First Cold

I'm a pharmacist who's 3 month old daughter recently had her first cold (from daycare too). I just wanted to respond regarding some of the information people have been posting about infant Tylenol. Tylenol is one of the most benign medications there is. You cannot build up a tolerance to it and it has very few side effects when dosed properly. I would stick to infant Tylenol before moving on to infant Motrin which could have a few more side effects such as stomach irritation (which you certainly want to avoid in a little one). A temp of 99 is perfectly normal in an infant so I would give her any medication unless she seems to be in pain, or her temp is above 100.4 rectally or 99.5 orally. The vaporizer will probably have the most obvious effect of helping her breathe. I hope this helps. Don't be afraid to give her Tylenol, but only if she really needs it for pain or an actual fever.

2 moms found this helpful

i know that salin drops works very well with opening up nasal passages! steam with vicks could work too! best of luck to you and the little one

Hi E.! Sorry to hear Alexis isn't feeling well...Andrew and Cassidy got a cold the first week I joined the Y as well. :P

And congratulations on your new job!!! How cool is it to have a daycare where you work!!! Sounds really wonderful!

What seemed to help with their stuffy noses was a cool mist humidifyer and SudaCare vapor plugs...it plugs into an electrical socket and smells like eucalyptus. I didn't want to put anything on their skin, so this seemed like a good solution. Other than that, we kind of just had to wait out the symptoms.

It wasn't easy to find the vapor plug...it was sort of hidden down by the bottom on the shelves in the cold care aisle. It's in a blue box.

Hope all is well, congratulations again! A.

E.-
Congratualtions on your job! WOO-HOO!! Adjusting to daycare can be rough- for you and her. When my daughter started daycare last year, she was sick from November to March- and we have a GREAT daycare with tremendous attention to handwashing and disinfecting everything. I was at my wits' end because all I wanted to do was make her healthy and I FELT SO GUILTY BECAUSE SHE WAS SICK ALL THE TIME. I mean, afterall, when she was home, she was healthy, and it's my job as her mom to keep her healthy. It was terrible for me- but she was a trooper- and eventually she got better and she hasn't been sick since. Do all the things you can think of to keep her comfortable- I found Baby Vicks vapor rub really helped- as does a humidifer and a little decongestant if her nose ran a lot. I finally started to feel better about her little sicknesses when her pediatrician sat me down and told me that it was ok that she was in daycare and that it's ok that moms have to work to make nice lives for our kids. I actually cried a little when the doctor- a professional with lots of experience and whose job it is to know what's good for kids- made me feel better about my daughter being in daycare. The sicknesses and colds will pass - and in the meantime, we'll go to work to make nice lives for our babies- for when they're little all the way up to when they're big and need use to help them go to college and get married and buy houses and give us grandbabies. A little daycare induced cold is really hard in the short term, but worth it in the long run. Good luck and know you're not alone- being a mommy is hard work-but we've got great support here!!
C.
Sorry so long!!

it doesn't cost anything to call the doctor and ask a nurse a question or just go to your local pharmacy and ask them they will give you the best advice on how to treat her cold whether it is with infant robitussin or infant tylenol cold or just a vapor plug in her room.

Hi E.,
If she's not really coughing and she doesn't have I wouldn't give her the infant tylenol. You can get Little noses from any drug store. It's like a simple saline solution that will help with the stuffy and runny nose. The tylenol may be too much medicine for the limited cold symptoms that she has.
I hope this helps

I would say don't use the Tylenol unless she has pain or a fever develops.
For her nose use the humidifier for a couple nights, if you notice it isn't working move to the Little Noses... Then if that isn't working use the Pedia care that is the closest to the symptoms your daughter has...
There really is so no need to see a doctor unless other symptoms develop or you think something is wrong with her!!

Don't worry you're doing great! Also, you may find something that works for this cold and it won't work a month from now when she gets another!!

We just got over a cold here. We ran a vaporizer in the bedroom with the Vicks stuff in it, that makes a lot of difference. You can get some cute animal ones for $30 or $40 most places, but you can also get a simple one at Kmart for $8. I also think you should hold off on the Tylenol unless the fever gets dangerously high or she is in pain. It's very rough on the liver and so takes away from the body's ability to fight off the cold, thus making it last longer. The fever has a job to do, so as long as it doesn't get too high let it go. If you do need to medicate, I would go with Motrin rather than Tylenol.

If you're up for a long read, there's a good post about the effects of acetominophen here: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showpost.php?p=36990...

TRY TYENOL COLD AND COUGH FOR INFANTS . IT ALWAYS WORKED FOR MY KIDS ! GOOD LUCK

Hi E.,

Congrats on the job! That's awesome that they have day-care there. My 5 month old just got over a cold in about a week. I took him to the doctor and they said saline drops for the nose, a cool mist vaporizer and baby vicks rub for his chest and back. The prescribed items were amoxicylan (not sure of spelling but you get the idea) because he also had an ear infection and Pedia Care infant drops for decongestant and cough. You may be able to buy the Pedia Care over the counter. I guess the only concern would be if she has an ear infection. After a week of this, he was good as new. BTW-I used baby tylenol before I got him to the doc. Hope this helps and she feels better:)
N. W

I agree with Melanie, less meds is better. My pharmacist and doc both say to hold off on meds unless she has a fever and is really getting bad. I don't even call my doc for a cold anymore (I have and 18 month old). A cold has to work its way through anyway, so meds only mask the symptoms. Your doing fine! I know it is hard to see our little ones suffer and we can't help them. I use the little nose asperator thing to get the snot out to, I know they hate that but it will clear her nose for breathing since a baby that young is still learning to breath from her mouth. Hope this helps!

T. :)

I agree with Sharrine, the Little Noses is great for a stuffy nose and the Tyenol is probably not necessary at this point. You don't want her to build a tolerance for it and then it not work when she really needs it.

I would suggest a humidifier in her bedroom. Also, make sure when you are not working that she gets lots of down time to rest at home. Although she is napping at daycare, I am sure it is not as restful as a nap at home.
-Barbara