How Do I Help My Sick Baby....?

suck snot w/ the blue bulb.

cool mist humidifier

elevate the head of the crib (I stick books under the legs)

and a few baths a day-only to distract the baby from their discomfort. I always had my kids play in the tub when they were fussy.

plus, nurse when ever, he needs some some comfort

1 mom found this helpful

Try giving him a bath right before bed with Johnson and Johnson vapor bath and putting a small amount of baby Vick's on his chest (just check the age on that and make sure it's okay for his age, I can't remember). They also make a small fan that you can buy in the medicine aisle that has vapor in it and even a humidifier can help. Other than that there isn't much you can do other than Tyelenol or Motrin. Luckily colds only last a couple of days! Good luck, I hope he's feeling better soon.

1. Keep breastfeeding
2. Use a humidifier in the room where he sleeps.
3. Nose aspirator as needed.
4. take care of yourself :)
5. keep up the good work!

I put Vicks on MY stomach or neck -not on the baby, during sleep time. This way I can keep him close, regulate breathing and temp. Try not to use too much heat in the house as well, it irritates the nose....of course don't freeze : )

Hi S.-

I'm sorry your little guy is sick. That sucks and it's so hard to watch.

You got great suggestions and my tricks have already been mentioned as well. I did the how shower thing and tried to nurse in there. I also did the nose aspirator, which my kid's HATED, but really worked well, and used the cool mist humidifier w/ Euclaptypus oil in it. Actually i have a cold now and am using the humidifier w/ E in it! My kid's had a tendacy to get eye infections so I did use breast milk to put in their eyes. It is like liquid gold!
Good luck and I hope he feels better soon!
S.

It's really hard when your baby is sick - especially the first few times. For a cold the baby needs lots of fluids, cold air humidifier at night with head slightly raise while sleeping. Use saline spray in his nose then suction out the mucus - he'll hate the spray but it helps.

Hope this helps!

If your baby is coughing you can put baby vick's vapor rub on the bottom of his feet with cotton socks on. I tell you, the cough goes away.

Try getting a humidifier for when he sleeps.

I use camphor oil (the strong smelling oil in vicks without using the junk that is in vicks) in the vaporizer. Check out OnesteapAhead.com ... they have a battery operated nasal aspirator that works a little better than the manual ones. Keep nursing her as much as possible and try to slant her a little in an upright position to help the drainage as you do. Not a comfy position for you but it's important she gets the benefits of the breastmilk.

sorry about your little monkey. Try to keep the mucous flowing. I used to stand in a hot shower with my kids several times daily, and especially before bedtime. Use a humidifier in his room. Put him to sleep in his infant carrier because that will keep his head elevated. Don't even try to elevate one end of his bed because he will just roll to the lowest point of the mattress in the night. Suck out his nose if he lets you. try to get him to eat as much as he can, he's losing alot of fluids from all of this nose-juice, so if you do the shower routine before eating that might break it up enough so he can breastfeed for a full meal. Good luck.

We always put some Vicks Vapor Rub or Eucalytus oil into a jar with some boiling water and put it under the kids crib. Also with our youngest, we've had to keep the head of her crib elevated just a little otherwise she can't breath through her nose when she's asleep, it helps some. I just put a rolled up receiving blanket under there. Just make sure it's not enough of an incline that he'll slide down. The other thing to try is a steamy bathroom, if he's really croupy or congested the steam will loosen things.

Good luck and when in doubt see your doctor.

They have the natural baby vapor rub at the health food store. You can apply to baby at night. Also, let them sit in thier chair/floor while you take a steamy shower. The steam helps with the congestion.

Hi S.
A humidifier would be good for your little one and maybe drop some eucalyptus oil in it, that will help with congestion.

Put some breast milk in his/her nose, sounds weird but it works. Just express some in a cup and maybe use a medicine dropper to get it in there. I did this with both my kids and it made a world of difference.

That's pretty much all you can do with out medicating and it doesn't sound like your baby needs medicine unless there's a really high fever.

Good luck
A.

I swear by a cool mist humidifier. I think the noise of the machine and the cool mist moistening the nose helped them sleep. I have used them on all three kids and still do-oldest is 18!

A humidifier in his room might help.

Not sure what they are called but you can use those sucker things to get the runny stuff out from the nose , also use saline spray to help keep the nose clear. You can also buy vicks for babies so you could rub that on the chest to help keep the nose clear.

Hi. I have a sick 5.5 month old as well. My doc has suggested spraying saline nasal spray up into the nostrils to help clear the nasal passages enough that she can breathe during feeding.the spray takes about 30 minutes to work, and causes the runny nose to become a bit more runny during that time. I have also heard that putting a drop of breast milk in each nostril helps as well. Sounds kooky, I know, but, check the internet,it's a pretty common home remedy. You may want to check with your doc about these ideas, but it has helped a little for my little one. Oh, one last thing, going into the bathroom and creating a steam room helps sometimes as well. Good luck.

I can't remember how old he was at the time, but I remember that we were told that we could give our baby children's Claritin to ease congestion at a relatively young age. I'd say call your pediatrician.

Breastfeed as much as possible, as long as he is happy doing it. You can give him infant motrin or tylenol if he is really uncomfortable, or has a fever. You can try a humidifier, or close the bathroom door and run a hot bath or shower (don't get in, just have him in the bathroom with the steam). You pretty much just have to wait it out, and carry around something to wipe up the boogers (we use our burp cloths, they never saw much spit up action anyway). For sleeping, you might want to try cosleeping, so you can rub his back and snuggle close. That always helps my guy when he's sick, he sleeps longer and with less fuss. Helps us get more sleep too.

you have lots of great suggestions. I have a few things to note. DO NOT put vic's vapo rub or menthol-anything on his chest or back. he is way too little, talk to your doctor or even the pharmacy they will tell you the same. only put it on his feet. if you dont have a humidifier turn your shower on really hot to get the room steamy and sit in the bathroom with him. even try to breastfeed in there. do not put the baby in the water just allow them to breathe in the steam. use a nasal aspirator to suck out the mucus. i also agree about breast milk in the nose, ear etc. I did it with my son and he is 18 months and has never had a ear infection! good luck, its a tough time.

Dear S.,

You have had some good advice on some things to do to help your baby's symptoms. My response is related to the medication aspect only.

Please call your pediatrician's office now and either make an appointment or ask for medical guidance relating to your baby's symptoms.

I know it is hard to see your baby sick and you want to provide relief as quickly as you can, but please do not give over the counter medication or any medication to your infant without the consent and guidance of your pediatrician or qualified health-care provider.

I know people have shared what has worked for them with respect to medication, but you cannot take that and just apply it to your child's case as each child's medical history and current status is unique.

Some medications are not appropriate for infants, and when appropriate medication is prescribed, it must be given in the exact dosage and at the exact times prescribed. Only your doctor or qualified health-care provider can give you that information.

Regards,

J. F.

There are a few things you can do. (My daughter is 6 months old and we've been through a couple colds this season)
1. Give him a steam shower. Set him in his car seat in the bathroom and turn the shower on hot water. You can leave him in there for about 15 minutes. This should help him clear out. I would use the suction bulb afterwards to help get out anything loosened up from the shower.
2. Use Saline Spray to clear out his nose. Followed by using the suction bulb.
3. Also, keep him elevated. When playing keep him propped up and when sleeping give him propped up. My doctor suggested us putting a pillow underneath his mattress.
4. I breastfeed my daughter as well, and I found that it's a little easier to nurse them in a position where they're head is somewhat elevated.

Good luck! The symptoms will last for around 7-10 days but hang in there!

With my son, I put my playpin in our room and had him sleep in his carseat in the playpin. He didn't move and slept fine. He had really bad congestion and I had the humidifier on all night. People told me toelevate by putting a pillow under the matress on one side, but he kept sliding down by morning....screaming cause of the mucus that was everywhere. I did the carseat thing and he ended up getting better in just a few days. Good luck

Saline drops to clear the nose, booger sucker to get it all out, and Tylenol for fever. Cool mist humidifier may work, although both me and my pediatrician don't really think it makes much of a difference, but worth a try. It is hard seeing your baby sick, but I have always been told never to give any kind of medication to either of my sons. Both have had every kind of sickness and never been given any medication except what I listed above. Good luck!

Hello, I am not a doctor and can't give real medical advice, but I do know that you can use Little Noses and a humidifier. Other than that, I would check with your pediatrician. I noticed a lot of people suggesting breastmilk in the nose and then the aspirator. I hadn't heard of that, but I do know that breast milk seems to be the cure all these days.
Good luck with your precious baby.
K. K.

Hi, We had to gently use the squeezer (not sure what it is called) the Hospital gave us when our daughter was a four or five months old. We squeezed the phelgm out (she utterly disliked it) before breastfeeding and it helped. We also had mini baby saline solutions meant to squeeze up the nose simply to loosen the mucus. She hated that too but it helped her eat better. We used the humidifier and turned it on 30 minutes before we put her down. She was miserable lying down flat so we elevated the bedding. She slept so much better in the car seat and anywhere gravity was helping her nose. Hope this helps!

K., Sarah 3, Zach 2

Hi S., my 6 month old son just got over the same type of cold. It lasted for a week and a half... I put drops of breast milk in each nostril several times a day and then tried to keep him upright or on his tummy for play time. He sneezed frequently and the breast milk really did help him get rid of a lot of mucus! For naps, my husband put a rolled up towel under one end of his crib mattress, we used a cool mist humidifier as well. I literally kept my little guy home every day for the duration of his cold and while I felt stir-crazy, it definitely helped him have long, much needed naps and allowed him to recover more quickly. Hope your baby gets well soon!!!!

Prop up his crib mattress so he's sleeping on his back on a incline--hopefully he won't be as stuffy at night. (Put the pillows UNDER the mattress, not on top of it.) db

A couple drops of saline or breastmilk up the nose always helped my little ones plus using the aspirator to suck out what's loose.
I also would make camomille tea maybe one or two ozs lukewarm and that always really loosened it up! My little one would do a big sneeze and tons would come out. you can even put a couple of drops off that in nose as well. It's all natural so completely safe for ur little one.

I always used Little Noses Stuffy Nose kit with the saline drops & nasal aspirator. You can't give infants cold medicine, so you just have to do your best to keep his nose clear.

If it doesn't clear up, I'd call his pediatrician to make sure he doesn't have an ear infection or anything.

first i would get Gentle Vapors wall plug in and have that on at night instead of a vaporizer or humidifier b/c those have to be cleaned all the time w/ white vinegar..then i would put vicks vapor rub on bottom of feet and on chest..Boiron has homeopathic remedies or try Hylands..both found at CVS pharmacy or Wholefoods..Wallgreens..and more..
i would put something under mattress to keep baby's head elevated when sleeping..at night the mucus collects up around the head b/c baby is lying down..
you can run a hot shower and sit in the bathroom w/ baby and nurse so baby can breath better..
i would nap baby in a carrier if u can or stroller to keep head up right..
good luck..i know it sucks..it does get easier..

D.

A cool mist humidifier in her room at night will help ease her nasal congestion. Also, Sudafed has these plug-ins that you plug in to an electrical outlet at night and lets off a eucalyptus scent into the room at night, will also help her breathing.

saline spray or breastmilk in the nose will help soften the boogers in his nostrils and let them run down. If he is super irritated by it, you can try infant Tylenol (I think that's what the advise nurse at the Dr. office would say if you called)

Use saline solution and a bulb syringe to get the stuffiness out of his nose. You should also put a cool mist humidifier in his room. Make sure you change the water daily and clean it with a bleach and water solution every three days or it can make him worse. I am not sure if he is too young to have a wedge under his head to elevate his head, check with your ped. Also check the age on homeopathic cold remedies. They carry quite a few at Henry's for a stuffy nose, but I don't know age specs off hand. My dd fortunately never got sick that young.

The most important thing to do that helps us is giving him probiotics. Especially this time of year. I put it in his milk. You can get a baby formula at whole foods. This will build his immune system. You definitely need a cool mist humidifier while he sleeps. Also, we sometimes turn the shower very hot at night(fill the room up with steam) and sit in the bathroom with him after his bath for fifteen minutes before he goes to sleep. I also rub mentholatum on his feet, neck and chest. Put socks on him/her too, so that can't touch it. Good luck. You're baby will be fine.

When my 4 month old daughter had a cold I called my ped and he said for me to give her .06 ml of infant cold medicine and it helped her.

my pediatrician says to shoot breast milk up his nose(no aspirator needed afterwards.. just let it do it's thing and he'll sneeze excess out...) i've done it in the past, and it works wonders... also a cool air humidifier to run while he sleeps... good luck!

Same thing others have said. :-) Our doctor told us little noses saline drops and a humidifier. Good luck! :-)

The fact that you're breastfeeding his already a huge help. You can also bring him into the shower with you, or even just run the shower and both of you stay in the bathroom. A humidifier would help too.

Drink lots of water yourself, too, so that you don't get sick as well.

Try a few drops of your breastmilk up his nose. Should help clear it. Before you do the breastmilk, try to clear as much as you can with an aspirator.

We always used the vicks vaporizer to help with the congestion; it always helped our daughter sleep. We also bought the Little Noses, saline drops, they help clear ut the congestion. Keep an eye on her, if she begins to run a fever you will definitley want to call her doctor as it could be something more than just a cold.

Saline spray in his nose should help a little.

Also try putting a pillow underneath his mattress so that the mattress is slightly on an incline...will help his congestion drain a little.

And, also try a humidfier.

Good luck...it'll pass, but it's hard to watch them go through it in the meantime.

-M