Severe Nasal Congestion

my daughter was that way too...get a humidifier and make a saline soulition for it...this is what our doctor recommended and it worked great...to make the saline solution add 8 tblsp of salt to one gallon of water. the humidifier might shut off in middle of the night because of the all the salt but all you have to do it clear the salt from it and start it up again. My daughter had aspiration pneumonia and this help a lot. you can all take her into the bathroom and turn on the hot water(make your own sauna.) This is what we did when it got really bad, after a few minutes she was able to breath again. Also get the ocean saline spray for her nose. one drop in each opening before you aspirate with the bulb loosens the mucus making it easier to aspirate. Good Luck.

Hi N. - my one-year-old has been congested a lot, too. She got a lot better when I cut dairy products out of her diet. It turns out she's allergic to dairy, in addition to other foods. My doctor has told me to put her on an allergy-free diet until she's two, but so far I've only cut out dairy. Hope this helps.

I know it's tough, but it's usually just a few days....more than that and your doctor needs to know. In the meantime, try some Ocean drops in her nose, give it a couple minutes to soften everything, then use the aspirator. (Experiment, but IMO, works better than the spray.) Also, a COOL MIST humidifier is very helpful---keeps their throat and nasal passages moist and makes it easier to breathe. If she's getting non-stop colds, think about why. Is she getting them from you? IF so, better hand washing. If she's the one getting them, think allergies. Milk is one of the biggest offenders. Try taking her off all dairy (read labels....milk, whey and other milk by products in lots of foods....bread, etc.) and see if there is any improvement. If she's a formula baby, try a non-milk one and if you're nursing, eliminate dairy for you, as well. You might need to wait a couple months to see.

there are these things in Wallgreens, or rite aid, you plug them in, and they're vapors.. they smell like eukoliptus, and it clears up their noses... also a humidifier... and when you bathe her, steam it up first by turning on a shower of really hot water, so its nice and steamy... a few drops of eukoliptus really helps.. it really decongests them...and in WholeFoods, there are these homeopathic little pills that melt in their mouth... they're called Sniffles and Sneezes. or cold C's ... i feel like they help...good luck

Hello N.,
Go in the bathroom,shut the door, and turn on the shower to very hot and make a steam room. After the room is steamed up take the baby in the bathroom and sit with her on the toilet seat for about 10 minutes. Then change her into dry clothes after it.
Another thing that helped when mine were small was I had a humidifier and I would turn it on and put a towel over it to create a tent that I would sit under with the baby.
At night I would just aim the humidifier toward the babies bed. Hope she feels better soon. D.

Hi N.. Many times we have trouble because we are not using the right medication to remedy the issue. Your daughter has "a nasty cold". I am assuming that it involves tons of mucus. A nasal decongestant (indicated for stuffiness) is not what you need, you need to dry it up with an antihistamine. Try something like Claratin (24 hr non drowsy)or benedryl (drowsy) at night to help her sleep. Hope this helps...We must pass the trial and error on!

Before she goes to bed stand in the hot shower with her and have her breathe in the steam, it will help get out as much as possible without those pesky mechanical tools. See if you can get her to "blow" and demonstrate it a million times, so maybe she can do it herself. After the shower, turn on the humidifier in her room FULL BLAST, use vicks vaporub and put her to sleep in her carseat. She will remain elevated at least. If you raise one end of the crib, you will find her in a pile on the other end of the crib. I am so glad that my kids are past this stage (don't worry, they DO get past it!!!) Good luck!

Not sure if someone said this already, but my doctor recommended Vicks Baby Rub - you rub it on her chest and back and it helps calm her and to breathe better.

N. elevting one end of the crib is good, now with that but a humidifirev in her room that should help her sleep. The more she ries the more stopped up her nose will get. J.

Hi N.,

Try boiling water and add a little vicks to it. Take the pot to the table, what you need to do is while holding your daughter cover your heads with a towel while leaning over the hot water.Try to stay under the towel as long as you can,its tough but even if you do a minute at a time it will work.Sounds weird and your daughter will cry, but it works! My mom did this for us as babies and I've done it with both of mine.Even if they're crying they are inhaling the hot vapors. Just be careful, remember its HOT.I would do this before bed time just so they could get some sleep.Good luck I hope you will try and hope it works for you!

i use all the Bioron products you can get them at pharmacies or Wholefoods.. there's "Cold Ease" and "Sinusalia" also "Chestal" for coughs..for nasal spray i use Xlear..i spray it out once in the air to make sure it's spraying..i make it silly so my son laughs when i use it on him.
also load up on the vitamins.
sometimes i put a little serrapeptase in his water if my son has a really bad cold.

Have you considered homeopathics? They are extremely safe for children and highly effective. If you would like more info on homeopathy please respond back.

Try Vicks Mentholated Ointment. I'd rub it on her chest right before bed. It can be used at any age, any time. When I worked full time I had a nanny that would put it on the baby's feet. Heat from the foot makes the ointment/rub permeate the air around the baby. It was about the only thing that did work.

Shine On!
P.

Dear N.,

We had this problem with the last of our three . . . when she had a cold, the only thing we could really do for her was to sit on the couch, holding upright in our arms. It wasn't very comfortable and not too sleep inducing for adult involved - but it was the only way she could get any sleep. When she was three, she and her older sister slept in my room in my old bed (I slept on the couch for 3 years at this point) and when she had a cold, I would close up the door to the bedroom and open the door to the master-bath and run the hot water in the shower to steam up the bedroom - that seemed to help, too.

It's so miserable, I know . . . but they do seem to grow out of it eventually - she's 15 and I don't have to sleep on the couch holding her up in my lap anymore! (=

Good luck!
B.

oh yeah - the other thing I keep hearing (and as odd as it sounds, people swear by it!) is to rub Vicks on their feet and put them in footed-pajamas . . . I never heard this until recently, so I never tried it - but it might be worth it . . . They also used to have (don't know if they still do) Vicks patches that you could apply to their chests under their jammies - my kids used to like these . . .

AND as far as NOT feeding her, where is her little body going to get the calories it needs to have energy to fight the infection - if you're not feeding her??? That one makes no sense to me . . .

Hello,

My 4 month old is going through the same thing these last couple of days. I also used the saline drops and aspirator. I also use the baby vicks vapor rub and put it on her chest,back and feet(cover with socks after).In addition, I got a cool mist humidifier. All these things seemed to really help. Her congestion and cough have improved in just 1 day. I hope this helps...

Also try a hypoallergenic pillow case cover and then put a regular pillowcase on top. She may be a little big, but to give her some relief during the day when you can watch her so she doesn't fall, you could let her nap in the stroller propped up or the car seat. Also be careful with over-aspirating, my ENT told me I could irritate my son's nose even further by doing it too much. Hang in there, I had a child that was the the same way.

I believe that nasal decongestants are still sometimes given by prescription, especially if the child's symptoms interfere with sleep. I think it might be worth it to see your pediatrician, or at least put a call in them. Good luck!

I give my kids PB8. I open capsule and give my 5 year old and my 2 year old and entire capsule full. MY 2 month old, I give 1/4 - 1/2 depending on what's going on. MANY times sinus infections are misdiagnosed and are really a Candida overgrowth. (The vagina is not the only place you can have symptoms.) I do this every 2 days with my older kids to keep them from getting sick. PB8 is a PRObiotic, rather than doing an ANTIbiotic. (I'm 33 and have never had an antibiotic and neither have my kids.)

I also give my kids Herbs for Kids Echinacea/Goldenroot tincture.

Camphor oil clears up the sinuses really quickly. WAY better than peppermint of eucalyptus. I just put a little on my finer and rub it over the end of the nose.

Hi N.,

Johnson and Johnson has a bath for colds/congestion, it has a eucalyptus scent. You can also try a humidifier with vicks vapor. Vicks vapor rubbed on the feet and covered with socks works well for the cough, as does putting vicks vapor rub on the chest and covering it with a warm towel out of the dryer. Peppermint oil (available at Henry's and health food stores) works very well for opening the sinus. If the problem is not clearing up, take your baby to a pediatric allergist. A cough that does not go away should not be ignored. My baby had congestion that was eventuslly diagnosed as asthma. I don't want to scare you. It could be allergies, but only a pediatric allergist can tell you for sure and prescibe the appropriate treatment. I find that pediatric doctors are not as aggressive in treating asthma and alleries. Our allergist is affiliated with Childrens Hospital of Orange County- I am happy to refer you, as he has been my husbands Dr. since my husband was 3, and is now Dr. to our kids as well. Call Dr. Gillman. or Dr. Ellis at ###-###-####. Good luck

P. Wagner

She may be showing signs of air born allergies. My girls started showing symptoms just after they turned one. They also had congestion, coughing (asthma now) and excema (red itchy patches on skin). We were prescribed Zyrtec, then, which is now over the counter and other asthma meds. to help my girls. Talk to your pediatrician.

Also, we eliminated most of the carpet in our house. Now we have tile and hardwood throughout with throw rugs. I can easily clean these throw rugs and there isn't a pad underneath that can harbor some allergens like carpet does.

We also have an air purifier in our daughters' room and a cool mist humidifier which is always good for keeping the nasal passages moist. I am also obsessive about keeping their bedding clean. I was their linens, including pillows, once a week and I even vacuum or wash their favorite stuffed animals.

For bad colds, we would keep the girls away from milk products ,which creates mucus in the body. This might be hard if your little one still likes to have a bottle of milk still or if you're still nursing. Ours did, and we had to just warm some apple juice and water in a bottle as an alternative.

Also, we would add Johnson&Johnson vapor bath bubbles to the bath water. In addition, good ol' Vick's vapor rub helped them sleep through the night a little better.

I hope some of these tips help. It is not fun to have a sick baby, nor is it easy on the mom to watch their baby be uncomfortable.

Best of luck,
M.

Vicks Baby Rub works pretty well. You could ask your Ped if the regular VapoRub would be okay to use on her. Make sure you're using a humidifier, close enough that her hair gets wet. I know what you mean about the decongestant drops, the one by little noses worked great.

~N.

If her congestion is clear, she may have allergies. In which case she can have 2.5ml of Children's Bendadryl. It was prescribed by my 6 month daughter's pediatrician.
I also use a vaporizor with Vics when she gets congested. Another thing the pediatrician told me was not to suction out the saline, because the salt will actually dry up the congestion. It has worked on my little one.
Good luck,
S. G.

a cool mist humidafire is awesome for that! if this cold has lasted more then 5 days take your baby to their pedi. they should be able to prescribe them something. also you can buy childrens cold meds and use in between 1/4 and 1/2 of a tsp. (my daughters dr said that was ok to do). i know some moms wont do that because fear of overdose. soo if its lasted more then like 5 days just goto the dr and get a cool mist humidafire its a true life saver!

If it's actually a cold, try giving her zycam. I have no idea what the package says about giving to kids and it wouldn't hurt to check with your ped, but it's a homeopathic remedy that speeds up recovery from a cold. And it comes in all different forms- one of them is like starburst (and actually tastes good) and there's a chewable pill, too. I actually think there's a kids line, too. Other than that, I would also try the vapo rub others mentioned. It's the only thing that works for me when I'm congested! You may want her to get checked for allergies, though, if this is a recurring thing.

my son had really bad nasal congestion too and we took him to the doctors. they gave us these eye drops but told us to put it in his nose. (wierd i know). i think they have steroids in it. but it worked his nasal congestion cleared up right away. i would ask your pediatrician what to do.
good luck!

The last two times my 23 month old was sick I've used Triaminic Flowing Vapors with the portable vapor fan. It worked wonders! It has a mentholated cherry smell and it cleared him right up to sleep well. I found it at both Target and CVS for about $9.00. It was a life safer in our house and I'll never be without one again! Good luck!

Hi, my 4 month old got really stuffed up at night/mornings for a few days. My doctor told me to get the Dimetapp for children, but only give her 1.6 mm i think it was....it was a really low dose. I only had to give it to her 4 times within 2 days and she was better.

How narrow is your daughter's nose. My daughter just had surgery in her nose because it was so narrow she wasn't getting enough air through it. She was always congested. Also, her immune system would benefit from good bacteria like acidopholus. When I started giving that to my kids, they didn't get sick as much. But when they do, the good bacteria makes it so they don't get secondary ear and throat infections. You can get that at any heath food store. Hope this helps. I've been at this for a while. Mother of six.

Before I knew that decongestants were bad, I used them, but they never worked. What worked for my daughter was a baby/kids Mentholatum. I rub it on her chest and back. After that I put what's left on my hand and rub it all over her pillow. Strange but it works. For coughs, I use a humidifier with eucalyptus oil.
Hope this helps :)

I would take her to the doctor if she is having that much difficulty. Better safe than sorry!!!! She may have an infection!!

Hi There! If your baby is really having that difficult of time breathing, she should see a doctor. Maybe he can prescribe somthing to get her through these next few days!

hello,

sounds like an allergy.

are you giving her cow's milk or are you breastfeeding?

if you are breastfeeding, you should stop drinking milk for a week and see if that clears her up.

wheat can also do this sort of thing.

my son was snotty early in the game, and i realized that i had to stop eating wheat and cheese. cleared him right up. no drugs required.
if that doesn't help, vacuum her mattress and pillow if you are using one, and all plush toys. then wash what can be washed and make sure they get thoroughly dry before putting back in or near crib. this will help with a dust mite allergy, which can also look like a cold.

good luck,
-A.

I would check with the PED-they may need something else. When both my kids get congedted bad we end up doing the nebulizer which clears them up.L.

It is heart breaking to see you litle one suffer. Have you checked with you Pediatrician. I had a similar experience with my daughter and we tried all kinds of over the counter medication including Dimatap which only helped just a little bit and nasonex as prescribed by the PED.. Finally she got an allergy test. The allergist suggested we cover all the beddings including the matress, removed all the stuffed animals from her room and also we changed the flooring from carpet to wood flooring. You might consider getting her tested for allergy.
I also started watching what she ate and i switched to Soy milk and that was helpful. In the process i found out that she was most misearable when she eats some certain things such as granola bars. The skin test revealed that items manufactred on the same equipment with peanut or shellfish was not good for her. You just have to study what she eats and how it affects your daughter.
Not to scare, please check with your PED. to be sure it is not the begining stage of Asthma or Reactive Airway which is a COLD induced Asthma.
It defintely gets better as they get older and as you understand what triggers the stuffy nose and congestion.

I would try a cool air humidifier in her room if you haven't already.

have you tried the humidifier? The one where you can add the Vicks oil is great because that also helps them breath. Im sorry, I know its hard when your baby is sick, its the worst!

Yes, the spray and aspirator are not fun, but think about the relief the child gets after being able to breathe! The anguish felt by both parent and child is extended when the child isn't helped. (I always think about when I worked as a med tech and drew blood on children. Did they like it? No! But when a child needs a blood test, there's usually a serious reason and I was happy to do it right the first time. That's how I feel about aspirating. At that age, they are still nasally-obligated.)
At night, my husband, because I'm due in 11 days or less!, sleeps with my daughter on a reclining chair. This way, she can breathe and gets a good night's sleep, making her day much more enjoyable.
I also try to have at least one good,long session in the bathroom with a steam-filled room, preferably at night, to loosen the congestion.
good luck

Aloha N.,

It's so hard when they are sick!! I feel for you folks. One thing that you can try is getting a bottle of Eucalyptus oil and take baby into small bathroom, close the doors and windows and run the water in tub on HOT, put lots of drops of the Eucalyptus oil into the hot water. Sit near the tub with baby sitting upright on your lap. As the bathroom starts to fill with steam, the eucalyptus will fill the air with the steam and help to open the nasal passages. I would do this after you have used the aspirator. Vicks baby rub also has eucalyptus oil in it, rub that on her chest and cover with so she doesn't touch it. Remember....This to shall pass!!!
Aloha April

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don't feed her. the body knows how to repair itself but needs the energy that is typically taken up with digesting and metabolizing food in order to do it. if you are continuing to feed her - especially if she is not hungry - you are impeding her healing process. and if you are giving her milk you are working against yourself as it creates large stores of mucus in the system. and a word of caution to all oft he mothers giving their children cow milk, the animal protein in cow milk so closely mimics human protein that it is in fact the very thing that creates allergies in children. especially when it is introduced to them before the age of two.

give her lots of water and fresh air and leave the nasal sprays at the pharmacy. if you have a netti pot (they have them at target) use that but it is sure to make her cry for a bit as well.

best,

J.

You should go see your pediatrician. It may be a sinus infection that needs medication. My son had the same problem of constant cold around 1 and he got put on albuterol for his cough and antibiotics. It cleared up in about 4 days.

Hi N.,
Have you tried a cool mist humidifier? Also they have those sudafed or vapor plug ins and baby vapor rub. I have noticed that rubbing the baby vapor rub makes a big difference along with the plug ins. And before my daughter (9 months) goes to bed I will drop the nasal drops in her nose. I personally do not use the aspirator after the drops. I just wipe away anything thats visible to me. Hope this helps!

There is a product called SudaCare Shower Soothers. You put it in the bottom of the shower and it realeases soothing menthol vapors to help relieve congestion. Take her in the shower with you either with or without that and the steam will help relieve some of the congestion. Try it before bed especially and in the morning when congestion seems to be the worst. Hope this helps.

N., Maybe others have already said this, but if you are nursing, you can put breast milk up her nose too, and that will help a lot. I know it seems weird, but it should bring her some relief.

A humidifier might help. It seemed to help my son.

Several people have mentioned the cool mist humidifier, but I've found a vaporizer, which gives off warm mist, to be more helpful. However, if you're in very warm weather the cool mist one has the double benefit of moisture in the room and also helping cool it. In winter, the vaporizer can help heat a room. I think it's actually good to have both on hand, but in my experience the vaporizers are quieter and can be used in the room at night (just make sure it's out of reach of your child). I'm sure she'll be better soon!

Hi N.,

I hate to sound like there might be a problem. I sit on the board of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Guild of Orange County. Has she been tested for cystic fibrosis? My nephew had this problem for about 2 years before they tested him. Please don't give her a nasal decongestant before having her tested. There is a reason these otc drugs are no longer available to children. Good luck and please let me know if we can help! C. Griffin ###-###-####