21 Month Old with Pink Eye

Updated on January 19, 2007
M.L. asks from Windber, PA
12 answers

My 21 month old has pink eye and I have 2 other boys in the house. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep it from spreading to the other 2? They all share a room and my middle son and baby's beds are right beside each other. I'm not even sure how he got it since he rarely leaves the house and when he does it just to the store. I would appreciate any suggestions. Also if anyone knows of things that might relieve it a bit besides the eyedrops that he's already using I'd love to hear them.

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone for the advice. The baby's pink eye cleared up and my other boys didn't get it. I guess his immune system just isn't as strong as theirs. Unfortunately I wasn't able to use the breast milk to ease the irritation because I stopped nursing him at 18 months (he was a biter). He also wouldn't let me hold a compress on his eyes so he just had to wait until the eyedrops worked. Thankfully they work quickly. Thanks again!!

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J.E.

answers from Philadelphia on

tons of hand washing.. plus you can wet 3 tea bags with cool water and wipe all the kids eyes. There is some kind of mild acid in tea that can treat mild eye infections and prevent them too

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L.N.

answers from Washington DC on

pink eye is very contagious so chances are the other kids will be getting it as well. i think our pediatrician said kids just need to do the time with it and except eye drops nothing else would help.
good luck
vlora

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N.H.

answers from Washington DC on

Although it is now a day later you should contact your pediatrician because when treated with the medicated drops it is no longer contangious. I used to get pink eye all the time.

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T.A.

answers from Washington DC on

Pink eye is the gift that keeps on giving. It's highly contagious and the bacteria that causes it can live on regular surfaces for a while. Whoever has it can be contagious as long as 7-14 days after symptoms show up.

The only way to keep it from spreading is hard with young boys: handwashing. And lots of it. Don't touch your eyes with your hands (MUCH easiser said than done). Wash your hands very, very often. Don't share hand towels, use paper towels and throw them away promptly. Try not to share pillowcases. Throw away your eye makeup and buy new.

Warm compresses, especially in the morning when the eyes are all goopy and crusty helps. Its soothing and gets the gunk off.

You may want to keep the older boys home from school (if their school hasn't already told you to keep them home until they've had 24 hours of antibiotic treatment, active pink eye or not).

Good luck. I hope it doesn't run through your house like it did mine.

PS --> if your nursing or know someone who is, breastmilk is GREAT for this. Honest!! A few drops of breast milk in your eye and BAM, irritation stops for a while.

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D.A.

answers from Washington DC on

The same thing happened to my 21 month old son and we went to the doc and she said that you can spray lysol on all the toys, furniture, floor etc everyday but that in the long run if one child has it that they will all have it at somepoint so if you got the bauch and lomb eye drops start using them now even if there are no signs. That is what she told me to do I didn't and right as they were better I got them sick again with pink eye. I had no symptoms and then bam...

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R.G.

answers from York on

Keep every one washing hands and be diligent with the drops. I have found Similasan drops for pink eye to be phenomenal in helping. Even more so than prescription drops, and all natural. As well, if you HAPPEN to be nursing your 21 month old, mother's milk works wonders.

Praying for your little guy.

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L.W.

answers from Scranton on

about spreading it to your other kids i am sorry i have no solutions but as far as getting it he may have gotten it from the cart at the store or even possibly from one of your other children they may have been a carrier but not gotten itbecause thier immune systems are stonrger than his .

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M.M.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi from my experience with my other children, there is noway of preventing it from spreading. Basically when my kids get sick with something contagious then they all end up getting it. I have a 2 1/2 yr old girl, a 12, and an 8 year old boys! So if she gets something they usually get it, and it they get something then she gets it. Good luck, and try your best not to get it yourself!

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T.B.

answers from Johnstown on

It depends on what kind of pink eye it is... my oldest son had pink eye that was caused from him rubbing his eyes while he was eating( food was getting in his eyes from his hands ) and i used a cool damp washcloth along with the eye drops and it seemed to sooth it some... this kind of pink eye is nt contagious though. if your doctor told you it was the contagious one though i don't really have any advise, sorry. I hope this helps.
~T.~

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Y.L.

answers from Philadelphia on

If you are still breastfeeding, breastmilk can cure pink eye among other things.

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P.Y.

answers from Philadelphia on

In the summer my two yeard old had pink eye from the neighbors kids. We took him to the doctors and they told me to wash his clothes and the bedding in hot every morning to prevent at the time my eight month old from getting it. I did everything I was told and my eight month still got it so there is really nothing you can do to prevent it from your other children from getting it. Just use the eye drops the doctors give you and try to get the other kids to wash their hands after touching the baby or the babys stuff and disinfect the babys toys after playing with them. If the other kids get it dont worry.My boys passed it back and forth for about a month.Just try to keep up with the disinfecting.

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E.B.

answers from Dover on

Like most of the other mothers said (and I can vouch for it because I work in a hospital and the universal germ fighter is...)....HANDWASHING! Wash everyones hands very often. I had pink eye a few years ago and I think the only real way to make sure you get rid of it and so it doesn't become contagious is to go to the pediatrician and get antibioitics. I hope that helps. Good Luck! :-)

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