14 Month Old Has Cold? Vicks?

Updated on December 31, 2010
K.B. asks from Islip, NY
12 answers

Hi! My 14 month old boy has a terrible cold with lots of congestion. He will not allow me to use nose drops. Have any of you moms used Vicks Vapor Rub before??

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S.C.

answers from Milwaukee on

When my daughter was younger she actually liked the saline nose spray. I told her it tickled and she went with it. I never liked rubbing chemicals on her skin so I buy the "smelly light", as she calls it. It's the Pedi Care night light w/ a scented pad you can put on it. Now that winter is here, I always have a cool mist humidifier on in her room. The Crane brand comes in fun animal styles and is very quiet.

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T.C.

answers from Colorado Springs on

No, we don't use Vicks. Instead, we use a few drops of eucalyptus oil mixed in about 2 Tbsp of almond oil. I rub the oil between my hands to warm it, then have my child take breaths in "smell mommy's hands!" Then, I rub it on their chest/back. They LOVE it, and it is fabulous at healing them, not merely masking their symptoms. A tiny bottle lasts months because you only use about 5 drops at a time. I much prefer the real stuff than the manufactured stuff.

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K.I.

answers from Oklahoma City on

baby vicks vapor rub is on the infant seccion, after a nice warm bath, rub chest, back and feets, never the nose....
also get a dehumidifier on the room he will sleep very good you'll see..

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H.W.

answers from Portland on

The usage label reads : for adults and children 2 years or older.
Once your son is old enough, yes, do the feet and the socks as Hummingbird suggested. It pulls the energy down out of the head, where all the congestion is building, and will help alleviate the headache and irritation a bit.

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J.B.

answers from Phoenix on

Use baby vicks vapor rub and I also recomend buying the vicks vaporizer. It worked wonders when my little one had a cold.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

... there is a "Baby" Vicks.
It is a kids... version.

You need to watch the congestion... is it only his nose? His chest? or both?

There is also something called "Little Noses" which is for children... a nasal spray decongestant.... found at drug stores.

With the Vicks... do not put it in or near his nose.
Some people do that, but do not do that to a child....

Bear in mind, your child is under 2 years old. Over the Counter cold medicines... are not indicated for a child this young or a baby.
Over the counter remedies... will only alleviate discomfort... NOT "cure" the cold or illness....

Call your Pediatrician... there are so many 'colds' going around, and even things more serious like Pertussis or Flu etc.

all the best,
Susan

K.V.

answers from Lansing on

My daughter is sick right now, and it sucks!

What I've done for her (shes on an antibiotic too) is, get the bathroom steamy hot and keep her in there for about 10 minutes, letting her play. I also rub vicks baby rub on her chest, back, feet (putting socks on afterwards), I also rub some vicks baby rub on her nose too. I have a cool mist vaporizer going in the bedroom. I use the nose drops in her nose, I buy CVS brand (I don't buy any name brand anything anymore...to many recalls) and I alternate tylenol and motrin throughout the day even if she doesn't have a fever just because being sick does hurt. And at night when she gets a bath, I put the mentholy baby bubble bath stuff ...Vapor something or another in the tub and let her in play in that for awhile.

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

I wouldn't use it on someone his age. It is really pretty strong. My kids are older, so I haven't shopped the baby/toddler aisle in a while, but they used to sell a vapor bath you could add to his bath water. And there was a milder version (not made by Vicks) that was cherry scented that I used (and still have some) on our kids when they were toddlers.

A cool-mist humidifier in his room would help some though. And even if you can't find any bath stuff to add to his bath water, a warm bath does wonders. Just let him sit and play in it, and every few minutes get a really really wet rag and wipe his face/nose. Lots of snot will probably come out during the bath... the steamy bathroom and warm water will get it running.

Hope he feels better soon!

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P.M.

answers from Portland on

Hi, Kat,

I just came across your request, so you probably already have experience with Vicks, good or bad. But in case you've held off on using it, I wanted to say that there is research showing that for some children, Vicks actually causes or increases congestion, so I hope you use it cautiously, if at all.

I personally can't tolerate mentholated products on my body or in my environment – they kick off a nasty asthma attack.

Hope your little guy gets better soon!

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

I would use a Vicks vaporizer, I am an adult and that stuff still burns my skin if I put it on me.

H.B.

answers from Modesto on

I always used it on my kids with no problems. Rub some on his piggies and put some socks on him, the fumes will help him clear up some and it minimizes coughing to a certain degree. If he doesnt mind it on his feets go ahead and rub a little on to his chest. Just make sure he cant get any on his hands because it will burn if he gets any in his eyes, and of course dont forget to wash your hands afterwards too :)

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A.C.

answers from Houston on

Hold your child down and squirt saline in his nose. The products by SImply Saline are aersol and preservative free. Lubricating the snot will help a lot toward getting it loosened up. No, it isn't pleasant to physically restrain your child--for their own good or otherwise--but it is silly to say that a 14 month old won't "let" you.

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