Can't Kick the Congestion

I can completely understand. My daughter had allergies and was always congeted and my son was ALWAYS getting the whezz. It is a hard situation with kids at daycares passing colds around, but I think of it this way: when you to to church, out to dinner, the market, anywhere you are exposing your children to other germs. I stay home with my kids and they catch colds just as much as my niece who goes to day care. I do hope your little one gets better though. As far as the sleeping, my twins didn't sleep until they were almost 2. However, my other son sleep through the night before he was 1. It think that is because we had his crib right beside the bed and when he started to get up I would just pat him back to sleep. He also has his own special blanket that he uses to help him sleep. By the way my childrens breathing and repitory issues has greatly improved since i started using products that did not contain harmful toxins.
(if you want to know about the products I switched to that have made a great difference you can check out my web site www.cheerforyourfuture.com)
Hope I was helpful and I hope your little one gets better. T. www.cheerforyourfuture.com

It may be asthma or asthma-loke symptoms. Try asking the doctor to give her albuterol or another drug called pulmicort. My son has asthma, and when he gets congested, they help to clear it out.

Hey R.,

It could be a combination of things, but most likely the other sick kids. One thing my doctor told me to use to help clear up congestion without medication and to keep it from draining into her ears (thereby causing infection), is to put saline drops in her nose to encourage her to sneeze it out. Basically, boil some water, let it cool, add about 1/4 teaspoon salt, mix and put 2 drops in each nostril. It helped my daughter. And also the pediatrician said it keeps the nasal passages moisturized.

Good luck!

D.

What kind of things are you cleaning your house with? There are so many cleaners that contain chemicals that caan trigger these types of sensitivities. Consider using Ecosense.

my son had RSV a year ago in december...he still has a weak respiratory system...whenever he gets a cold, it seems like it ends up bronchial....my ped said that is common

Hi R.,

I suggest you get a second opinion from another pediatrician. Something is not right with the baby. I don't know what RSV is. Good luck. D.

All I know is as a baby, my daughter sometimes had ear infections and didn't have a fever or pull at her ears..the only signs were her "cold/congestion". And daycare will definitely keep all the kids having colds...seems it just passes between them all and it's a never ending cycle! Hate that! I would take your child back to the doctor if it's been at least 2-3 weeks since being there. You never know what it could be.

Other suggestions: the Pediacare vapor plugin for babies and Deselym (spelling?) cough medicine for night time...not sure what age you can start that though. The pediatrician could tell you.

R.,
It could be your child has allergies, whether environmental or food. This could certainly explain the chronic congestion despite treatment for RSV and otitis media (ear infection). Do you or any other family members have allergies, asthma or eczema? If so, it puts your child at risk. Breastfeeding is the best thing you can do to decrease her risk, but some children (like my own) are just going to inevitably get allergies. The key is finding out the true allergens, so you can adjust her diet. I recommend you talk to your pediatrician about possibly getting an allergist consultation. The allergy tests are quite painless compared to the needles of the past. If my crybaby one year old could handle it without crying, yours will most likely do ok. FYI, I am a family practice physician.
D. B

My baby is 11 mo. He was wheezing at his 6 mo. appointment, so now we have a nebulizer for him. He needs it whenever he has a cough. He's also teething and has lots of ear infections and ruptured an eardrum (he's getting tubes in a month - thank God!). He's also very congested and has mild eczema. All of this can be related to allergies, but they tend not to diagnose allergies this young - so I've been told. I also have a 6 yr.old and a 4 yr. old. that are pretty healthy. It is typical for "bugs" to be passed around daycares, schools, and even the local grocery store.

We've found putting saline drops in the baby's nose a few times a day has really helped him with the congestion. We also turn on a humidifier in his room when he sleeps. I like the baby vicks vapor rub, but it's a bit smelly. We also have a hepafilter in the baby's room.

My daughter that is 6 was coughing the other night - very dry and raspy. I gave her a children's claritin and it all stopped.

I also have mild allergies and over the last couple of days I've been taking flonase and claritin. I've also had RSV as an adult and it lasted months. I had to be on steroids for 3 months to get rid of the coughing reflex I had. I didn't have a fever associated with the coughing reflex (upper respiratory reflux).

Anyways, this is just what's been happening to us. Hope it helps and I hope you are able to find a solution with your baby. Babies don't like the saline drops, but I highly recommend starting there.

Hi R.,

My son also had RSV/w pneuminia when he was 5 months old. And unfortunately it's not an easy battle afterwards. RSV is very hard on a childs respitory system. He is now 2.5 and is doing so much better, but the 2 years after the bout with RSV was not fun. The summers were much better then the winters. Each winter he was sick about every 2-3 weeks with something, constantly at the doctors office. And then he had chronic ear infections (tubes put in this past summer). But like you I was very concerned with the chronic runny nose, coughing, wheezing. He was put on nebulizer treatments for broncholitis. And many antibiotics. My dr. said it takes about 2 years for a childs respitory system to recover from RSV. And it's not unusual for a child to get 8 or more colds a year....so I would just keep an eye on her at all times. As a mother you know your own child and trust your instincts. It's better to get her checked by the dr. and them tell you she just has a cold, then to wait to long....
Good luck-and remember the dr. is there don't be afraid to take her in, that's what they are there for.

Hello R.,
my name is A., I have two little girls, 4 and 8, and one due in May.
What I'd like to know is how is your daugher's digestion? How often does she poop and/or pee?
Since she's in daycare this might not be something you get to see a lot, but from how you are describing her diet, I get the feeling she gets too many solids and not enough liquids. Usually, babies sort of fast when they are congested because the body is not up to putting so much energy into the digestive tract. Stress from moving, changing daycares, etc. can severely affect the little ones, but I think that her problems is more physical. Do you change her diaper more often when giving her water? She may be uncomfortable in a wet diaper. She may also sense discomfort from different foods. To help her soothe herself, maybe the bottle should always be first. It lasts and probably puts her to sleep more than actually eating the mixed meals. Does she respond well to plain stuff such as cheerios she can munch up without teeth, mushed up bananas, apple sauce. I would keep an eye on her bowel movements. If she is irritable what do you give her? Chamomille is always great for babies, natural and gentle. You can get it at Whole Foods and the little tablets dissolve easily in her mouth. Eckerd and CVS also offer them, "teething tables". Chamomille also helps with fussiness if any.
Other than that, she simply senses all the new stuff and your own insecurity or nervousness about doing everything right. They are amazingly perceptive of our moods as you most certainly know. Do you have any guilt feelings about moving, daycare, working, etc.? She most likely also picks up those emotions. If you can manage to enjoy the time you have with her, she will respond positively and so will her body. At 7 months, she probably wants to play with you a lot and express what she experiences and learns during the day without you. Just watch her, she'll appreciate that.
As for the congestion, you can try some raw onions on her chest (chopped up and put in a cloth and leave for 10 minutes while watching her closely, you don't want her to eat them or pick them up). Onions are antiseptic. Onion also comes in a homeopathic remedy, called Allium Cepa and helps runny noses alternating with stuffy nose, most helpful with allergies. A humidifier also usually helps. It should be a good one, though. Instead, you can try running a hot shower to build up some steam in the bathroom and calmly sit with her (close to the steam but not touching the hot water) for 10-15 minutes inhaling the steam. Make sure no windows are open in the bathroom or when you get out, so she won't catch a cold.
If the hacking is dry, like our younger daughters' hacking, you can try the homeopathic remedy "spongia", also available at whole foods. If her throat is sore from the hacking, then the not eating makes sense as well. Try popsicles, ice chips, my young one loves frozen raspberries. Without teeth, maybe try other frozen fruits, or mush them up.
Last resort: try massaging her gums and see if there are little hard spots that want to be soothed with a little friction. They enjoy that and it helps the teeth break through the gums.
Sorry for so much information, but maybe some of it resounds with your experience and feeling.
Best!
A.

The first year to year and 1/2, my now 3yr old daughter, was ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS sick. I have asthma, and her diagnosis was confirmed around the time she turned a year. Man, oh man, when I look back at everything we went through with her, it was a nightmare. Constant trips to the ER and the doctor.

She turned 3 in November, and things significantly improved. I've heard that children who tend to be sickly during their earlier years, develop a stonger immune system as they get older because their immune system becomes "stronger" with each illness. This seems to have been the case with my daughter, but may not prove true for everyone. Here is list off the top of my head of things that we experienced with her within her first year...

1) Reaction to 4 month immunizations, resulting in steady 104-105 fever and 8 hours in ER.

2) RSV coupled with Pnemonia and Bronchitis (all at the same time) - 5 months old

3) Croupe - 6/7 months old (this is a reoccuring illness that apparently will stay with her until she's about 5yrs old, it comes and goes)

4) "C-Diff" Virus - 10 months old (This was the nightmare of all nightmares. This virus is the only virus that is a direct result of over exposure to antibiotics. It wiped out the good and the bad bacteria, leaving her extremely ill from CONSTANT vomiting and massive diahrrea. She was admitted for dehydration. Since it is a reportable communicable disease, she was quarantined at home for 2wks with constant updates from our local health department. Thankfully, I was already a SAHM).

5) Asthmas flare-ups that accompanied any illness (sinus infection, common colds, etc).

We were FINALLY prescribed a nebulizer machine in order to be able to administer liquid albuterol to her at home. This significantly reduced our trips to the ER. Occassionaly, if she doesn't respond to the albuterol, she'll have to go in to the ER to get something alittle stronger and/or liquid steriods to open her up.

Our experience with these upper respiratory illness/congestions has taught us the following:

FOR CONGESTION -
1) Eliminate/Minimize diary products where possible, as they produce more flegm

2) If you have to administer milk products, try to dilute it with water

3) Increase fluids, Increase fluids, Increase fluids (clear kind: water, diluted fruit juices)

4) Saline nasal drops (ie. Little Noses brand for children)

5) Cool Mist Humidifier near the baby as much as possible, but especially at bedtime.

FOR FEVERS -
1) Lukewarm baths that do not cause the baby to shiver because shivering increases the body temperature.

2) Sugar free popsicles. Can crush it in a cup and feed by spoon.

3) Alternate Motrin every 6hrs and Tylenol every 4hrs for high fevers over 102 that do not seem to be breaking/coming down.

FOR ANY COUGHING/WHEEZING/HEAVY BREATHING -
1) Cool mist humidifier

2) Go into bathroom. Close the door. Run hot shower. Crack shower door, or leave shower curtain slightly open. Sit with baby on toilet/floor and allow her to breathe in the steam. (Works for congestion too). Be ready with tissues, because nose will begin running.

3) In cold weather, a little exposure to the fresh air outside will open her up too. You can either do this by bundling her up and taking her for a ride with the windows cracked or taking a short walk outside.

Also...if your baby does have to be on antibiotics, be sure to feed her plenty of yogurt, preferably the kind that contains probiotics to keep her good bacteria in check. Use your own discretion if she is really congested because dairy does cause more flegm.

These are things that worked for us. But everyone is different. Hopes this helps.

HiRenee!
I like most have been there as well. In fact, I am there with my 18 month old. She is not in daycare, however my 4 year old is in "school" & they spread everything!
I just wanted to take a moment to say that if your gut is telling you something isn't right go back to the dr. You never know and your gut won't stop until satisfied that your baby is safe & healthy. Moving, stress, out of town visits, all things that disrupt the norm will cause reactions from kids. My advice is to establish routine as soon as possible. Babies do better in general. We moved when my baby was 2 months old from ft laud to chesapeake,va. That was a huge change & with that came many new issues. Things will calm down as soon as you settle in.

Trust your instincts and keep taking her back to the Dr. if you think something is wrong. When my daughter was little she just was not acting the same in my opinion. I kept getting her tested and I know they thought I was a crazy new mom. Well, she ended up with a heart infection that was luckily caught early. Zip forward a few years and my son, who gets very high fevers with an infection will often be passed over as a "virus" that has to run it's course. 3 times I insisted on xrays and yes, he had pneumonia each time! You are the best judge of your child's behavior - if you think something is wrong, insist on them looking again. The worst that can happen is you are (hopefully) wrong and they label you a "new" mom with jitters.

Hi R.,

My name is J. and I know how it is to get your child to get use to a new house. My duaghter was 6 months old when we moved to my grandparents house, then we moved to a rental house that my grand parents oned while our house was being built. After leaving there for 6 months our new house was finally completed and then she had to get use to a 3rd place to leave.

We started her out in her room and cknew that it ws going to be hard but worth it in the long run. She would wake up a few times a night and we would lay with her and pat her butt until she would fall a sleep again then we would get up and go back o our room. After a couple of days she started waking up less and by 2 weeks she was sleeping in her room and would sleep allnight. She would make her little noises but we would go check on her and she would be fast alseep. So, we got use to the little noises she would make and we have been making out well since.

So I would say R. it will be hard on everyone but if you stick with it she will be in her room sleeping great after about 2 weeks or less. Some kids it doesn't take that long.

And about the daycare your little one will start to build up a tolerance toward the colds and viruses beleive me I know. When we moved my daughter started going to a home daycare and she was sick more than ever but then after a while she would not get sick that easy at all. But I know I would pick up my daughter and see all the other kids with runny noses and say to myself "Great now shes going to get sick ago" but she started surprises me and not not mention that lady started using different cleaning and disinfectants and all the kids seem to be doing so much better and once she told me about them we started using them in our house and I have noticed a great difference and not to mention they are so much safer.

And if your little one had RSV then you could be careful at what products you are using in your house b/c that can also make a huge difference!

I hope I have helped a little at least I just that what yo are going through but beleive me you will get through and soon will be answering smeone elses post just like I am.

It was great to chat with you and if I can help with anything let me know. Also, this might help to www.urfuturematters.com

Sincerely,

J.

R. --

I would say simply this: you are the expert on your child. Trust your instincts. It sounds as though you believe she needs to go back to the doctor. Take her if you feel she needs to be seen. Don't worry that the doctor will think you are an overprotective mom or that you are being a bother . . . Bottom line is that your child's health is more important than anything else. I once had a friend put it to me this way: "I have no problem with the doctor being the expert on medicine -- but I am the expert on my child." I hope this helps. Good luck -- I hope she feels better soon.

A. T.

Hi R.,

My daughter had RSV in November and she had the congestion and horrible cough for almost two months. Her doctor put her on a nebulizer with Albuterol 4 times a day and Pulmecort 2 times a day. When I took her for a checkup, he told me to take her off because he didn't hear any congestion. Well, I still heard it so I kept her on it for another two weeks. I also added more water to her formula than it called for because it helps to move the mucus out of her system. After one day, you will see it come out in her bowels. As far as the fever, I have found that Infant Motrin drops work much better and faster than Tylenol. At the end of the extra two weeks on the machine and the watered down formula, there was no more congestion. She did get a cold about 3 weeks ago, but it was gone in 3 to 4 days.

If your daugther was diagnosed with RSV then she should be receving some type of respiratory medication via a nebulizer machine like Pulmicort
If she is not on this medication I would take her back to the doctor and state that she is congested and learn what their protocol is for RSV.
I have cared for many infants that have been diagnosed with RSV and when the symptons persist they have been treated with Pulmicort and sometimes Albuterol. If she is really having problems than they could prescribe a steroid- however this would be my last recommendation.
If your child was diagnosed with RSV- she should not be in a day care setting for several days after the diagnosis- just because this condition is so highly contageous

Hello R., I am a mom of 2 girls, ages 4 and 16 months. My youngest had RSV back at Christmas time. She kicked it within 2 weeks, about 3. If your daughter hasn't cut any teeth yet, and her gums are swollen, yes this can cause congestion and the runny nose. Do you have a humidifier? DO you have a wood stove or propane heat? Those 2 will dry her out, or, is something she is allergic too. I run a humidifier in my girls room whenever they get some congestion. Plus, if she is in a daycare where kids are constantly sick, that could be part of her problem as well too. On top of teething. In the humidifier, you can order at www.aromathyme.com some essential oils that I use on my girls. One is Lavender, the other one is Eucalyptus SMithi. Never use regular Eucalyptus, not until they are 7 I believe. Put a couple of drops in the humidifier and you it will help with her congestion at night. ALso if its allergies, she is old enough for Benedryle too, at night, and that too will help her sleep through the night. And not cough so much. The Oils will be really helpful i know it has been with both of my girls. Feel free to talk to someone at the health food store too, and verify if you don't believe my advice lol. Its kewl. You can also buy some Grapeseed or Almond Oil and put a drop of each oil on your hand in the ALmond oil and rub it on her chest too. That is really helpful for congestion. I practice alot of holistic therapy as well as blend western medicine in with what I do as well. It has worked wonderfully for me. I hope this is helpful for you. Also, most importantly, if you feel she needs to go back for your own peace of mind, do it. You are mom and your instincts matter the most.

S.