Ideas for a Congested 19 Month Old

I hate to even suggest it, but I have a 28 month and 17 month old and the doc told me to give them Children's Benadryl (1 tsp for 2 year old; a bit less for 17 month old). This works great for bed time only because it dries them up so they can breath easier (not to mention the drowsy factor which gives them a restful sleep - much needed for the immune system). My kids get colds and coughs every season change, and it gets very frustrating seeing them suffer. Good luck!

I know this is late but try White Camphor oil. I put in a small little heater thing and it helps immensley!

W.:
Put some vicks on her forehead from temple to temple - this will open all the airways. Give her lots of water too.
Good luck,
L.

I've done a number of different things in the past. Vick's vapor rub on the chest works somewhat. You can get it in a lotion. Vick's shower tablets can do well too. I would sit in the bathroom with my son while the hot shower was running so he could breath in the Vick's fumes. They even have Vick's tissue out now. If this didn't work completely, I would use Saline drops in my son's nose to loosen the congestion and then suction it out with a nasal aspirator. I used the regular one but now there's a battery operated one out that plays music, I saw it at Walmart and plan on purchasing it for my newborn. Hope this helps:)

W.,
Since they took the baby cough and cold medicine off the market, I've been trying the "natural medicines". I've found both a cough medicine and a congestion medication at Whole Foods. They're both made from all natural ingredients which is why they can still be sold when all the other baby medicines were taken off the shelves. Of course, they don't work quite as well as the "real" stuff but they do offer my daughter some relief. I can't remember what the name brand is off the top of my head but if you just look in the aisle at Whole Foods near kids' vitamins, you'll find them.

Vick's is always good for congestion. Otherwise you could get some eucalyptus drops and put some in the humidifier.

Chest congestion, rub some castor oil on her chest. Sounds weird I know, but it is helpful.

If possible, elevate her mattress slightly so that she isn't flat. A little incline helps.

Raise the head of the bed and put some Vicks on her feet then cover them with socks. It'll do wonders. The steamy shower thing works good, too for during the day. Also, keep away from dairy products as some of the other Mom's have said. It just makes the congestion worse.

Hope she feels better soon -

You could use some vicks. I used to take a small rag and put a little bit on that rag and pin it to their clothes. That seemed to help. That way it is not directly on them but with in a distance to help.

Hope this helps.
Michele

We used the pediacare vaporizor plug in things in our son's room when he's stuffy. They work great!

Lots of fluids(OJ is a great choice watered down) and also what clears the nasal passages is Ocean Mist Saline drops. You can either buy that brand or an off brand. Very safe to use. Our doc recommends it. Put 2-3 drops in each nostril while lying child down and wait for a minute and then suction with a nasal syringe. That will clear them out. Hope I helped. It worked for my daughter!!!

The humidifier usually helps my girls quite a bit. I also use Vick's baby rub. It is similar to VapoRub, but it is safe for children older than 3 months, I believe. It seems to help my girls with the cough they have at night.

Wendy,

When my kids are sick I always give them a bath and put some Johnson & Johnsons Vapor Bath in the water. Its kind of a menthol smelling liquid, it will suds up a little. It always seems to relax them and help their nose drain. Then they always seem to rest better and get some sleep.

Another thing is some baby Tylenol drops to make her more comfortable, the dosage depends on her weight. If the bottle doesn't give dosage you can call your pediatricians office. I have a 19 month old that weighs 25 lbs and we give him 2 dropperfuls (0.8 ml) of the baby tylenol(acetaminophen).

Another thing is just to love on her, I always rock my babies when they don't feel good. Hope this helps, and hope she feels better soon.

Hi

You can do two different things. Both involve going to the drug store. Get Ecaluptus rub (equivalent of vicks) for children under two. Put it on her chest and even under her nose. Also get the saline nasal spray. She won't like the nasal spray but it will help clear the air passages.

K.

If you want to avoid medicines all together, continue with the humidifier and also put a towel or blanket under her bed to elevate her while she sleeps. Medicines don't make them any better- it just helps relieve the symptoms. Any cold will take 7-10 days to go away!
Good luck!
~J.

Hi W., Sorry your baby doesn't feel well.
Is your humidifier a warm air kind that you can add methol
vapors to. That works the best. Ours has a little place to add liquad methol vapors and as it heats it puts out a methol smell into the room that clears the nose and throat.
Also take her in the shower with you and shut the door. Let the room get really steamy. Stay in as long as you can.
Warm showers can loosen up congestion. I would take her in the shower a couple times a day if you are able to. Make sure she gets plenty of liquads. The first time they are sick is always very stressful. Best wishes to you and I hope she is feeling well very soon.
m.

One thing that has helped us is putting Vick's vapor rub on the bottom of the feet. Sounds weird, but for cough and overall good sleep, it works. THey also sell vick's patches for little ones that works well too. Good Luck!

Tracy

Hi W.-- I am what they call an old mother. My kids are grown but I do remember some of things I used to do, I would give them plenty liquids, juices, water and cut down on the milk. The milk seem to make them more congested. Increase their food intake. That will cover the lose of milk and her hurger will not be noticed. If you are feeding her cereal, instead of putting milk in it us water or juice. You can always try taking her in the bathroom during the day time with the shower running so the steam can free up the congestion. I hope this is helpful - and call the doctor on Monday - you don't want her to come down with ear infections.---- Good luck -- God Bless

I use children's saline drops in my little ones nose and there is a baby vick's you can use for congestion.

I use one of those plug in vaporizers. I have also put a firm pillow under her fitted sheet to help elevate her head.

If you just turned on your furnace, did you put in a new filter? Could she be reacting to turning on the heat?

Put a bed pillow or a couple of beach towels *UNDER* the top/head of the mattress to *slightly* raise her head when she is lying down. An essential oil in the vaporizer, like lavendar, or even peppermint. Saline nasal drops. Eliminate all milk products during the snotty part of the cold (yogurt, milk, ice cream, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, pizza, etc etc etc).

Vicks is a petroleum product (so is Mentholatum), so if you're avoiding petroleum products on your child, you'll want to avoid those.

Never use tylenol--it quickly depletes the livers stores of glutathione and sulfate, which support the immune response. (Never give tylenol with vaccinations, because some vaccines deplete glutathione and sulfate, a double whammy on the immune system, and one of the theories being considered in as an early trigger in regressive autism.) google "glutathione + tylenol" or "sulfation + tylenol".

I absolutely love the little plug ins that are made by vicks or another on made by sudafed called Childrens Sudacare Nighttime Vapor-Plug. These have little pads that fit into the plug in and work really well for my kids. I like them because the vapor is continous for the whole night and are less messy than a vaporizer. You can find them at any drug store. I just read the box and the only thing it says is not for use for children under 3 months of age.
Good luck. I hate when my kids are sick.

They do make Vicks Vapor Rub for children. I've always used it for me children since they were babies. In fact, instead of putting on their chest, I rub it into the top of their tee shirt. It has always seemed to help. I hope your child feels better.

Hi Wendy, I commend your stand to minimize medications for your little girl. You've received some good ideas for making her as comfortable as possible. Remeber to keep her hydrated but no sugar or juice. I have a great CD that helps us as Moms have strategies for dealing with these kinds things. Would you like to listen to it?

I hope your daughter gets well soon!
M.

In addition to the Vic's baby rub, I would try putting her in the bathroom and running a steamy shower. It will help break it up, even if temporary to allow you to get some of that out of her. Plus it will help ease any head pain she maybe having with it.