be to take your baby to the chiropractor. I take my son to get checked once a week. He does not get adjusted every week. Getting adjusted will help boost the immune system. Good luck.
N.

This is so funny because my son is 4 months old and we just went through this. We were so tired of hearing that he would grow out of this so we went to a different Dr. and it was so interesting. They took a tiny little tube and stuck it in his nose and suctioned out all the mucus. Then they told us to use saline (Little Nose's) saline drops. We are so thankful for this. He now breaths much better and we put the drops in twice a day.
Good luck!
Tam

Unfortunately, it is true that at this age there isn't much you can do. but I do have one piece of advice. Does she sleep in a bassinet? prop up one end of the mattress slightly so that she isn't laying completly flat when she sleeps. Make sure you also secure her sides so that it doesn't make her roll from her back. Remember, only SLIGHTLY prop it up. Like put a folded blanket under the one end. Not folded too small either. Hope this helps.

It's never easy when your baby is sick but I have to tell you, it's much tougher on mom than on baby. Rather than using medication on such a young tot, I recommend having her sleep in her car seat (if she's having trouble sleeping). They are so cozy in there and it keeps her head elevated without risk of using pillows or other things to prop a matress which may not be safe. I've never tried the Vicks night light things but after reading all these other comments, I think I'm going to buy one to have on hand. They sound great.

Keep yourself healthy and keep nursing, it's the best medicine!

Hi K.,
My baby girl had a similar cold at roughly the same age and it hung on for a good two weeks. I hope McKenna's clears quickly! I used baby vicks on her throat and chest and put saliene drops up her nose-- both seemed to help.
Good luck!
Sam

When my twins were that age they had a similar illness. If her chest congestion persisits, maybe you should ask your Dr. about using a nebulizer. That is what I had to do for my babies, and it worked very well. Hope your baby girl gets well soon.

Do you have a little swing or bouncer she could sleep in at night? Either that or in her car seat. They sleep a little more comfortably when it is not running down the back of their throat and sitting in their chest. Maybe that would help you? I would put my kids in the take along swing right next to our bed at night and then I was right there when they did wake up coughing or screaming. I also used the motrin cold for children, I don't know much about the new warnings of cold medicine for kids under 2, but I know it worked for ours. Good luck!

I am a mother of 3 which took me 3 miscarages, and 4 years to get pregnant with my first then it was a snap of a finger the second two! So I know what you went threw with getting pregnant with the yours.
I was suggest not sucking out her nose unless you absolutly have too. The sucking puts pressure on there ears. Also, she might sleep better when she is sitting up a little. When every my babies were sick real young, I would have them sleep in there carrier carseat in my bedroom next too me.

Besides what you're trying, I would try the Vick's baby rub, and Johnson's makes a soothing vapor bath that is nice for sick babies, also. My bay recently had RSV, (w/no fever) so if it seems really bad sounding to you, bring her in..it can be dangerous. You could also use steamy showers (put her in the bathroom w/the hot water running) and pat her back firmly...before bedtime. Hope she feels better! Also, nurse/feed her often to thin the secretions :)

Hi K.,
We use the sudafed vapor plugs. They're a lot less messy than rubbing the vapo-rup on the chest/feet, and they work even better! At the first sign of a cold, we plug one in at night and our daughter never wakes up congested! I hope this helps...it's so tough when you feel like there's nothing you can do but wait it out!

Look into massage cupping? I don't know if you can use it on an infant that size, but it is supposed to be really good for respiratory ailements. You may be able to find a local practitioner online by visiting http://www.massagecupping.com/practitioners.htm

Don't be alarmed if your daughter has visible marks left on her skin after the treatment. They can occur, but are not harmful. (Don't confuse this with medical cupping or traditional chinese medicine. This treatment can leave significant dark marks on the skin and may be painful... I don't know I've never tried it, but I have tried massage cupping and it's wonderful!)

Garlic, echinacea extract, and elderberry extract are all natural antiviral remedies. I don't know about doses on infants, but you may be able to find an naturopathic doctor to help you with this. Usually taking these can cut the duration of cold/flu in half! If taken at onset of the illness, they can even stop it dead in it's tracks, if your immune system is not already compromised. You can add echinacea and elderberry to some juice in a bottle (grape is best). Make sure she is able to drink all the liquid in one sitting.

Best wishes!

Hi K.,
You could try raising the head of the bed. At least that will help her sleep better during the night. I have found vicks to work wonders too. Just put a little on her chest and it will help her breathe better.

K.

we used vick baby vapor rub, when our were that little

you can also rub her back in circular motions and her chest to help break it up, you don't have to rub very hard at all...

There was an email that came around not too long ago about putting Vicks on your feet at night when you go to bed and then put on your socks if you have a bad cough. I do home daycare and have had 3 parents try it and they say it works. It really doesn't help a lot with the congestion, but it really helps them sleep so they seem to heal faster. It is worth a try!

For a natural approach, log onto youngliving.com and order some R.C. and Raven essential oils. Whenever my daughter shows signs of a cough or congestion (and this happens a lot with daycare) I rub a drop or two of these oils on her clothes, her crib sheets, in her carseat etc. and her symptoms clear up.

I am an ER nurse and we have seen tons of this lately. Is she running a fever? If she is I would have her checked out if it lasts more than a few days. If her nose isn't the major problem and it is chest congestion it could be RSV. There is nothing that can cure it-it's basically a cold, but it can turn into bronchiolitis or pneumonia. If her symptoms are really bothering her and she is having trouble breathing or even trouble eating I would have her checked out. They can test for both RSV and influenza with one swab into her nose-babies hate it but it is a quick easy test.
To help with cough you can try baby vicks to her feet with socks too-it worked great on my infant. It never hurts to have the chiropractor check her out first-a little adjustment can help a lot! Good Luck!!

My daughter use to get the croup a lot when she was small. We would make a tent of her crib (put a sheet over it) and put the humidifier in the tent. I would also lay her belly down on my legs and cup my hands patting with a light force(like if you were playing a bongo), her back along her sides to break loose any phlem in her lungs. If the discharge from her nose or if she coughs up anything that is yellow or green, get her into the doctors for meds. I was always told when my kids were small, clear or white it is probably allergies or a cold, if it is green it is bacterial, yellow could be either virus or bacterial.

You can take her in the bathroom with you when you take a shower. The humidity will help her. Give her lots of love and comfort. Make sure she is hydrated etc. Cold medicines are not recommended for little ones.

I have a 3 1/2 month old also. About 2 weeks ago she caught an upper airway virus and here is what I did for her. She was completely well in 30 hours!!

1. Ran the hot shower and put 10 drops of Melaleuca oil in the bath water (plugged the drain). This was soothing, and also penetrated her tissues. The oil kills bacteria and it is a high quality pharmacuetical grade. Basically a steam room - but dress down as it will get hot. Only 15-20 min at a time.

2. Gave her a bath in a product called Solumel. Again this has the Melaleuca oil in it and it is water soluble.

3. Rubbed Renew Bath oil on her body in the tub, specifically the chest and throat area.

4. Gave her Melaleuca tea in her bottle instead of water for the formula. If you are breastfeeding, then just give the tea. One tea bag will make 4 good cups. The melaleuca tea is a detoxifyer, so it again is getting that virus out of her body.

If you are not a customer, I would be happy to at least mail you some tea bags. These products are awesome and I am so happy that I can treat even my infant with these wonderful products.

I also use their products to make my own baby wipes, bug spray and whatever else you can imagine.

Email me and I can get you more information on how you can shop their store directly.

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PS I am not a distributor. :-)

this may sound funny, but I was at the bank and my bank teller suggested that I cup babies back. That means make a cup with your hand and pat on the back of the chest to break up the congestion. It's kind of like getting dust out of a pillow. I just imagined all my love going in and turning the congestion into something beautiful like light or butterflies that fly away.

The other thing to break up congestion is lots of warm baths (always keep baby warm in and out), increase fluid intake (just like when we are sick and our doc says drink more and rest), and mellow gentile activities- our ecfe teacher told us tv is a stimulant and can be draining on babies energy, and if you are breast feeding eat really yummy sick people food like chicken noodle soup or sweet potatoes etc... There were some times too when I took a garlic oil capsule and rubbed it on my babies back, it absorbs through the skin and has immune stimulating and anti bacterial properties, however you should do a little skin test on them first because if their skin gets red and doesn't like it you don't want it all over there back. Also our pediatrician recommended acidophilus. I had little powder that I gave. she said that you want one that has 1million units.

Hi,
Ditto to what the previous writer said about elevating the head of your daughter's mattress. Plus, I found that warm air steamers worked much better at breaking up the congestion than the cool air misters. Also, a little bit of Vick's on your daughter's feet b/f you put her to bed may help.

Put some blankets under her matress so it is elevated (not a lot, just enough where she is not laying flat) that will help with the drainage.

Try Vicks Vapor rub on both her chest & back. Be sure to keep her covered so that she can not get her hands on it & then rub her eyes. I'm a grandmother & great grandma. Good Luck.

Ditto to everything else the other mom's are saying.... but also, if you have one of those vibrating chairs for babies, my son slept really well in his sort of sitting upright when he was really stuffed up. We even resorted to letting him sleep in his carseat between my husband and I in our bed when our son was really congested.
It's awful when the little ones get sick. GL and hope you all feel better soon.

Hi K.
I would take her to a chiropractor for a adjustment she will probably feel much better that night. Good Luck And stay healthy yourself. :)T.