Need Help for Conjested Baby

I have heard that breast milk helps too. And let's see.. sitting in the bathroom with the shower running warm water. Don't use the aspirator more than 3 -4 times a day. If you use it too much it will inflame the nasal passages and make baby more congested. The most important time to use the aspirator is before you lay him down, because if there is lots of congestion it can drain into his ear canals and cause and ear infection. And baby vicks is kind of nice too. Just a little on his chest and back. I can't think of anything else. I know the congestion thing is a pain. We just went the entire winter with a congested baby. He had 4 ear infections, if i remember correctly, and we are on our way in to the doctor this afternoon because this last cold may have developed into a sinus infection. Oh the joys... :)

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Hello and congratulations on your new baby. I have three kids and have some experience with the snuffly ones. :-)

I think cold air works better than anything else. Bundle your guy up warm, but don't cover his face. Take him outside when the air is cold or very cool. Breathing in cool air will shrink inflamed membranes in nose and throat, giving more room for air to flow through. This is especially helpful right before feeding or napping.

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Hi S.,
Since he is so young, you may not want to put Vicks directly on him. One thing I found to help was to put Vicks on my chest, then when he nursed he got the benefit of the Vicks but didn't have it his skin. Hope you find something that helps!

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My little guy is now 18 months, and we have this problem constantly, though not nearly as badly as when he was an infant. What seemed to help him at that age was to omit the humidifier (though that works now) and add a warm mist vaporizer and put a little Vicks in it (these are pretty inexpensive and you can get them at Walgreens). (The vaporizer should have a little spot on the top to add the Vicks.) They also make baby Vicks that has a slight smell of lavendar and calendula, which isn't quite as powerful as the regular stuff. It certainly wasn't perfect, but it did seem to offer at least enough relief to let him sleep. But, every time that he woke up at night, it was still necessary to suction his nose... though that actually worked with the Vicks in his room. I also heard that putting Vicks on their feet with socks actually works better than directly under the nose, which I never did either one... but worth a shot. I am not sure the reasoning on that... but one of my friends swears by it.

He does continue to have the same issue now, though not as severe... and the humidifier works fine at the moment. It is also necessary (for him) to make sure there isn't 1 speck of dust in his room (pretty much every day). And to wash his bedding about 2 times a week. I also wash his stuffed animals at least once a month in hot water on the gentle mode.

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I had a baby like that, but I moved to a different climate and it went away. Check for mold around where he sleeps. Allergens may be to blame.
-S.

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food allergies.

if you are nursing start by taking dairy out of your diet. then wheat, then chocolate, then onions, corn, soy. take them out 1 at a time, for a week. Dairy & wheat first. By then, you might begin to see some pattern, & can decide what might be the next reasonable one. If you are using a bottle, which formulas to a different base, cow, soy, are the most common, but they make others. the mucus is because he's reacting to something. It might be airborne, you might try cleaning the filters onyour furnace, or getting an air purifier. but start with the foods.

(both my kids were allergic to dairy in my diet when I was nursing. my daughter also reacted to onions.)

hope this helps.
A.

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My firstborn had sinus infections (antibiotics) until we moved (from an older house to a newer house) when he was 18 months old. He is allergic to dust & mold. Also has milk allergies. Good luck!

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I know it sounds strange but put a few drops of breast milk up his nose. It really works. Twice or three times a day and it will clear him up in under a week. My ob suggested it with my oldest and it really worked.

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Sounds like it could be allergies. Do you have pets? Is there a lot of dust around where your baby sleeps? Does your baby sleep right next to a the heater? Changing some of these things can help. I would also consult a Naturopath. My husband and I have a regular pediatrician and a Naturopath for our 5 month old son and the Naturopath has helped us out a lot! I highly recommend you take your son to one. They explore natural means first before resorting to medications. Hope this helps!

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Definitely consider the possibility of allergies--either to something he is being exposed to environmentally or something he is getting through breastmilk or bottles. You don't have to wait for this to clear up in 1-2 years. In fact, the sooner you figure out the culprit, the less likely he is to have allergies later in life.

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Hello S.,

My daughter is exactly like that! She was born in October and has been congested ever since. I have tried all the same things and we are now on a regimen of a few drops of saline mornings and evening and the snot sucker only when necessary.
I have talked to my Pediatrician about it and he also said that it will work itself out and not to worry.
He strongly recommended to stay away from Vick's and such, because it can make it worse in babies (it works by irritating the mucous lining of the nose).
Her congestion peaked at about 3 months and has been getting better since.
The one thing we do now, that may have an effect, we moved her to her own room and she sleeps with the heat off! I personally think her room is freezing at night, but I bundle her in warm PJ's and a warm sleep sack and she is warm when I check her.

Good luck!

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You might want to consider if your child has an allergy or sensitivity to something that is constricting his nasal passages. If you have him on any kind of formula, is it milk-based? This was the problem with our daughter. Perhaps there are other things he might be sensitive to in the household as well: dust, mold (you can never escape these two) or animals. Just something to consider.

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If you are breastfeeding, he could be reacting to a food you are eating. Common mucus forming foods are dairy and bananas. Start elimitating things out of your diet for a few weeks at a time and see if he improves.

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They have vicks vapor rub made for babies. It works great for at night time you can also get the vapor plug ins. mixed with the humidifier that always works with colds around our house. You can use the infant vicks on the littlest of little guys too. if you dont want it on his skin directly rub a little on the out side of his sleeper i know it sounds weird but give it a shot.

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Our naturopath recommended the "warming socks" treatment for my five year old to get the congestion out of his head. It helps; if your pediatrician doesn't have any ideas, you might try a naturopath, although they would probably recommend eliminating the foods already suggested here.

http://altmedicine.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=...

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My son had the same problem. I would put him in his car seat and sit with him in the bathroom with the shower on. That helped him the most. We also ran an ultrasonic humidifier, which worked much better than any other humidifier we had tried.

S.

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