What Could Be Causing 10-Month Old to Have Congestion/runny Nose So Often?

Hi D.,

Have you tried taking him to a Chiropractor? I am a Chiropractor and there are several things that could be involved. He could have food/environmental allergies, an overgrowth of yeast, or a weakened immune system. I use Applied Kinesiology (aka muscle testing) to determine which issue is involved and then I prescribe the correct nutrition or treatment to help aid in his recovery. Limiting his sugar intake, which weakens the immune system and feeds the yeast, is something you can do immediately. I would also get him on a good multivitamin. Typically the drug store vitamins are very high in sugar, I would go to a quality health food store to purchase them. If you have any questions or would like to bring him in to get evaluated, please don't hesitate to call me at ###-###-#### or visit my website at sullivanchiropractic.com. You will be glad you did! Thanks!

D. S.

1 mom found this helpful

My youngest had this problem. 1 try ENTSOL. Its a medical grade saline and works better than anything. Its expensive about $25 a bottle but well worth it. It could be just plain outdoor allergies that has nothing to do with daycare or your home. Have you tried singular or something preventative? I would talk to your doctor as well. Any chance he was a early? It could make a difference. He has slowly grown out of the problem, however it has never really gone away. We used preventative breathing treatments - we also found that he had a deviated septum that made it hard for him to drain - which is why we use the saline daily even if there is not problem.

I wish you luck! I fought for a long time trying to prevent it - you can't. steamy showers a bedtime help to to clear out the head.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi D., I'm Ed from Australia and I lived and went to school at Krum and left there in 1970 and arrived in Australia in 1972 and have been here since. My wife and I have 3 grown kids of our own and 5 grandchildren and have 7 foster kids with us at this time (6-16). We have had around 50-60 kids in our home since we started fostering in 1991. Since your 10 mo son has had this allergy it could be one of several things. It could be his formula if he is bottle fed and companies that make formulas for this purpose have added iron and other things that they claim that your baby needs for his development and this could be one cause. He may have a slight reaction to milk in general and maybe you could try soya milk as we had a foster baby that could only take soya. It could be the detergent that you use to wash clothes, perfume you wear or deodrant you use, or the soap you use for yourself or the baby. This has been the case with some of the kids we have had in our care. One of our grandsons has to drink rice milk as he can't take milk or soya milk. Our first foster baby couldn't take the perfume or deodrant that my wife used or the soap we used for showers or washing the baby. I hope that this info is of help to you. Ed

I admit I did not read the entire post but milk allergies can cause more drainage and mucus than normal. It could be a food allergy...

also you can have allergies to stuff even if you dont have pets. ask your dr about childrens zyrtec or clariten I have a friend who has a 7 month old baby with common allergies and her dr said she could take either one of those and gave her the dose to give according to weight.

HTH
A. J

I watch a little girl who goes through the same thing. Her Mom is at her witts ends. She just got off medicine last week and she is already congestted and has runny nose again. Her Pedi tells her that it is completely normal. They even went to the allergist and she has not an allergy one. She will be 2 in March. Good luck with dealing with this.

I also recommend the cool-mist humidifier. Our boys were congested a few times before we tried it and since then they've been fine. Just keep suctioning when he needs it. Hang in there, it will get better.

Hi! My 3 yr old daughter had chronic sinusitis since she was about 6 months old. Her doctor tried almost every medicine under the sun and nothing stopped the congestion and runny nose. It was so infuriating, just like you say. The suctioning and wiping and her dry little nose. Finally when she turned 2 we were referred to an ENT who said if they took out her adnoids it would cure the congestion/runny nose. We had the sx done and a week later, no more congestion/runny nose. Now it only occurs if she has a cold, which is rare. I would suggest talking to an ENT doctor. I was so thankful because I felt so bad always giving her medicine.

I'd get a second opinion, maybe from an ENT. My pediatrician was always more of the "no big deal" it's just congestion too and I was tired of it. With my son the congestion would ALWAYS lead to an ear infection and sinus infection. The ENT was wonderful and now he is rarely congested.

My doctor let me give my 4 mo old benadryl. I gave her 1/4 tsp for allergies. It did the trick. Ask your doctor about it.

The only thing I have to add is to bathe him every night and wash his sheets if he naps after playing out side. It made a huge difference with my son. Good luck.

My daughter is 6 and she had this problem when she was a baby but she was around other children in music class,
Gymboree, etc. It's probably just something he will grow out of, but you might think about the cleaning products you are using and any other chemicals you could be using around the house, even laundry detergent. If you are using traditional products you might try switching to something from Whole Foods or even Target has some cleaning products that don't have Formaldehyde, chlorine bleach and some of the other chemicals that are not supposed to be good for you. Not an expert but I avoid as many chemicals as I can. Just a thought.

Most likely a food allergy; most common culprits are cow's milk and wheat. Try an elimination diet to see if you can isolate the cause.

My 7-month-old has had the exact same problem since 4 mos. & the doc says it's totally normal & it may continue throughout her teething (even tho we have no teeth yet!). She doesn't have any allergies, either. We just keep saline, a nasal aspirator & soft tissues around all the time, plus we run the humidifier every night. I wouldn't be worried unless he seems to be suffering. It's no fun, I know. Hang in there!

Hi D., Where I live it is extremely dry so using a cool mist humidifier has helped a lot with congestion and runny noses. Using this along with the saline nose drops is something I do all the time. This doesn't cure it, but makes it more tolerable for baby and parents. My experience is that your doctor is so right, and as long as there isn't an accompaning ear infection or sinus infection, with time and growth, he will not get the cold as often! Hang in there...It is a challenge with babies!
S.

How do you dress your child for sleep/outdoor/indoors in cold/cool weather? I would get a second/third opinion. Might try washing his clothing/linens in Ivory soap. If possible, open your house to get fresh air. Also, when you take your child to the grocery store or any place where he is seated in a basket, place a cloth type seat in the seating area. Or wipe down with bacteria wipes the places where his hands will be touching the rails or whatever... Good luck.

Morning D.,

I just carried my son to the doctor to get his yearly shots and he couldn’t do them due to the fact he had the same thing you described. He said that most children in their first few years will get more than a dozen of these. All you can really do is spray their little noses with saline nasal spray to keep the germs flushed out of their noses and for the cough he told me to use tussin dm for the cough. As long as they are not runny over a 100 degree fever they will be ok and told me to give him Tylenol for a low grade fever. If it gets to bad, call your doctor. Another thing he told me is that IF the congestion or virus is viral there is really nothing you can do it has to take its course but if it was bacterial he could give him some antibiotics for it.

Good luck,

T.

Our son had this problem and we had him tested for allergies at 2 and was put on allergy shots. He was allergic to grasses, dust, mold, and trees. The allergy shots were a God send. Most peds don't feel this same way, but we pushed for it. We lived in New Orleans at the time and when we moved here, the allergist said we couldn't be moving to a worse place. He is 18 now and stays on Zyrtex, but he hasn't had an upper respitory infection for years. Even the allergist in N.O. said he had never seen such great results in a child so young. Good luck!

Our son was sick a lot more when he was younger. I think it is very common and they usually grow out of it. The doctor's recommendation about the saline drops is the best advice...also a humidifyer will help. A lot of times the use of heater in wintertime contributes to the problem. I would not worry too much since he is not running a fever...just use the saline and nasal aspirator to keep him comfortable.

I know you said you don't smoke but does anyone that comes over? Or any home that you go to? Allergies to smoke can cause a constant runny nose for a week at a time. So even if they are around someone who smokes once a week the stuff on their hands and clothes is enough to keep the runny nose. Just a thought!

UGH! We went thru the same thing; even had tubes in his ears and still nasal cong, ear inf's; horrible! I stayed on top of the nasal salilne and sucking out his nose until he fianally learned to blow:) I kept a cool vaporizer w/Vicks in it in his room and ran it at night and nap time. We started him on Zyrtec; I think it just makes me feel better, not sure if it actually works, and that may help. He just turned 2yrs last wk and YES, the cong and runny nose has been much less frequent. I was told he may have "allergies" but since I know an allergist would put him on all kinds of meds and probably steroids I chose not to take that venture! Hang in there and know it is worse when the weather changes; esp when it gets warm. We are yellow snot and blowing today b/c of the weather change yesterday:)

Good morning D.,
Check out www.yourbestair.com/garrett
The study now show most allallergies come from in door air.The is moore pollution shut up inside our homes.Check this out think you will fine oit it will help.I use to have to take allergy everday till I found this. Goog luck and God Bless.
J. G

I haven't read the other responses, but with the large number, I'm sure you have received great advice for congestion managment. So, just a note, we notice our daughter's congestion kicks up with every extreme temperature change. This happened a year ago when she was about 6 months old and we are going through it again and she is 20 months now. I love 70 degrees in the winter - but not when it causes her congestion. I'm holding out until she is two, hoping it will improve!

my son too has been congested since day one and he was a c-section baby. he is two months old. a week ago he started getting a cough and the doc said it was a cold. now he still has the congestion as he always has. the doc said to get saline drops as often as you'd like. he can have it before he eats, after he eats, when he wakes, etc. this should help the mucus go down his throat so you dont have to suction as much. too much suctioning in one day could lead to more congestion. i think you can suction if you know you are getting something out. if i can see the boogies i will get a qtip to get it closer to the opening and suction from there so i don't have to go back so far. just be careful and don't put the qtip down that far. also try elevating his bed and using a cool mist humidifier. my doc said we can't use any vics he is too young. best of luck to you. i am right there with you. i hate hearing them struggle to breathe.

Hi D.,
I don't know if your child is using cow's milk at all, but if he is, take him off cow's milk. Cow's milk builds mucus. It creates mucus. You can use rice milk, almond milk or fresh goat milk. We used these for our kids to cut down on mucus and runny nose.

Does the yuck happen to coincide with new teeth coming in? It took me until my son's 17th tooth came in to figure out that he got a "cold" each time a tooth came in. It was just as you're describing. Weird, but true. Seemed like he was sick all the time!

D., My daughter is now 33 years old, but when she was about six months old she started having a lot of trouble with congestion and runny nose, which then turned into inner ear infections. Her doctor ran allergy tests on her and she was allergic to several normal things, like milk, strawberries and green beans. I made sure she didn't get any of those and it helped with the allergies, but we continued to have trouble with the ear infections. Finally, at 19 months, she had tubes put in her ears and it was like someone turned off a light switch. She never had another ear infection (as a child) and the colds/allergy problems almost ceased. The tubes in her ears were under developed, which was apparently causing the constant congestion, etc. I hope this helps and I pray for the best for your little guy. God bless! S.

You can try cleaning the airducts in your house. Thats the only other thing that I can think of. When my oldest was a baby he also was sick all the time, but he was in daycare so that doesn't help you any. Oh! Do you wipe down the carts at the stores w an antibacterial wipe? That could help as well. If you have one of the cart protecters make sure you wash it regularly. Wash or spray his toys down to disinfect to prevent reinfection.Hope this helps.

How old is your other son? Does he go places where he could bring germs home to baby? I would make sure he washes his hands each time he comes home from school, church, etc. and wash the baby's hands with a wipe, too.

i keep my 10 month old on 1/2 tsp of children's zyrtec every night. it keeps the congestion down for most of the time. Good luck

Have you tried eliminating dairy? My daughter was like this and it got worse when we started switching her to whole milk at about 11 months -- she got a sinus infection after just a few days on whole milk. This is actually a common allergy. We switched her to goat's milk (Meyenberg brand, comes by the quart) until she was 2, then to soy milk. Soy doesn't have any fat in it, which is why we waited until she was 2 to use it. Hasn't had a runny nose -- except maybe an annual little sniffle -- since that sinus infection and she's now almost 6!

Good Afternoon D. B, Have you thought about perfumes or aftershave that you and your hubby might be wearing. Just a thought and also how about the soap and fabric softener that you use, check on all that he is around at home and eliminate them one at a time to see if any are the culprit.
good luck!

We have a similar problem. We try the saline and nasal aspirator, but he seems to hate it! Our doc suggested that we stay in a small bathroom with a hot shower to help clear his lungs.
I also use the Vics Baby on his feet after a bath for sleeptime. With the recent Vics announcement, I asked our doc and he said it was still fine to use.
Another thing I did was sleep on the sofa with him, propped up on a pillow for a few nights. It too seemed to help.

Ask your pediatrician if your baby might have Reactive Airway Disease (RAD). My daughter's doctor diagnosed her with RAD when she was an infant and what you are describing is what my daughter was experiencing as well. My son was similar, although not as bad, but his doctor never said anything about RAD. I had to take my son to my daughter's doctor one day when his doctor wasn't available and he diagnosed my son with RAD as well. My son seemed to always have a runny nose, but more than that, he had a greater susceptibility to Croup, which my daughter never had. My kids' doctors would sometimes give them something for the congestion and sometimes just say use the saline, etc.

I do not believe there's a cure or specific treatment. I think it just means they are very prone to colds, congestion, etc. I've also been given the impression that you have to listen closely for wheezing as it could be a predecessor to asthma. I was not told that exactly, but they would always ask me if I heard wheezing whenever I would call to ask questions when my kids were sick, and when I would tell after hours doctors about their RAD, they would ask about asthma and wheezing as well.

I could be completely off base with this, but if not, then you'll at least have a diagnosis for what's going on with your son. I will add that it did get better with time for my kids. My daughter still has seasonal allergies, but both she and her brother did grow out of the constant cold and congestion stage.

Blessings,
N.

It could be a dairy allergy. My youngest had this problem, so I switched to soy formula and put him on Goat's milk, Rice and Almond milk as he got older. If it's pollen allergies, there are different supplements you could give him that could help. Bioflavinoids are great to people with allergies.

I give my kids a yummy fizzy drink called OPC-3, which has bioflavinoids and lots of natural anti-oxidants. I also take the product and haven't been really sick since taking it (and I work at a school around children). You can find out more here:
http://www.marketamerica.com/C./product-10335/mightamins-...

The best deal is the 90 day supply, it works out to not quite $25/mo.

Best wishes for you and your baby boy.

I agree with the advice already given about checking out possible allergens in the home.

Q: Are you nursing? When I was nursing my boys, I wish I had made the connection between the nutrition I took in and how it would affect the quality of the milk I was putting out. Good nutrition is vital for good health! Be sure to eat plenty of fresh, raw fruits and veggies and have your son do the same, to the degree possible.

I also recommend a product that has been shown through multiple published research studies to improve the immune system so your little guy can fight things like this. It's a breakthrough in nutrition that puts actual fruits and veggies into capsules for adults and gummy treats for kids. I love it so much I decided to market it so I could make it available to other moms.

Email me or view my Mamsource profile to find out more. You will be so glad you did!

M.

I would get a second opinion from another doctor. True, babies can get a lot of colds and that could be the reason for all the frequent congestion and runny nose, but allergies are not "normal" for babies. If he has allergies, you need to find out so you can try to avoid the allergan if possible. I can tell you are skeptical about what your pedi has said, so get another opinion to put your mind at ease. You might be able to help your little guy out.
Good luck.

My oldest daughter was this way her first 2yrs of life. We were at the Drs office at least every 2-3 weeks...it was crazy! She did have constant ear infections, upper respiratory infections, reactive airway disease (asthma) and common colds. But when your child is sick so often, you just don't know if its a common cold or more so that is why we went in so much. I used saline and suction non-stop and it did help. To this day we still have a cool mist humidifier in her room and running when she sleeps. She eventually got tubes in her ears, prescription allergy meds and a breathing treatment machine. My youngest daughter was not as sick so I think some kids are more prone. I would keep suctioning and using saline (when boogers are present use suction and just saline when not present) and pay attention to your instincts if you think its more and take your son in. I know its hard....take care.