Stuffed up 4 Mo Old

Hi there,have you tried "little noses" it worked great for my daughter when she was a baby. You just squirt it right in her nose, and it loosens everything up, enough to suction it out. It's an over the counter med available at most pharmacies Good luck!!

Hi,
When my kids were younger I would sit with them in the bathroom and let the shower rum on hot and keep it running as hot as possible. The steam shoudl help lossen some of the mucous.
-T.

We also use spray to soften the mucus. We us Baby Ayr and like it. Our doctor just suggested Afrin to help with colds, but our son is older, so you might run that by your doctor first.

If he'll tolerate it, holding him in the shower may help. I used to do that with our older one. He hated it, so all the crying really loosened things up.

Use the humidifier but make sure to clean it out daily to keep mildew from growing. I agree with sitting in a room with a hot shower running for steam. Baby vicks. Saline drops/spray help but don't overdo them. If you get too much in there it can back up into their ears and cause more problems. Same with the suctioning, too much causing swelling making him stuffier. Only use it to get boogers that you can see but can't reach. Roll up a towel and put it under the mattress where his head is to give it an incline, it helps keep the congestion from building. They sell wedges for this but a towel works too. Keep fluids in him and try to make him comfy!

Hello there,

You could try turinng the shower on hot and lettting the bathroom fill up with steam and sitting in there with him. I have done this with my son everytime he is stuffy and it works for him. Have a good day!

Hi! :)

I absolutely hated to see my babies that way so I feel for both of you! :(

One of the things I would do was to make sure that they were always in a sitting up position so that the stuffiness wouldn't make them gag/choke. They sell Baby Vicks that also helps if you apply it to your babies chest, back and neck area. Some go as far as putting a bit on the babies upper lip or nostrils but that can actually cause some discomfort so be careful of that. Or do what my grandma would do and wipe some on a kleenex and then put that kleenex with the Vicks inside your baby's shirt. This way they inhale the good stuff but don't have to have skin contact with it at all.

They also have saline drops but if you're brave enough to try those more power to you. My kids would scream their heads off and I hated holding them down to do it so I never tried more than once.

Other than the humidifier which you are already doing, I don't know of any others beside medication. If push comes to shove infant cold drops at the pharmacy are wonderful. They will help you and him get the much needed rest and you will both feel a whole lot better!

Good luck and have a great weekend! :)

M.

They say not to use the aspirator unless you can see something in his nose because it can cause the nasal passages to swell. Use saline drops in his nose to keep it moist and runny. Keep the humidifier going though!

Boil water and add a tsp of ground cloves. Then set it in the room so the steam will fill the room with the vapor. Works great with my son (2.5yrs)

Best wishes

K.-
You are doing the right things for your little guy. Even if medication were an option there is nothing on the market right now for colds that you could give him. I have read on Mamasource that putting vicks vapo rub on their feet at night and covering it with socks helps but I have not tried it. Have you tried using the saline spray to loosen the snot a bit before sucking it out? I use the Ocean brand and have had great success with it. I hope he feels better soon!

Yes, here is another vote for Ocean drops - works every time!

ocean drops or if you want to make your own one teaspoon salt to one cup water and use a dropper to put a couple of drops in each nostril a couple of times a day and before bedtime

the more you 'suck' his nose the more likely you will cause his mucus membranesto swell & the more stuffed up he'll be. I was told by my ped to only do it 3-4 times a day. And when you do suck his nose, first use saline drops in it to loosen up any mucus.

Something that I've tried recently with my 3yr old is Eucalyptus oil. I've mixed a drop or two with body oil when I get her out of the shower and again in the morning with lotion. Check at a co-op or maybe a GNC and also becareful about the amount, just a drop or two is all you rally need. I've also heard a few drops in the shower helps to.

K. -

Don't suction! The more you do that, the more swollen the nasal membranes get and the stuffier he will be. Try getting some saline drops and using some several times right before he eats. This will help him wash all the gunk down. If you must suction, don't do it more than twice a day.

Sounds like you are doing all you can. Try use some saline nasal spray. This helps to loosen everything up in there so that when you do suction you get more out. You can get just regular saline sray over the counter, I use the Little Ones Saline Sray, about 2 drops in each nostral and wait about 2-3 minutes. Then suction. This should help.

Hyland's makes homeopathic products, like the teething tablets that you'll soon come to worship! They also make a product called "Sniffles 'n Sneezes 4 Kids". I used it on my daughter when she was 8 months old and worked great. All you do is put 1-2 tablets under the tongue and let them dissolve. I asked my pharmacist about the age limit on them and she said even though some homeopathic products have age 2 on them, they're safe for infants because of the fact that they're just that-homeopathic. I never had any problems with my daughter. You may also be able to give a 1/4 of a dose of Tylenol Cold and Cough.

I have the same problem with my 5 1/2 month old and I have found saline nose spray "Ocean" to work wonders! I just spray a squeeze in each nostril every time he is laying down for a diaper change and it is amazing. You can follow it up with the bulb, but usually he sneezes soon after and clears it out himself.

I used a drop or two of saline in the opening of the nose and let it "roll" in. It will go down the throat but also rinse the sinuses. Many countries around the world use a devise that pours more water down the nose to clean the nose. Saline water is needed because the salt helps with the "balance" in the tissues. But it is completely harmless. You can buy it at your local store, the name brand is Ocean but there are store brands for around a buck. This is also a good trick for dried snot and bloody noses.

Hope this helps.