Help Soothing Baby with First Cold

Hi I am a mother of a 2 year old boy and a LPN. My husband is a RN. Try using little nose saline drops waiting a minute then use bulb syringe to suck out mucus she will scream her head off but it will help her breath and help clear her cold up faster. Also try using a humidifier. It may help to prop up her mattress from the bottom.

I suggest a doctor's visit asap. It is very important that little ones under a year be seen as soon as they get sick. So much else could be going on and they do not recover as well. Also not reacting fast enough means more pain for your little one because it means a SPINAL TAP when you end up at the ER. And Spinal Taps are very painful and very necessary at that point. If is is a simple cold they could give you a safe prescription antihistamine to help her breathe better. Don't forget this is cold and flu seasonand that all flus start with cold like symptoms. I would rather be proactive and preventive then not. It's obvious by your post you care so I would have her seen. Hope she gets to feeling better soon.

I just recently went through the same thing with my 4 month old and I took him to the Dr. and he said the best way to help them breath is to give saline drops first to loosen the mucus (the brand i liked is called Little Noses available at any walmart or other grocery stores) wait a few minutes, then remove the mucus manually with a bulb syringe (aka nose sucker). Use the nose sucker while she is sitting in an upright position or having someone else hold her in a face downward position while you use the sucker. You may have to do this over and over again to get most of it out. Never try to suck her nose while she is lying on her back because gravity with keep most of the mucus back in her sinuses or may drip to her throat. If she has a fever that is keeping her awake, try some infant tylonol before she sleeps. Honestly, sleeping poorly or being uncomfortable and grumpy comes with the territory of being sick, all you can do is help with the symptoms and try to make her comfortable. If your baby is REALLY having a problem breathing or is wheezing take her to the Dr. to see if she might have RSV. It has the same symptoms as a regular cold but can really be scary for an infant. The Dr.can proscribe a take-home nebulizer for breathing treatments and that loosens up mucus a lot. I hope everything goes well, good luck. Just remember she isn't going to be sick forever so keep at it.

Someone may have already suggested it but I used to put a pillow under my daughter's mattress to prop it up. Saline drops with the blue bulb works wonders also!

I would recommend using a vaporizer in the room at night. If she is in a bassinet, you could elevate the head of it or under her matress so that her head is elevated. You should definitely have her Pediatrician look in her ears. With her not wanting to lay down, she could have an ear infection. The doctors say that the pressure in the ear keeps children from wanting to lie down if their ears are infected. Also, Little Noses makes a salve you can put on her nose if it becomes red & irritated. You can also try saline spray in her nose to help with the nasal congestion. And give her a dose of Tylenol to help her rest & help with pain if she does have an ear infection. I would watch out for humidifiers. I live in the South & we definitely don't need more humidity, that's why I prefer the vaporizer. The Vicks stuff is not recommended for children below a certain age. I would be cautious when using anything with vapors for a baby. When in doubt, always consult with your child's Pediatrcian or Pharmacist. I have a 5yr. old & a 3yr. old daughter. We have definitely had our share of sleepless nights. Hope this helps a little!

Hi D. my aunt by in the day when my kids were about that age or a little older told me to use a little vaseline rub it across the nose and forehead . She also suggest that I add just a touch of vicks mixed in with the vaseline . I thought she was crazy . It worked , but man the stuff that came out of thier nose . They slep like a rock and now at 15 and 17 when they get stuffed up they come and ask for me to rub them down with vicks . But make sure the child is covered up good with a blanket and you might try a vaporizer . Oh yea and another person took my child and laid them on her lap nose toward the floor so that the nose will drain (she is a childrens nurse ) make sure you have a towel down on your lap and floor . Hope this works for you it helped me . Have tried turning on your shower and letting the steam in the bathroom and sit with your baby for a while . I will be praying for your baby. Good luck and God bless you

I have a 5 month old little girl and she has been battling a cold off and on for a month. She had a hard time sleeping too. I took her to the pediatrician and they gave her a prescription for breathing treatments at home. We brought home a nebulizer and it blows a medicine into a little tiny mask that goes over her nose and mouth. I give it to her every 4 hours and when she has a coughing fit. IT helps open up her lungs and she stops coughing. We also use vicks vapor rub on the inside of her clothes, and vicks vaporizer at night. I hope she gets feeling better. I know it is tough on everyone when they are sick.

Dear first time stay at home mom. I have told all my family this and it does help. At night, rub the baby's feet with vicks vapor under both feet, put socks on and she will sleep better and not be so conjested during the night. A friend got this information from John Hopkins during a stay there. It works.

A grandmother always looking for ways to care for the babies.

Have you tried a humidifier in the room?

Some things I do (have done with all three of mine): Prop up the head of her crib mattress by putting a firm pillow under it. The Vicks Rub for children with natural things like camomile, lavendar, eucalyptus, it has a purple lid(I think this is safe for all ages, check the label, but adult rub is not safe for small children). Warm air vaporizer-get some steam and inhalant in the air of her room and shut the door to hold it in. If it gets really bad, hold her on your lap in the bathroom, turn on the faucets to straight hot water and let the steam build up, or hold her close to the sink and put a towel over both of you and the sink so you make a tent with the steam inside of it. You can also sleep sitting up at an angle with her on your chest. A recliner is a wonderful thing for this. And surprisingly, just walking out in the cool night for a minute will sometimes open things up. You might be able to do this by just standing in front of the open freezer.

I am assuming that she still sleeps in her crib. Have you tried to put a blanket underneath the head of her matress, elevating the head of her matress, which will elevate her head when she lays down, that way the pressure does not go to her head?

When my son had his first cold, we set up a humidifier in his room. It seemed to help him out alot.

i would try a humidifier in her room with the vicks vapor this is what i have done for my son since he was about 6 months old and it works like a charm we still use it now when he gets a cold.. it opens up their nostrils and airwya so they can breathe therefore the coughing and stuffy noses go away

I can not tell you how many nights I've slept on the den sofa propped up in the curve with a sick one on my chest because it kept them propped up and gave us both several straight hours of sleep. Humidifiers have always helped our kids and Vicks sauve (spelling?) works well for opening their heads. I would rub just a little on the upper part of their chest and now some humidifers have a spot to insert a Vicks item so the smell surrounds you in the room. Hopefully it will be Spring soon and everyone will get well!

Have you tried the soothing body wash and lotion for kids? I think it's called Bedtime Body Wash & the lotion. Johnson & Johnson makes it and they have some off brands too, but Johnson's is what I would prefer. Also, if you're not already, use a humidifier at night to help the baby rest.

you might try some warm saline drops up her nose sometimes it helps loosen up the mucus so they can breath.
Linda

Put a pillow under her crib mattress. Sometimes it helps a little if thier head is elevated during sleep. Before bed, give her a warm bath using a vapor bubble bath solution (works wonders!), then after her bath, try to get her nose as cleaned out as you can. Use a cool mist humidifier in her room, and rub some vick's vapor rub (they have a baby formula) on her chest right at bedtime. Also... I've heard that clear liquids are good for reducing congestion (white grape juice, apple juice, etc... but water is best). All of this seems to help my little one.

*** Be sure if you hear her start to wheez or whistle when she breathes... get her to the ER!! Croupe is NO GOOD and can come on really fast. It's going around in my area, one of my friends baby's was just hospitalized with it recently...

GOOD LUCK!

Is is more of a head cold or chest cold? Have you tried using a humidifier in her room and/or tried rubbing the infant vicks vaporub on her chest (can mix a little with vaseline if you are afraid of it being too strong). Also have you tried a vapor bath wash. These are the things that seemed to calm my little ones down when they were younger. Also, she probably does breathe better while inclined but I'm not sure of a way to get her to sleep that way. Let us know.

Hi my name is R., I also have a 6 month old and she has just gotten over her 1st cold. I would try propping her up in her bed, with a pillow or some blankets. My doctor also suggested letting her sleep in her car seet because it lets them sit up. There are some suggestions, hope it helps. Good luck.

D.,
If she is unable to lay flat and is still in a crib, then elevate one end of the crib with 1-2 folded towels under one end of the mattress. This may elevate her enough to breathe easier. I don't know if Vicks is o.k. for 6 months of age (the bottle should say). There are children Vick plug ins that don't go on the child but in the outlet to help with breathing. Read the recommendations on the box. I always recommend a cool mist humidifier to thin mucus. My son had a lot of problems with croup at her age. PediaCare over the counter meds for runny nose may help too. Best of luck!

They make a baby Vicks. It isn't as strong as adult Vicks and smells really well. It may help to soothe the cough and loosen up the congestion. I have used it on both of my small children. It is definitely worth a try.

We battled with our daughter's first cold recently and found that having her sleep upright in her swing for most of that week was the best solution to allow her to breathe easier and not have the congestion settle during the night. We also ran the humidifier constantly while she was the most congested and had a runny nose.
When she would sneeze or bubble out of her nose I would use the manual bulb syringe from the hospital to get her nose clear. After the initial shock of this she did quite well and even smiles afterwards, but we are distracting her with a silly toy or something else at the same time. We were fortunate and didn't need to hold her head to use the bulb syringe b/c she would sit still and watch whatever the distraction was while I used the bulb quickly.
I bought saline nasal drops but never had to use them b/c our pediatrician said not to use them unless she was unable to eat due to the congestion.
Hope you are all well soon~

You might try using Vick's Salve (or any brand equivalent) on the soles of her feet and place socks on them. The essential oils are absorbed through the body and this should help with both coughing and congestion. Since cough medicines are unsafe and ineffective in young children, this is a safe remedy. I have used this recently with my 4 year old and it helped her sleep through the night. Also consider saline drops or spray used with a nasal aspirator to clear the congestion before putting her down. This may also help her breath more comfortably. She may not enjoy the process, but clearing the nasal area of congestion and drainage will help and saline is safe to use.

Best of luck and sending you healing wishes.

Hi, My girlfriend's baby got RSV 3 times during her first year and had to give her breathing treatments several times a day. Have you taken her to the doctor? It could become something more serious quickly (like RSV, pneumonia) so she needs to be watched closely. The breathing treatments really helped my friend's daughter breath which helped her sleep.
Good Luck!

Vicks is amazing. I rub it on my little girls chest and back, and also rub it on her feet and then put socks on. The vicks on the feet is a new trick someone told me about this winter and it has been wonderful. You can also try letting her soak in a bath tub with the Johnson Baby vapor bath it is usually on the same shelf with the other soaps it's in a green bottle. My doctor told me to give her Robitusin DM 1/2 tsp. she started taking that when she was around 6 mths.

Also may want to try to elevate her mattress at one end...if she doesn't want to lay down it may be b/c of her breathing but she may also have an ear infection sometimes it is very uncomfortable for them to lay down if they have an ear infection my son had tons of them we ended up putting a pillow in his bed and that helped

When my son was that age and got sick the doctor advised getting a "cool mist vaporizer". Only costs around $20 but was well worth it. We always use it when the kids are sick. Seems to work better than the ones that puts off steam.

Also, might want to try letting the baby sleep in her carseat. It will put her at an angle that is easier for her to breath. Just place the car seat in her crib so she is safe.

Try letting her sleep in a swing so her head is elevated. Also, try using a waterless vaporizer (like Vick's) with the menthol strips - helps open sinus passages.

I would suggest to keep her sitting up. If it is time for bed then prop her up on a pillow or a "boppy". I always put a cover over the pillow and then I would lay the baby into it. First time colds are the worst, you feel so helpless.

Deborah, I understand what you are going through. I have a 9 month old little girl who has the same thing right now but it is not our first go around. It is horrbile, I am tired, she is tired. It seems like nothing we do eases her cough. We do run a cool mist humidifier in her room. We put saline drops in her nose, she is on an inhaler, rx cough meds. I get so frustrated because I feel bad for her. Try some of the things that I said. You can also elevate her bed to help with the drainage because coughs are always worse at night. You can also sit in a bathroom with the hot water running, the steam will help. The doctors have also said open up the freezer door and let her breath in some of the cool air. I do hope your little ones gets better soon. That is about the age my little one got her first cold. She gets one and likes to hang on to it. Hope this round of antibiotics that we are on knocks hers out soon. Good Luck!! One other thing that I have found that works well, is warm apple juice. Water it down a little for your baby. But I was advised by her Dr. that giving it to them warm helps cut the mucus in her throat and it also feels good if they have a sore throat. (I have used the vicks on the feet too, and it does work well)

I actually just received an email from a friend that said by putting vicks vapor rub on the bottoms of their feet and putting socks on that the cough stops almost immidiatly. How true this I am not sure, I have not tried it yet myself, but it is worth a shot. keep me informed.

You may want to try letting her sleep in her swing or bouncy seat or elevate her matress with pillows. Also a cool mist humidifier is always reccomended by my son's ped., but I really don't see that it(the humidifier) works. Good luck, hope that helps.

My daughter had her first cold about the same age. We used a vaporizer, nose saline drops, baby vicks and a warm bath every night to help loosen the mucus. The cold meds never helped.

We have a preemie at home here and has had a few colds too. We learned through an email that if you rub the bottom of a baby's feet with vicks, that it will stop the coughing. It works!!! I have even tried it on myself. You can also use a potpourri burner with water and liquid vicks in the room where the baby sleeps. Oh, and BTW put socks on the baby's feet after rubbing vicks on them.

Hi Deborah,

This may sound strange, but my son's neurology specialist gave some wonderful advice to clear up my son's sinus and cough. I have since heard several people I know comment that they have tried it, and it has worked amazingly well. Apply Vicks Vapor Rub to the bottom of her feet, and cover her feet with cotton socks. I do this for my son and have given this advice several times over, no complaints, always seems to help. And yes, Vicks Vapor Rub on the bottom of her feet!

Vicks baby rub is great and on the feet, too.

I am a Mother of three, ages 9, 10, and 11. At six months there's really not a lot to do, however, you can buy the pedia care for infants and go by the dosage, if it's not listed on the box, call your doctor or pediatrician and they can tell you the dosage for it. I used it with all three of my children. Also, I'm old school, I guess you can say...I always got vicks vapor rub and with a q-tip swabbed a little in their nasal passages. It allows them to breathe and will work on breaking the mucus up. However, always make sure they have a shirt on when you use the vicks vapor rub. You will notice a major difference in the breathing. The third thing I always done at that age was when I put the vicks in their nasal passages, was when I could hear it breaking the mucus up to where they had it in their nose I would use a bulb to remove it out of their nose. They don't like it, but it doesnt hurt them. I hope this will help you, it always worked for me.

I found that saline and a "snot sucker" (as my 3yo. calls it) work wonders to help relieve the congestion(right before bed) and a vaporizer. Vicks is a wonderful thing!! It will be rough sleeping for the next few nights with the coughing and fever checking.
You may have to set up and hold her and let her sleep that way for a night or two. A little loving will not spoil her!
My husband is a hypochondriac and every little thing he wants to carry our children to the emergency room and the truth of the matter is there is really nothing you can do but let it run its course. Keep a bottle of juice available for her and check temps. regularly. If it doesn't get any better in a few days or seem to worsen YES take the baby to the hospital. There are serious complications from dehydration.
JUST USE COMMON SENSE!!

A cold air humidifier did wonders for my son when he had a cold.

In my family, we have a history of breathing problems to begin with, and when my kids were little, everything seemed to make their beathing so much worse. My youngest son had the worst time. With him, I had an extra carrier that I had him sleep in when he was sick. After he was able to get up and walk about on his own, I took the straps out and let him continue to use it when he was congested. I also use humidifiers, and I have a Vicks waterless vaporizer that is wonderful. A lot of times, with little ones, you can put some Vicks or Mentholatum (sp) on an old washrag, fold it up and pin it inside their sleeper. (Now that my kids are older and are "too grown up" for that, I place the washrag over part of their vent. When the heater kicks on, it circulates enough to help.)

Hope this helps you, or at least gives you some ideas to get you started. Hope she gets better soon!

I have 5 mo old with same problem, I run a cool mist humidifier whenever he sleeps and I also use a firm pillow and lay his head on it so he can be partially elevated. It helps him breathe. I also give him a bath with Johnsons soothing vapor bath.

My poor little baby has a cold also. I'm sure this is all stuff you know but this is what I was told to do. Prop the end of the bed up with books, etc. so that she isn't laying flat. The nurse told me it is better to prop up the bed instead of putting something in the bed to elevate her head. She said that actually makes it worse. Also, try a humidifier. And last but not least, get some saline nose drops for babies (Like Baby Ayr or Little Noses) and an aspirator. Put 3-4 good drops in one nostril, hold the other one closed and suck out the gunk. Then repeat on other side.

I hope your daughter gets to feeling better. It just breaks my heart every time I hear my son struggling to breathe or making those awful noises in his nose and throat.

(Okay, I feel like a doof. I just said what everyone else has said. I didn't see the other responses before typing mine. Good luck.)

You have received many helpful suggestions, so I will just tell you this . . . give yourself permission to not get anything else (or very little) done for a day or two. Caring for a sick and fussy baby is a full-time job. Relax, rock, cuddle and she'll be back to normal before you know it.

Hi D.,
When my daughter had a cold, the Ped. told me to let her sleep w/ her head above her chest and to use a humidifier in her room.

You could call your Ped and ask if they reccommend any cold/caugh meds (they will tell you the correct dosage for your child's age and weight), we did that too, but I don't like to give that stuff to my girl unless she is having trouble sleeping.

If yours isn't too big to fit-let her sleep in a bouncy seat or the carrier w/ the humidifier-also, add a little more water to her milk-if she breastfeeds, give her a little in a bottle if possible-it will keep her nose running--trust me that's a GOOD thing-you want all that Junk OUT of your baby! I'm not talking about 8 oz/day, just 1/2 ounce a few times/day will help keep her head loosened.

Hope this helps!
C.

Oh boy have I been there! My daughter's first year was full of colds, coughing in the middle of the night, ear infections. I think the reason she cries when she lays down is because the fluid backs up into her ears and it hurts. Coughing most always goes with ear infections. What I used to do is first, give her some over the counter medicine (always w/doctor approval), then go turn the shower on super hot with steam and hold her (while sitting down, not IN the shower of course) until the congestion started to break up. Also, a humidifier in her room will help alot. Good luck to you and congratulations on your new baby!

Try putting a vaporizer in her room and putting a pillow UNDER the head of her mattress.
Hope this works for you and she gets a little relief!

My 6 month old just got over the same thing. All the other advice is great. If it doesn't clear up I would take her to the doctor. After a week of her runny nose, it didn't seem to get better and the discharge was still colored. I took her in to see the Doctor and he said she had a sinus infection. His general rule he told me was is after a week, they still have colored drainage it is probably a sinus infection. The antibiotics have cleared it all up and now she feels much better!

When my son was still sleeping in the crib and he had a cold or ear infection, his pediatrician told me to buy a wedge pillow and put it under the mattress so that when he slept his head was higher and the "stuff" could drain out of his throat. If funds are tight, the doc recommended putting something like 2 really big phone books under one end of his mattress so that there was a gentle slope.

Hope this helps!

Hi D.!

Congrats on your little girl. Our little girl just turned one. A couple of things to do that really seemed to work for us:

1) Have her sleep in either her car seat or put towels under her mattress where her head is so that she is propped up.

2) Give her a "steam shower". Go in the bathroom and shut the doors. Put the shower on high and as hot as it can go. Stay in there for about 10 mintues. I always put my little girl in her bouncy chair and just have her diaper on, as it gets pretty warm. This always had great results!

3) Buy Little Noses - I am not sure who makes it, but it is fantastic. You can get it anywhere. You squirt the liquid up her nose a few times and then suck it out with the snot sucker. If you don't have yours from the hospital, don't worry, there is one in the box.

4) I know this sounds nuts, but sometimes, I would whiff pepper under her nose to make her sneeze. It seemed to help break it up.

5) Humidifier - not sure if you have one or not, but it is well worth the purchase. Have a humidifier on in the room when she sleeps.

6) Vics Vapor Rub - get some and put it on her chest - really helps!

I hope that these work for you! Gook Luck!

Rub some vicks on her feet then put sock on her. It will help her.

try sitting with her in the bathroom with the steam from the shower just long enough to clear it up about 30 mins or if you think she is getting to over heated then less,that helped my little girl also there is baby vapor rub at walgreens put it on her feet followed by a pair of socks and just a little under nose that should do the trick,hope it helps:)

My son is 12-months old had a really bad cold with that horrible runny nose. Call your doctor and ask him if you can give her Benadrly and at what dose? It helps dry her nose up and will help put her to sleep, as most kids get very sleepy after taking it. In addition ask your doctor if you can put her in the bathroom while using a Suda Care Shower Soothers, its works well to clear her up. In addition a good ole suction bulb to clear her nose , place a pacifer in her mouth, hold close one side of her nose while you suck clean the other side, my doctor told me this is the best way to do it. If she fights you sit on the floor place her head between your legs to hold her head steady and her little arms under your legs ( gently of course ). I hope some of this helps.

Hi D.! I have an 11 month old son and he has had a few colds and what I've done is put Vicks baby rub on the bottom of his feet as well as on his chest and it would help him to breathe and also relax him a little. If you have a vaporizer..I have also used one of those. My mom actually told me about putting Vicks on the bottom of the feet...reason being..we have LOTS and lots of nerve endings that are linked to our nose..go figure right? :)
I hope this helps you in someway. I'm a stay at home Mom too and could any advice I can get!! :)

If you have a humidifier, you could put a little bit of pepermint or vaporizor in it to help open her up while she sleeps. This is especially good after her night time bath. Just as long as you don't get her too close to it. It should help some.