Alyssa Has a Cold and Wont Sleep.

You have to use the nose sucker. It's the only way. She will sleep and sleep better probably in a car seat or semi-reclined swing. No decongestants at this age...dangerous and don't seem to work like they do for adults. Sometimes and nice warm bath before bed will also help loosen their little chests/noses. Tylenol may help if she is achy or teething. Good luck.

Saline for her nose. Helps break up the boogers. Baby menthol vasoline rub on her chest, and the evil booger sucker. Steam up the bathroom,And sit with her in the steam, and again with the propping up of the mattress(I use folded towels.) Sometimes, the best thing to do was to hold her, propped up with the boppy pillow and both sleep propped up all night.

I just bought the Nose Frieda from Amazon.com for my son. It doesn't go all the way into the nostril like most suckers do and you control the pressure by your mouth. It's made in Sweden and very cool. My son hates the nose sucker and luckily I haven't had to try this one on him yetr but I think he will like it better. I did try it on my husband and myself and no pain.

elevate her head at night with pillows. this way the little mean boogers go down her throat and don't stay suffed up in her nose. it works wonders for my kid and she is eleven yrs old now and i still do it. p.s. i hate binkies, it's too hard later on to get them off of it but thats just me and not meant as a criticism so please do not take offense and i hope she feels better soon.

It is so hard when they are so little and have stuffy noses! One of the best thing that works for me is steaming up the bathroom and sitting in there for a while.It helps loosen everything up. I don't know if you're breastfeeding, but I find doing that in the bathroom when it's steamy helps my kids force a little pathway through their nose. Offer plenty of liquids like water or diluted apple juice if she won't take water because that can thin out mucus. O.J. can make them more flemy. Dairy can make the mucus thicker so hold back on it if you started feeding that already.

Another thing to try is to get an inclined sleep positioner. I think I got mine at Babies R Us, maybe Target. It is a foam wedge and it comes with to other foam pieces that that velcro onto the wedge so your baby can't roll over. You can also put Alyssa on her side with the positioner-just make sure the velcro pieces fit snuggly next to her. Being in a more upright position makes it easier to breath when they are congested-and I found with my kids that being on their side worked better.

Then make sure you have a cool mist humidifier in her room. Turn it on before you plan to put her to bed so it is nice and humid when she is ready to sleep. I have an ultrasonic one (I think it was ~$30 at Target) I like it better because you don't have to worry about replacing or cleaning filters which get funky rather quickly.

And lastly you can use the saline nose drops to help loosen everything up. Be careful using the nasal aspirator (aka booger sucker ;) )Using it to often can make the nose inflamed and in turn make the situation first. Use the saline in the nose before using the aspirator. I hate using it and only do it when I feel I really have to.

Unfortunately stuffy noses in infants usually means a couple tough nights. Hope this helps-Good Luck!

Oh-I just saw someone recommended the car seat-that is also a really good idea. I found that very helpful too. But like the other mom said be sure buckle her in!. I left the straps a little looser so my kids move a little but they definitely need to be snapped in.

Hi S., A few suggestions for this one. You can try Pulsatilla, a homeopathic remedy - targeted for the G. snot clingy kid or I would recommend the Hyland's brand (also homeopathic) complete flu care or sniffles and sneezes. My 4 y.o. has only needed the Pulsatilla in her life. My 16 month old has been on antibiotics twice. Kids respond differently as each illness/pathogen can be different. SO, just b/c it might not be effe3ctive on this cold, doesn't mean it wouldn't work another time. There is no risks or side effect w/ homeopathic remedies, so you really have nothing to loose. You can certainly find this at a Whole foods, but most "natural" stores carry the remedies and even the grocery stores carry the Hyland's brand of products now.
You can also take her in the steamy shower with you and help drain a little.

OK. best of luck! - off to respond to your other post!
M.

USE the booger sucker! No child likes it, its just necessary, yes you may have to hold her down, its part of it. Do you have a vaporizer/humidifier? Using that in the house will help, and you can get the one that has a fill pocket to put mentholated liquid in to help, its called Kaz. Its right in the pharmacy section. When my kids were real litle, i used to put Vicks vapo on a washcloth & hang it somewhere near the crib (not where they can reach of course) so that they get the vapors from it. You can elevate her crib with a thin pillow/ blanket. Dont raise it too high, just about 1 - 2 inches. Good luck & if she isnt feeling better in a couple days, have her ears checked for possible ear infection. It can change within 24 hrs. My oldest always got ear infec with every cold she got for the 1st 2 yrs! Hang in there!

don't use pillows, your little girl is too little for pillows. prop the mattress of the crib up with the pillows instead, a slight angle makes a big difference. i never tried the saline nose drops, but i hear they work wonders. and my pedi told me that it's okay to use an itsy bitsy tiniest bit of children's benadryl. it dries out the snot and makes them drowsy enough to sleep. check with your pedi first tho for the right dosage. hope this helps and good luck, colds in babies are terrible but we all make it through them somehow. :D

I always find that children's benadryl helps at night with colds. Check w/ your doctor about the dose, I give my daughter about half the recommended dosage. Its just enough to make her sleepy and clear up her congestion a bit. She could have a bit of an earache from the congestion that hurts more when lying down, tylenol works wonders for that. My daughter gets an ear infection every time she gets a cold, sometimes its not bad and goes away after a day or two with tylenol. Other times she needs antibiotics. Good luck!

a humidifier, tylenol for the fever, baby vicks rub for her chest and the bottom of her feet cover w/ socks it works, and saline spray for her little nose, and elevate one side of her crib to help keep her more up right.

The first cold can be really overwhelming, but take a deep breath and know that you can do this. First of all, her fever isn't high, but you want to keep an eye on that. Tylenol will help keep her comfortable, so I would go ahead and give her that every 6 hours. My kids also hated the bulb-syringe. Try wetting a washcloth and wiping her nose with that. Sometimes the wetness helps pull the boogers out. You can try a humidifier - lots of people recommend them, but honestly I never felt they helped all that much. You can also try propping her crib mattress by putting a pillow under the head of her mattress. If she really can't breathe, you can try asking your pediatrican about giving her some benadryl to help dry her out, but she might be too young. Most importantly, she probably just needs lots of extra love and snuggles. It's going to be a long couple of nights. Get some comfy blankets and know that you might have to sleep in a chair with her. She will feel better and sleep again. As I'm sure you know, don't hesitate to call your pediatrician if her fever spikes or if her breathing gets really rapid or if she gets inconsolable. I'm sure you'll do a great job taking care of her!

Get a dehumidfier or a cool mist humidfier, I can't ever remember which one but if you look it up online it will give you which one should help ease a stuffy nose, may work wonders for her stuffiness, elevate her crib (by propping something underneath her mattress by her head part of the bed, under the mattress, a pillow or something that will prop it up some)

Hope this helps. Good luck. It's terrible when they are sick.

Hi S., It is tough to be sleep deprived with a new baby and then to add a cold on top is miserable. You will make it through though, we always do. :) Some of the things I always used was Little Noses Saline drops. My kids hated it but it really helped clear their noses. Just drop a few drops in and then keep her upright for a few minutes and wipe her nose with a kleenex. Do this a few times a day and it will help. Tylenol is a must to keep her fever down. Since she is so little you don't want to put anything in her crib with her to prop her up but you can elevate the mattress by putting rolled towels under it, or elevate the whole bed by using books or something solid under the crib legs. They have vicks baby rub and if you just rub a little bit on her chest a few times a day that will help her breathe easier. Plus baby's love to feel your touch so having you massage/rub her chest will make her feel loved and comforted as well. We never had any luck with humidifiers but they have mini ones that plug into the wall and you put a little insert in them and they do a pretty good job, some of them even have night lights on them. I hope all this helps and that she gets better soon so you can both get some sleep. Good luck!!

I agree with inclining the bed and many other suggestions here. Just ask the pediatrician about the Vicks - theres a lot of controversy about how and where you use that, if you use it at all.

100.7 is not a super high fever so don't worry. If she's uncomfortable, you can give her some baby tylenol. If you can be quick with the syringe to remove some mucus, fine. It doesn't always work if the mucus is really thick but it doesn't hurt her if you try. Same thing with wiping her face - use a really soft tissue or a warm washcloth. If the mucus hardens at the edge of her nostrils, it makes the breathing even worse. Don't worry when babies scream - you aren't torturing her and she'll get past it.

Try to nap if she drops off for a while. That brain-dead feeling is something all new moms go through with the exhaustion and the huge change in our lives. She will get through this cold soon and you'll be ready for the next thing!

Try using the saline nose drops..cool mist humidifier. Also you can try a book under her mattress to elevate it..or I had my son sleep next to me in his carseat..the head up helps..make sure you buckle in, because they wiggle!

Have you tried propping the crib? I put a few books under the legs and it let's my son breathe easier because the mucus drips down his throat instead of staying in nose. Also a humidifier in her room, soup, lots of tea with honey (if she's over a year) as honey coats the throat will also help. Tylenol is good for the fever and I give it to my son (with propped crib) to help him sleep more comfortably and to help him rest to get better! Running a hot shower and sitting in the bathroom with her and the steam for a while will help loosen her up. Hope this helps! She will get better!