Stuffy Baby

I would skip the Tylenol- it's a fever reducer/pain reliever so it wouldn't affect a runny nose/congestion anyway. I would talk with your doc about using a decongestant or allergy med. Benadryl may work. With my son he had terrible stuffiness due to allergies and we gave him hydroxyzine which relieved his issues. It is a very strong drug and may not be a good first choice, but I would definitely try something. I am usually pretty anti-medical intervention but in his case we all needed some relief, including him.

I also really avoid a nasal aspirator. I have never used them on my kids. They irritate the nose and imagine is if were your nose- it is already red and irritated and running and someone keeps sticking something up there and sucking on it, and of course the nose just keeps running so it only helps for a second.

Johnson's make this stuff called Vapor Bath. It is amazing! I use it when I'm stuffed up. Use it in a warm bath, then afterwards put Baby Vapor Rub on her chest, under her nose, and on her feet. Then put socks or booties on. As a capper, use Little noses saline drops. We have had a lot of experience with stuffy noses with our 13 month old girl. Hope this helps!

Vicks Vapor plug ins are my favorite!! When in doubt, we plug them in their room at night and they work like a charm! They even clear my sinuses!

My 2 week old has a cold and my dr gave us a tiny bottle of saline spray to use and it really seems to help him alot. We do have to do it frequently..I just do it at each diaper change. He doesn't like it, but it has done wonders for his breathing. Good luck!

Ask your dr if you can give her baby benadryl. It will dry her up for the night and help her sleep!
I hope this helps I know what it's like not to sleep!!

We use Little Noses by Little Remedies. You can get it at any pharmacy or Walmart or Target. It's a saline nasal drop/spray that you can use as often as you'd like. It worked great for my twins from their very first colds until now (almost 2), and even my 6 year old still uses it and says it helps a lot at night.

When any of my infants were too congested to sleep, they slept on my shoulder in the rocking chair, for several hours if necessary. I wasn't sleeping anyway, so the baby may as well get some relief by being upright.

I really feel for you... my lottle guy is a bear when he is sick and you enter this vicious cycle where they just cant seem to get better without the sleep they so desperately need!

some docs are saying benadryl is ok since they took other cold meds off the shelf - my doc is still saying no to this...no matter how much i beg for a little relief for my guy. i was really angry about this after the 3rd night of no sleep for me... i won't lie.

here's what i did:

1. use saline spray to soften and thin the snot in their nose...wait a minute or two then suck it out (i hold the one nostril closed while i suck the other). they absolutely hate it... and i cant blame them either, but with use of the nasal spray it should last a bit longer than aspirating alone - even though the crying makes more snot :(

2. Johnson and Johnson has a whole vapor line of products. bath, chest rub, and a lotion is what we use. i dont use regular vicks on my kids since i have this stuff.

3. warm mist vaporizer in a closed room. its benefit is slight,and doesnt work for every cold but when you are mouth breathing it makes the air a bit easier on the throat.

4. those plug in vapor things seem to work a bit too... but i cant say how much considering the other stuff we are doing.

I hate to advocate going behind your doctors back, but if your doc says no, try to call your pharmacy and talk to a pharmacist about what amount of benadryl is safe for his weight... my friend did this and the pharmacist gave her dosage info. i haven't tried this yet.... and i probably would not do it on a baby younger than about 6 months...

good luck to you and hope she is feeling better soon.

We elevate the whole crib on one side by stacking large thick books under the feet of the crib. The nasal drops help for stuffiness, but it doesn't do anything for a constantly runny nose. You want the room to be humid but somewhat cool too. The tylenol isn't going to do anything for her breathing, it would help alleviate a fever or pain with sore throat or ear issues. Some people give Benadryl because it knocks kids out and makes them sleep, and for kids with allergies it can help reduce the reaction. I would not give a baby Benadryl or any herbal remedies (herbal does not equal safe, herbs are drugs too) without the pediatrician's okay. Also, at our ped's office there are nurses available to speak to you on the phone for tips and such about exactly this sort of problem.
Good luck, hope you all get some sleep soon!

At that age, we had to sleep with the baby when he had a cold so that he could sleep sitting up. As strange as this sounds, I have heard of people having their child sleep in their car seat (buckled, of course) when the baby is congested. I would, also, recommend sitting in the bathroom with the hot water running with your child for 15 minutes before bed time and vick's vapo-rub.

My son gets the same problem everytime he gets a cold. His Dr. told me to spray nasal sray in his nose many times throughout the day. (around 10x a day). It helps loosen up the congestion. Keep doing everything you're already doing, just add nasal spray. It works great with my son.

Try using a waterless vaporizor in conjunction with the humidifier. You can purchase one of these at Walgreens, Walmart or Target. When running both of them, close the door. The room will smell like vicks/halls exploded in there, but it worked for us. Also, I would give her a bath with the vapor bathtime soap, johnson and johnson makes, that seemed to help too. My daughter was 7 months old and was congested with a really bad cold back in Feb. and it worked for her. Good luck!

Is this temporary, because of a cold? If so, you might want to look into homeopathic remedies. They're easy to give because they're usually a melt-in-your-mouth tiny pill, and are generally very safe for kids, AND are typically very effective. Another option is to get some eucalyptus oil and add it to a cold mist humidifier -- it produces an effect similar to having Vicks on your chest. For that matter, you could try Vicks. If putting Vicks on your baby is a problem, you could put it on your OWN chest and sleep sitting up holding her (no fun, not good quality sleep for you, but you're already getting up every hour, right?).

An herbal remedy that is very effective for congestion is nettles (you can buy it in a tincture, in an eye-dropper container, from your local health food store) -- I use it with my kids and it's very effective for congestion. But I don't know whether it's okay for babies or not -- maybe you can research that if you're interested in nettles. It is a nice remedy because it helps prevent and clear up ear infections.

If this is an ongoing problem, and not a cold, I would consider the possibility of food allergies.

Good luck!

B.

P.S. Please don't use OTC decongestants or antihistamines. They are not safe for kids. Look up the side effects for any drug you're considering and you'll see why. There's a good reason why they've started pulling all these drugs off the market.

Yes, Vicks VapoRub! And not the children's kind; it doesn't have menthol in it. Just remember to wash it off the next morning especially if you are going outside with her.

I grew up with the stuff and I now my 3 yro son does too. It works wonders.

Good luck and keep up the good job.

Try the new battery opperated nasal asperator. You can get it at Babies R Us for $19.99. It's awesome. Also Saline drops in the nose let it break down the mucus for about 20 min then suck it out.

Hi A.,
the humdifer you have - is it cold or hot? my daughter needs the hot one and that seems to help her breath better. also, have you tried laying your child on their side? helps my daughter sleep better.
just a few suggestions to try.

K.

Essentially what everyone is telling you has worked pretty good for us. We propped up our 4 month old while sleeping and tried to keep her at an upward slope when holding. I HIGHLY recommend the saline spray. Little Noses makes a good one that you can pick up OTC. The little ones don't like it so much but it helped our daughter breathe soo much better. I can't stand the smell of vicks but they make a baby vicks that has a nice lavendar smell too that worked great! Good luck!

The first question, Is it due to a cold? I know that due to the recalls there is not any over ther counter meds for congestion for babies and now ALL OF A SUDDEN THIS MEDICINE DOES NOT WORK FOR INFANTS per pediatricians (IT DID FOR MANY YEARS) I have a 5 year old and a 9 month old. When the baby is sick I have given her children's cold medicine. Use the same dosage chart that your Dr gives you when she gets shots for Tylenol or IB profen I have used Tylenols Childrens Cold/cough. I tried the humidifier and all of that, and she was miserable. The medicine gave her some relief.

If you don't feel comfortable with that you can add Vicks to the water of the humdifier and close the door of the room she is sleeping in. I also love Vicks rub. I normally rub it on the chest and back.

We have been using Vicks VapoRub on our 7 month old's chest and it has worked WONDERS. I think it's not really for infants, but we keep it on his chest and cover him up with his jammies. It has been great.

Hi A.,
I would take her to the pediatrician, if a baby won't sleep laying down or napping, a lot of times they may have an ear infection. Have that checked out so at least you can rule that out. The vaporizer and "booger getter" as we call it are the things that you can do for the congestion. Good luck.

J.

When my baby girl got a few colds this winter we rubbed some vick's vapor rub on her chest/neck and also added the vapor rub liquid to our Vick's humidifier. It really helped clear up her nose.

Is this a chronic problem? If so, it isn't likely a cold or allergies, but reflux. Babies burp it up and it goes into their nose and are chronically stuffy. Position changes like sleeping in their carseat or swing can help, as can talking to your doctor about medications.

When I had a real tough time with my daughter I picked up some of those Sudafed shower soothers and turned the shower all the way up and put one of those in...the steam helped quite a bit, then I would use the aspirator while we were in there (along with some saline drops). I also picked up I think it was a Triminic vapor fan from Walgreens, and some baby vicks. There powers combined got her a few hours of sleep..sometimes most of the night.

Hi A..

We use a saline nasal spray and then use the asperator to take the junk out. My daughter HATES it when we do it, but we have to and after a while, she seems much better. We also use a humidifier in her room. Seems like your doing everything that you can. It sucks when our babies are sick.

:(

A.

Rub some baby vick's vapo rub on her chest and throat.

If she's not too big for her bouncer, swing, or carseat, try letting her sleep in there. Being more upright always helped my little ones. Is she rolling over? It may help to let her sleep on her side for a while. We did that too. When you are congested, isn't lying flat on your back the worst possible position? Keep using the humidifier, and the saline sprays (Simply Saline?) are pretty good too. Hope you all get some sleep soon!

Does she have a "barky" cough too? If so, she has croop...and the cold air will help her breathe, not the hot humid air. If she has croop this is a virus/cold, and will just have to pass.

If she's just stuffy, then put her in the shower with you, since she's 6 months maybe put her in her swing just in the bathroom while you take a really hot shower and the steam will help open her up.

A little baby Vick's helps too under the nose, will open up the congestion.

It will pass, it's a cold. Just watch for fevers and lethargicness (lack of activity...just lays there). Then you better get her to the doctor ASAP.

Hope this helps and she feels better.

Have you tried using Little Noses saline drops? These will help to loosen up stuff in nose to help with asperation bulb.If any high fever I would consult w/ MD.

My oldest has not been able to sleep with a stuffy/runny nose since she was an infant. I also always try the above mentioned techniqes to relieve her suffering...as she sees it.

I also will put Vicks under her nose, on her chest and then spray a towel with Vivax (liquid menthol of sorts) and put it under her pillow. That also helps with stuffy noses but not runny. I'll give her a sippy cup with water, honey, and lemon and call it medicine as well. Sometimes that is all it takes and she will just sleep with her mouth open...but if all of the above fails I will resort to over-the-counter medicines for her nose.

I know that the medical community is telling us all to avoid those medicines, but I wonder how many of them really abide by their advice when having to get up 40 times a night with a child that cries and won't sleep. (I know a few pharmacists that don't mind giving their children something).

My advice if you do decide to medicate is to be sure you know your child's weight so that you can properly dose her. My three year old is very tiny and really only weighs as much as a two year old so I always dose her like a two year old.

So I think you are doing your best and maybe you should try the psychological medicine (if your child is mentally old enough to fall for that) in a cup as well as the Vicks Vapor Rub as well...then as a last resort use the meds. A child that can't sleep doesn't get well...and then mommy gets sick too.

good luck!!!

I just read an article about dust mites in mattresses and pillows. If you use either make sure it is laundered in HOT water with detergent and if you can get a cover (non-plastic) for the item after that. A test would be to have her sleep in a different place and see if it happens then.

If you have not mentioned that to a dr you might want to.

Blessings,
K. Hall

TheHallsEnterprises.wwdb.biz
1.877.399.8889

We put her in the swing to help her sleep. Works great, just make sure she is strapped in!

1. We put pillows (thick ones) under the mattress to elevate the head end of his bed
2. Bathed in Johnson & Johnson Soothing Vapor
3. Baby Vicks
4. Cool Mist humidifier (warm mist tend to stimulate bacteria growth more rapidly and we were warned by our pediatrician from using anything other than cool mist). Clean cool mist humidifiers weekly as per instructions!
5. Nasal Saline worked great- he hated it, but it did help, it is gentle and more homeopathic
6. Slept in car seat, a bouncy seat and his swing. Car seat was more stable as he got bigger, and less worrisome for me!

We also discovered that he had allergies. We began vacuuming his room daily (but at least an hour before bed, or more to let the allergans that escaped the vacuum settle back down), removed any or all stuffed animals from the bed (and the room), wash bedding frequently (avoiding anything scented, dyes and especially fabric softeners).

Also, to help rid any stuffed toys from dust mites, remember this: Some may be washed on the gentle cycle. For those that cannot, put them in a plastic bag, place the bag in a deep freezer for 24 hours. We do this monthly and it sure has helped. If you do not have a deep freezer, in the winter, put the bag in the garage or the trunk of your car and it will achieve a similar effect!

Our ped advised our infant son take an infant does of Benadryl to help with the congestion. When I became concerned that he might need it to sleep, he switched him to daily Singulair (in a powdered form which my now amost 4 yr old son takes in a spoonful of applesauce or pudding). He has not had an ear infection in over 2 years. When he has a cold, it is usually mild and he gets over it quickly.

Good luck!

I'd call the doctor to get her checked out if you haven't. With my 3 month old I am sleeping him swaddled in his carseat because he's been congested. I don't know if your 6 month old would go for that, but it's helped us.

Hi, A.. In terms of elevating her, if you're doing it "in the bed", try doing this "out of the bed". We put blocks under the two legs of our son's crib (he was our stuffy kid) when he was this age. It helped.

But, to add to the advice of these other gals, here's what our routine was:

Warm, steamy bath before bed.
Cool mist humidifier in bedroom.
Crib raised at the headboard.
Saline nose drops.
Let that sit in there a bit.
A "real" bulb syringe (with the long tubular end).
When you suction, don't back down - crumple the ball in your fist so you get the STRONGEST suction you can.
Hold closed one nostril while suctioning other nostril.
Reverse.
Water to drink before laying down to sleep.
Sometimes we'd even dab alittle Vick's Vap-O-Rub on his shirt just so the vapors would waft up to his face (I never liked putting it directly on skin).

Definitely raise the crib, though - then baby's whole body is on an incline.

Good luck. I know how aggrivating this is. My son's almost 13 now and he's graduated to "dry air nose bleeds". Oy.

When our son had a cold, we ran the cold humidifier on med to high and put a pillow underneath the crib mattress which really seemed to help. Our peds doc does not believe in aspirators. The humidifier should thin out her mucus. Don't know if this is much help!

We've had this same problem in my five month old. It seems he's been more congested his whole little life than not. He slept many nights in the bouncy chair as it was his only relief. Now that he is a little older our doctor had us give him 3ml of benedryl to try and dry him up. She also said we could try 1/2 tsp of motrin cold. You may want to consult with your doctor first!

Are you sure she doesn't have an ear infection too at this point?

Have you tried the Vicks plug in? You plug it in the wall like a night light and that Vicks smell fills the room and helps the little one sleep. It worked for my daughter and she was able to get a good nights sleep.

Hi A. -

I am going thru the same thing right now. I started using a vaporizer and the Vicks Baby Rub. The rub is really nice. It is not as powerful as the one we would use and it goes on very nice. It is actually more like a cream instead of being goopy and sticky.

Good Luck!!

why is she congested? cold or allergies always like this or jsut for a few day? Have ehr sleep up right in her car seat if sh is still in an infant carrier or a swing, yep phone books under the matress etc. how long has this been going on? if more than 8 days take ehr to the dr
J.

you can try saline nose gtts its over the coutner and good to use before feedings to help open the passage ways. Only suction if you see something and you shouldnt suction more than 4 times a day- to much suctioning can cause more narrowing of the nasal passages. I would also recommend a vaporizer or humidipher at the bedside and when kids are sick its ok to let them sleep in their carrier- just think saftey first. or you could take a pillow and stick it under the crib mattress to help elevate it. if your child continues to have difficulty sleeping or has difficulty eating you could take him to the dr to make sure he doesnt have an ear infection. good luck!

My Dr. told me to use Nasal Comfort nose spray. It really helps to get all that out.

Hello A.,

Just a few recommendations and to keep this short-
Could be allergies- food, environmental or a combination.
If you are not making her baby food - it would be good to start, use organic produce and foods- a good book you may already have Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron web site- http://www.superbabyfood.com/ . If you nurse it could be something in your diet or if formula fed maybe it is an intolerance to that. For allergy info I like the book Is This Your Child by Dr. Doris Rapp web site- www.drrapp.com

I also recommend a great chiropractor. My children have been going since they were infants, it really helps. They are barely ever sick. I can't remember the last time they were sick and I credit some of that to good chiropractic work.
Check out this web site if you are interested- http://www.cchirocare.com/
The Chiropractor is Dr. Olga Roshior in Wheaton.

Hope this helps

I humidifier doesn't work, try a vaporizer with VICKS at the sprayer opening. That's the only thing that helped my son when he was a baby. Make sure there is no dust or allergens around her. Don't bleach sheets or use chemicals around her...no hair sprays, perfumes or aerosol sprays. It's easier than it sounds. Make sure she sleeps on her back, head raised a little if possible. Good luck mommy. I'm concerned for you

It sounds more like an allergy type issue. Could there be something that she is sleeping with that is causing the problem? Sometimes detergents can be an issue. My girls are very sensitive to animals in their environment (so we don"t have any), but notice it when we have been somewhere where there are animals. I have also learned over the years (oldest is 14), that cool mist vaporizers work best. You may have to wash bedding daily and if there is carpet in her room - that could be a factor too. I would try soaps that are allergen-free and possibly an air cleaner in her room (my oldest uses one). Hope that helps! I am not much of an advocate for meds so I try as much as I can do naturally. My girls have done great and I am so glad their doctor is not a med freak. I have used vicks vapo-rub, not on one that small, it does work. That may be an option, but if it is allergies whether to food or environment, that would not be a long-term solution. Allergies to things do the craziest things. I have had that experience myself from stuffiness to plain just feeling tired and yucky to being sick. Hope sleep comes for you soon!

I swear by the NoseFrida aspirator and saline drops. It is the least invasive aspirator I've come across and it works wonders. My daughter is 3 months and had rsv early on and this product saved our lives as well as lots of hospital time. I usually saline each nostril with her sitting upright then lean her back flat and use the nosfrida. Here's the link if your interested...best of luck. www.nosefrida.com

P.S. I found that the humidifier makes it worse.

my baby girl (now almost 10 mos) has been on an off like that too. i found that it was related to her eating wheat items (cereals, breads). Cut that out of her diet for 2wks and see if that helps.
homeopathic remedies are awesome for this kind of thing, too, if it seems to be a cold that she can't shake. Try this. You can find these sometimes at walgreens, CVS or a health food store (fruitful yield, whole foods market). You can put 2 pellets into 4 oz purified/bottled water in a glass jar/container and give her about 5 drops or 1/4 teaspoon:

Hylands Sniffles and Sneezes:
http://www.tnpc.com/search/tnpcarticle2.asp?rec=5587

If it doesn't work, and you want try a different homeopathic (which are hugely safe and effective if you get the right one, w/ no side effects!), email me offlist.
Better yet, if you have blue cross/blue shield, my homeopathic dr. can help deal w/ this right quick! we see her for my son's eczema, allergies and reactive airway disease, and all colds/coughs, etc. she's in naperville: www.dupagehomeopathic.com. if that's not close to you, you there are other professional homeopaths all around chicagoland. LMK if you want a link to find one near you.
best of luck.

I know this sounds a little strange, but try putting vick's on her feet (glop a good amount on) and cover them with socks before she goes to sleep. This helped my son when he was really congested. We also have a wedge under his sheet that helps (15.00 at Babies R Us). Good luck and I hope she feels better soon.

they have vicks vapor rub for babies now. I used that when me little guy had a head cold and it seemed to help break up the congestion while he slept. Hope it helps :)

You poor thing! I'm sure you are not getting much sleep and the two of you are equally uncomfortable. Have you tried using the saline sprays? It's temporary, I know, but it may provide for longer than 15 minutes of sleep. Also, is your little one ill or does she have allergies? If it is allergies, maybe you can try changing some things in her diet, bedding, clothing, or even cleansers/perfumes that may be around the house. My husband has A LOT of allergies and we have had to take several precautions in case our little girl inherited any of these.

I hope you both find some relief soon!

Go to Walgreens and get a vaporizer with the Vick's resevior and use that at nite, it should cut down on the congestion. But with her being congested she needs the vaporizer over the humidifier.

Not sure if you have tried saline drops before using the asperator. Put a couple drops in and wait about 15 seconds. That will allow more to come out when you use the asperator. Also, when the weather is warm enough for you to be outside, take her outside. Even a short walk can do wonders. Hang in there. Spring is almost here!

M.

Hi A.,
I understand how tough this can be for both you and your baby. Have you tried running the shower on hot, closing the bathroom door, sit in the bathroom while she soaks up the steam? This really seems to "loosen" things up, especially before bedtime. Good luck.
L.