My 6 Mo' Old Cough

Greetings N.,

Try increasing her water intake. Coughing is a sign of dehydration.

With love, peace and joy,
S.

I had a similar thing with my daughter although she was a little older. Found out she was allergic to her feather pillow, in fact we learned she was allergic to lots of stuff. Try taking away stuffed animals from her room and eliminate all the "fabric" products that are not necessary.

odd, I know but put vicks on her feet before bed and some socks over the top.....stops the coughing! My mum and my friends tried it and it has worked for everyone!!!

How much does your daughter weigh? I know they took everything off the market but I have a dosage chart according to weight for children's cough meds, I use Triaminic. My son is 20 lbs and can have 1/2 teaspoon. It helps ALOT. If you are too nervous about using the medication, a humidifier works great to clear the lungs. Also, my son had croup before and would have coughing fits, the doctor recommended when that happens to take him into the bathroom, run the bath/shower water VERY hot and just be in the bathroom - the steam will help to losen all the junk and calm the cough. Make sure if you do that to strip her down into a diaper, as it is very stuffy hot in there. I would only do that for no more than 10 minutes at a time.

Let me know if you would like more information on the cough medicine dosage.

Hi, N.. I am a retired C.R.T. and I have struggled with sinus issues and drainage for years. I finally had sinus surgery in '02.(which drastically cut down on infections but I still have drainage) Since you work in the hospital talk to the Resp. people but in my opinion, she has allergies. She is too young for accurate testing but I would take her to an E.N.T. first and then to a Pediatric Allergist. Pediatricians are great but often they don't see outside the box. If it is dry in her room a vaporizer may help but you MUST be scrupulous about cleaniness because of baterica and mold growing in the water. I would use sterile Saline squirted up her nose q 2. (I still do it) It will help break up the gunk. Since you'll be tilting her head while you do it the Saline will penetrate her sinus cavity but then immediately set her upright. She won't like it and once she understands what's going on she will probably fight it. Is she ever drinking a bottle either propped or lying prone? Even though that is asscociated more with ear infections it is after all, all connected. Good luck and as always be an advocate for your baby--Doctors aren't God. Do what you have to do until you get the answers that you are seeking. Her health is too important. Good Luck. Denise.

I use a cool mist humidifier which seems to help when my daughter is congested.

The vaporizer will give you warm moist air, or you can try a cool mist humidifier, they work as well. I've had that trouble with my 10month old. Also you can massage her feet. There are certain points on the foot. Look up on Pampers.com I'm sure I received something from them mentioning the massaging of the feet for colds.

Hope that helps and good luck.

Hi, has she had cold and/or sinus drainedge often since she has been born? My son who is now 10 years old had cold symptoms the first year of life. Then developed athsma by the age of three. The doctor kept putting him on antibiotics. Finally I said that is enough, there had to be something wrong. He had allergies that early in life. He is allergic to most animals, tree pollen, grass and so on..........He took liquid allergy meds (allergy med + benadryl)... Yes, I would get the vaporizer. It does help but it is mot the cure all answer. I spent many nights turning on the shower hot and shutting the door for the steam, we just sat there for awhile and it helped him breath better. This might not work for her but it is worth a shot, it just might help. When the doctor says she is old enough for allergy testing, I would deffinatly do it. ... Tell the doctor if you have any pets.. Sorry such a long answer..

My son has delt with his share of sinus drainage. In fact it happens a lot now because he's teething molars (18months). My pediatrician couldn't stress enough the importance of keeping the nasal passages clear. Use saline drops (I use "little noses") and the bulb saringe to keep the nose clear. Now, this is much harder with an older child, so do it while you can. We also used a vaporizer a lot, moisture helps the drainage. Make sure you use fresh water every night though, as this helps with the functioning of the vaporizer. Good luck, I know it's frustrating when we can't give them anything. Oh something else my husband found a nasal spray for infants and toddlers at our health food store. It's homeopathic.

R. L

I'm with Crystal C on this one. I love the waterless vaporizors. I use the Pedia Care brand. Within 1/2 hour of hearing my son cough and plugging the unit in, he's sleeping soundly and not coughing from the drainage.

Good luck!

Yes, a vaporizer is good. Keeping the air moist will help her with her cough. Living in Michigan it is common for people to suffer from sinusitis, allergies, etc. Strengthening her immune system would be good.

Friendly bacteria (aka acidophilus/bifidus) would be good for her. This is not a herb nor a vitamin it is something that our bodies require to balance our bodies. We have the bad bacteria and to overcome that we need the friendly/good bacteria.

M.

When my son got a cough/cold/allergy, we took vapor baths before bed. The menthol and eucalyptus helped open up the passages.
We also used a vaporizer which helped a little to keep things moist.
Here's a thought - how well does she sleep in her car seat? Not much opportunity for movement, so you could control the elevation of her head, preventing the "pools of drainage" associated with lying down. When I have stuffy issues, I have to sleep almost sitting up to keep the drainage down.

Sounds like allergies to me. I still use a vaporizer for my 14 year old son. It works wonders. I have a vicks steam vaporizer. Good luck

Every doctor gets medication samples from the drug companies...it's how their product gets introduced. They are not 'freebies' and it is not unethical or illegal...it is illegal for a doctor to get paid to dispense a certain drug...the samples the docs get are tracked by the companies and the offices...why do so many moms think all doctors are in some sort of conspiracy? LOL

We use Triaminic. It hasn't been taken off the shelves, but perhaps isn't available for babies...makes me question your pediatrician. Ours has recommended it any time my little ones get sick, and even gets samples in her office. The problem with meds for little ones is that moms were overdosing their kids accidentally by guessing the dose. Your ped should be there to inform you of the proper dose...not send you out the door with questions! Regarding the vaporizer...it may help...I would say its a good investment no matter what. Be warned, though...make sure you buy one you can clean well. We bought a Vicks vaporizer and there is NO way to clean out the old water...now we can't use it. Go figure!

~L.

Oh yeah...and if you do use meds...make sure you dose by weight, not age! They all contain different medications, just read your labels and don't overdose by giving a med with tylenol for instance, and then giving tylenol alongside the medication.

Castor oil. I know, I know; it sounds weird. But put some castor oil on her chest before bedtime. It's available, it's inexpensive, it works well (tried it and it helps).

Also honey water. Warm honey water. A tsp. to a mug of water. Quality honey would be best.

Also, Nature's Sunshine brand of supplements/herbs has a liquid and capsule of Red Clover Blend. This is a blood cleanser. I've used it, recommended it, used it even for pets with respiratory troubles. Wonderful product.

Not a vaporizer, but a humidifier. They put moistier into the air and that may help greatly.

Hi N.,
Just a thought, has she seen a doctor? My son who i 2 had a cough for weeks. I thought it was allergies or a cold. No fever or sickness. Well I brought him in and he had two full blown ear infections. I felt horrible. He didn't seem to be in pain and was acting normal except for the cough. I didn't realize coughing was a sign for ear infections. Good luck.
chris

I have a cough like you describe. Mine is due to allergies. Talk to the doctor about seasonal allergies. Maybe there's something she can take for that.

There is a Vicks for babies that works well. I do a combination of:
(1) steamy bath
(2) baby vicks on chest (tried it on feet w/socks, don't know if it works alone b/c I always put it on the chest too)
(3) aspirate the nose before nap/bedtime
(4) Little Noses saline drops (they also have a decongestant saline nose drop) and
(5) vaporizer w/ vicks medicine...after a few nights of this routine, my kids are usually better.

Try a wedge in her crib instead of elevating the entire crib.

Any homeopathic cough medicine (most have honey) should be an expectorant (during the day) to help break up the cough and get the congestion draining and/or a suppressant at night IF the cough is keeping baby from sleeping...I just got a prescription decongestant from my ped for my 18 month old's cough, my ped says the OTC drugs are still o.k. it's the parents who are overdosing or not calling the doc for the proper dosage that caused them to be pulled...hope this helps

I wouldn't buy a vaporizer (they can burn little hands), but invest in a cool mist humidifier. We use one, which seems to help. Also, if you want to avoid the purchase, showering with the baby in the bathroom (door closed) does the same thing. When I shower, I put our 5-month-old on the floor on one of those mats that has an arch with dangly toys hanging from it. I also put a Boppy under her to keep her more upright (since she can't sit unassisted yet).

My daughter had coughs a lot too. We used a cool mist humidifier in her room which helped. Also we would get the bathroom really steamy by running the shower before her bath at night. So while she was in the bath there was good steam breaking up the congestion. This seemed to help well too. Good luck!

Have her checked for allergies. My son and I have this problem due to allergies. Sometimes is sneezing and sometimes cough.
Good luck.

Hello N., Your daughter may be reacting to the mattress in her bed. My son was deathly allergic to dust mites and had severe asthma attacks at night and during naps. I had no idea that the bed was the trigger until the allergist did testing. We were using a handed down crib. If you can't afford a new mattress at least encase this one in allery proof mattress covers. If this isn't the problem then it could be post nasel drip. Good luck.

My son, age 7 now, has had croupe for several years. It usually happens when the air is dry. I bought a vicks vaporizer and put it in his room when he starts showing signs. It really does help. I believe that the vaporizers are fairly inexpensive, I think I paid $20 for mine and then another $8 for the vicls medicine to put in it. I think it would be a good investment for you.

This may sound crazy, but try rubbing the Vicks on her feet and putting socks on her before she goes to bed...

Also, if you have a wedge pillow, it helps to keep their head elevated at night...

I have no idea why it helps to put it on the feet... But it does! :-)

Good luck!

This almost sounds like some type of mild allergic reaction. Since this only occurs after long naps while she's in her crib, maybe there's something with her bed or bedding that's triggering it. When was the last time the crib got taken apart and really cleaned? Is there a blanket or toy that is only used in the crib? Perhaps that could be the cause if it as well. Look around the nursery and see if there are any other potential causes and remove/clean accordingly. It's better to find the source than to continually treat the symptoms. Good Luck :)

I've used the all-natural "cough medicines" for babies. They're still on the shelves because they don't contain actual drugs - just all-natural remedies. The cough medicine I use contains honey. Obviously, they aren't quite as effective as the over the counter medicine that was taken off the market but it does help...

A cold mist humidifier, with a few drops of eucalyptus oil seems to help my son alot. He has really bad allergies and doesnt' handle winter dryness well either so that's what I use. Also my doctor said I could use pedia care decongestant, they keep that behind the pharamcy counter but at least I think it's still available. But definately the humidifier...

I have a 7 mos old who gets the same cough. I would think very hard before giving her medications. I talked to my ped about them when they were pulled. He said bascially that in the right dose some of them are safe for younger kids, but that really they just bring temporary relief to symptoms and actually can prolong the cold, etc. He told me the vaporizer will help (and it did seem to help) and that laying my daughter on her stomach (she is very strong and thus no risk on her stomach) will help with the drainage.

N.,

I would consider a vaporizer a very good investment for your whole family. Whenever my kids (or myself or my husband) have had a cough, we use the vaporizer and it does help by putting moisture into the air to help the dryness. I actually own 3 of them...2 cold air and one steam (which I don't use). I personally would not recommend the steam vaporizers just because I'm afraid of it burning my kids if they would bump into it and because it turns their rooms into a steamy jungle. When I use the vaporizers I put towels down on the floor so the moisture doesn't get the carpet wet and close their doors most of the way.

Hope this helps and your little one gets feeling better soon!

S. :)

We would put ours into her carseat to sleep as that would have her sit up more. But 6 months may be too old--however, worth a try? We also used a vaporizer/steamer and that seemed to help.

http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/guide/reflux-infants-...

I'd suspect reflux, too. Lots of web info available.Your ped should be able to get info if he isn't familiar.

try the plug in vapor thingie called gentle vapors. i think it's made by vicks. you get little refill pads for each use. my son won't sleep without it when he's got a cold or cough. they make one for kids and one for adults. i've used them, too and liked it. i actually have one for each of my kids rooms because they're usually sick at the same time. think they're around $7 or $8 and come with 5 pads. also have a night light on them.
good luck!!

Hello N.: If the cough is a dry cough, you might have your daughter checked for acid reflux. My daughter had a cough for over a year before they finally figured out it was acid reflux. Good luck!

saline (made with water and salt) is a natural decongestant a few drops in the nose can help break up drainage and hopefully alleviate the cough. soothing items like chamomile tea (very weak) can help as well. steamy showers work wonders too :) its pretty humid out now - not sure a vaporizor would do much....

I feel for you. Unfortunately my son inherited both mine and my husband's allergies and has had sinus infections/drainage pretty frequently since he was born. At least I believe he has allergies, his ped says they won't send him to an allergist to test for them until he is older, like about 4. We have actually gone so far as to remove all the carpet from our house and replaced with laminate because we all suffer. This time of year is bad because of all the pollen. I would definitely suggest keeping your windows closed, especially at night. Dust and vacuum frequently and don't let any pets you may have into your daughter's room. To help relieve her symptoms a cool mist humidifier and/or a vaporizer will help. Also maybe try putting a few drops of saline in her nose before bed may help...if she will let you. I do this for myself but my son freaks out. Good luck!

First of all vick on a baby is a big NO NO. You should just use a cool mist humidifier. May 18 month old daughter had a bad cough about a month ago. I didn't know what to give her either. I took her to the doc, and they recommened childrens decongestant but only give her a 1/4 teaspoon as needed I would prob give her a lil less since she is 6 months, it seemed to really help. My name is M. any questions ###-###-####

Hi N.,

Have you ever considered switching some of your cleaning products? There is a direct correlation between chemicals in cleaning products and symptoms such as you described and alleriges and asthma. For info. please check out www.shaklee.net/avwellness/getclean.

Have a great day,
A.