3 Month Old with Cold for over a Month Now

I just wanted to give you another vote for taking her to the doctor. It never hurts to take her in and have it checked. My doctor had a rule of thumb that if a child was sick for more than 3 weeks they needed antibitotics. My son just had a runny nose, and one doctor wanted to keep giving it time, but the head pedi (who was educated at Harvard Med, teaches at Harvard Med and did her internship at Children's Hospital in Boston) put him on antibiotics as soon as she found out his nose had been running for upwards of 6 weeks (she would have done it at 3). The runny nose went right away. It turned out for his first 2 years he couldn't get rid of a runny nose without antibiotics. He had his adenoids out and he hasn't needed antibiotics since.

Hi J.,
Pulsatilla 30c is a homeopathic remedy that we have had a lot of luck with. (Ususally I give 1-2 at the beginning of the day and again at the end of the day)It won't work if the symptoms aren't right, but it's the only thing my 3 y.o. has ever had. It has cleared up sinus infections after the dr. prescribed an antibiotic, but I didn't want to go that route. Also Hyland's brand "Complete cold care for kids" has been our other remedy we use and cleared up colds in my 8 month old. They are all natural and have no adverse affect if they are taken. Homeopathic remedies treat the source, rather then the symptoms, so if you find the right one They usually work very quickly. You can find them at any type of natural food store, although Hyland's products are often carried in the natural sections at grocery stores.
If you can't find a remedy that works - You might need a trip to the dr's. I would avoid an antibiotic at all expense, but when my youngest was 4 months he had a month long cold (this was before I discovered the complete cold care option)He began to loose weight and went on an antibiotic. He was good in like 2 days.
Sounds like you're doing everything else you can, so keep on sucking out that snot and try out these remedy's.

Good luck!

Are you 100% sure it's a cold, and not a sensitivity/allergy? Congestion is a common side effect of allergies. If you're formula feeding, well, you're in for a rough road. If you're nursing your baby, start with an elimination diet. Dairy is a likely culprit. Cut that out entirely and see if you see an improvement in symptoms.

Also, if you are breastfeeding, you are making antibodies to your virus, which your baby is getting through your breastmilk :)

If it's getting worse, not better, I'd bring her back to the Pedi. Did they test her for RSV? They can do it right in the office with a nasal swab.

My 8 month-old has had a cold since Christmas too that just won't seem to go away. He'll have a few days where he seems better and then suddenly wakes up coughing and stuffy and miserable again. Unfortunately, it sounds like both you and I are doing all we can for them. The only thing I've tried that seems to help a little is putting Vicks on his chest and feet. I'm not sure if you can do that with a 3 month old but you can check with your doctor. I hope she feels better soon. Winter is just aweful for them. I totally feel for you.

Get yourself checked out. There is a thing going around which, for most people, starts off as a cold then turns into a virus. It will take antibiotics to get rid of it. I would also take her to the dr to get checked.

HI J.,

That was my son! He's now 3years old, but the first 3-4 months of his life he was constantly congested. The only thing we could do for him is what you are already doing (saline). To help him breath at night , we lifted one side of his crib mattress (the head side of course). Seemed like it made it better. And my son was a December baby, so hopefully by end of the winter she'll get better.
Good luck

Hey J.,
Have you brought her to the doctors? If not I would. I don't want to freak you out but children (and adults) can get pnemonia and bronchitis (spelling?) without a fever. Not totally common but it can happen. Also try putting a cool air humidifier in her room at night and put either pillows or a big comforter (queen or bigger i would reccommend) under her mattress to elevate her head. That will cut out any post nasal drip she might be choking on. Good luck I know how horrible it feels to have a baby not feeling well. Also, if you bring her to the doctors they may be able to give her something there or give you the correct dosage for over the counter meds.
Feel Better!
C.

My son was sick all of last winter. It was one cold after another. I honestly think it was a lack of vitamin D and of course his germy cousins! Colds can move from your sinuses to your throat to your intestines to your eyes, to your lungs. It is good to keep using the saline spray and clear as much as you can out of there to keep bacteria from building up. But seriously, as soon as my son's cold would go away, another one would come. It would last about a month or more. It was never ending. This winter he has only gotten one horrible cold, which turned into an ear infection, but that is it so far. He will be two in May. Good luck, keep up with the saline spray and don't just spray it, drip it into the nose. Ask your doctor if you can use baby tylenol or motrin. It may help reduce the swelling of the nasal passages, which is causing so much mucus.

My daughter at one month was pretty congested, I like to do the home remedies if poss. The Doc. sugested that we invest in a nebulizer (saline sloution was all we used), which you can get from Pediatrician or the drug store, Now you might need to get a prescription but it is soooo worth it. It helps kids that have asma probs (of course they use dif. meds.) Some insurances will cover it, its aprox. 250.00 if not but very helpfull.
Again my daughter was ONLY congested and the Doc had one in his office. Now any time I think she might be coming down with something I use it, you just hold it up to their face for about ten minutes, morn and night or whenever you choose fit.
It sounds like your doing your best but quite fed up if you will its def. streesful but youll get through it.

You sound like you're doing all of the right things. One thing we did when my 6-week old was sick was to put towels under the head-side of the crib so that the mattress was elevated a bit. Are you breast-feeding b/c if you are you will pass on the antibodies for whatever you have, hang in there.

Nat

I assume you have checked with her doctor. She may more than just a cold. She may have an infection and may be in need of antibiotics. Ear infections are really common in infants and they don't always run a fever. I would get her to her doctor as soon as possible since you say she has gotten worse. I hope all goes well. Its so hard with infants because they can't tell you how they feel. Better safe than sorry.

Hi J., Do you think she's onto a second cold in a row? Especially if you have a sore-throat, sounds like you are catching her latest one.........otherwise, it could be a sinus infection. Call her ped. for advice, if you're still worried...........

Your right there is no medicine you can give her at her age. However there are things you can do. First next time you take a shower put her in the bathroom in her car seat or bouncy chair. The steam will help break up the mucus. Also, I bought a waterless vaporizer to put in my kids rooms. It has these little pads that you put inside that smell like eucalyptus. It really helps. It's made by pediacare and it's called Gentle vapors. It works like a glade plug-in. I love them. The ones I have have a built in night light. They really work. If she develops a sore throat or fever you can give her tylenol. Call your doc to find out dosage. At this age it goes by weight. You can also buy vicks vapor rub. This and the gentle vapors can be found n the drug section of your local Walmart. They should be in the same isle.

My four month old has been battling the same cold for the past 3 weeks now and it's getting worse. She was recently admitted to Children's Hospital on an unrelated matter and one of the things I spoke to the doctor about was this never-ending cold. They simply told me that because she was too young for any shots, she is more susceptible to colds during this season. I do need to watch out for RSV but otherwise, just try to keep her comfortable and ride it out. Tylenol was recommended

With a baby that young, I wouldn't ask for online help. Call your pediatrician :)

whooping cough? If she is following the normal pattern for immunization she has not received the shot yet. You need to bring that child to the doctor. Good luck.

Hi J.,

I didn't read the responses so I don't know if anyone suggested staying away from dairy products. I had a friend who's child couldn't tolerate dairy, but it wasn't an allergy (as my daughter has a dairy allergy). It manifested itself as constant cold symptoms. He went off dairy for two weeks and the difference was remarkable. At the time he wasn't an infant, he was a toddler. If she's on formula, there are soy-based formulas you could try. It might be worth a shot.

Also, I make my own saline solution - I heat the water up to warm and add the salt to taste (when it tastes as salty as a tear drop that's good) a little less than 1/4 t to a 3/4 cups of water (very estimated). I found that my children tolerated this better. I would use a syringe or medicine dropper to drop the water in. After several minutes, I would use the nasal aspirator. This worked so well!!!! If it's just a runny nose, it would dry up instantly. it needs to be done about every 2 hours until the symptoms get better, after that, a couple of times a day, especially before bedtime. It helped them breathe! The salt kills bacteria and dries up the congestion. I can't tell you how many times we've nipped a cold in the bud.

Wishing you all the best,

Alex