7 Week Old with Head Cold.

Unfortunately that is all you can do. I work in a pharmacy and we have people come in all the time asking what to do about sick babies. About 2 years ago all of the over the counter cold remedies were removed from the shelves in all of the stores because some infants had died after using cough and cold medicines. So now they just have to tough it out, it really sucks.

I like to get peppermint oil, mix it with olive oil, and rub it on my son's chest to help with the congestion. I also rub it on his feed and put socks on him. Good luck!

The other moms are right. There is really nothing else you can do. Your son is so little he can't take anything. Both my boys have been sick at that age and it was hard because you can't do anything other than basically natural stuff (saline, humidifier, elevating his head, lots of fluids). I trust my doctor and what you are doing is what she told me to do back then. I am surprised he is on antibiodics, I don't know if my ped would have suggested that but your son must be sick enough or have something that your ped thinks requires them. Hang in there. I know it's hard. Just know all us mamasource moms are thinking of you and your baby.

I use vicks on the baby's feet & then put socks over. I would do this all day long. It is safe to do & it helps. Since the baby is still small & doesn't move around as much. I would put your baby in a bouncer seat to sleep in at night & have the humidifier on.

sitting in a steamy bathroom with your child may help break it up and then at least make the aspirator work better. i hope he gets to feeling better soon!

Steam up the bathroom before you give him his bath, or just to sit in there with him. It relieves my daughter. There is also vapor bath (likes Vicks type smell), but not sure when the recommended age is for tha to start being used.

Poor baby! When my son was real young and got a cold my ped. suggested this aspirator and it worked great! http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2585646

Other than that I guess you can't do a whole lot except hope it goes away quick.

When my son was little we raised the one end of his crib mattress. He slid down a little so we rolled towels and put them on either side and one under his tushie (more the back of his legs) with his legs over the top, he slept like a dream.

I would elevate his head when he sleeps. For my daughter, we put a pool noodle cut in half under one end of her crib when she was little. We also use the Vicks Baby Rub and more recently I bought one of their wall plug-ins that releases vapors. I also swear by putting Vicks and then socks on their feet at night when they sleep to help relieve their cough. When my daughter had a cold and we forgot to do that, we always had a much worse night. I even do it when I get sick.

Hi B. -

An herbal combination of Eyebright & Bayberry taken in tincture form - based on his weight. Standard dosage is 30 drops - 3 x's a day for a 150 lb. adult. Reduce the dosage to accomodate his size - i.e. if he is 15 lbs - he can have 3 drops 3 x's a day.

If you are in the valley, you can get the tincture at Desert Sage Herbs in Chandler. Just tell them you need a 1 oz tincture blend - 50/50 with the Eyebright & Bayberry.

If you are in the highlands, I am in Payson at Chakra Botanika Herb & Tea Room in the Basha's shopping center, next to Subway.

If you are breastfeeding, you can also drink Thyme & Sage tea about 30 minutes before you feed him. Thyme is an anti-viral and Sage has astringent qualities. These benefits will transfer to him through your milk.

Blessings,

M. M. Ernsberger
Certified Clinical Herbalist

How horrible that your tiny infant is sick and being put on antibiotics. Now that I am educated about what they are, and what they do to the body, I will never take them or allow my family to again. I would give him Uña de Gato if he were my baby. It clears congestion and mucus, supports the lungs, and is anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-oxidant. I would also be giving him Treasure Tea (which has that herb as well as five others specifically for immune system support, kidney clearing, and blood sugar balance). These herbs are all safe for children - in my opinion probably very much safer than the pharmaceutical poison they call antibiotics - and since these herbs are whole foods they are balanced and effective. You can't get these in a drugstore so if you want a link to a website where you can get some feel free to contact me.

If you're nursing, I just slept with her and nursed/cuddled her all night. The heat from my body seemed to act as a humidifier and kept her congestion loose enough so that she could breathe. That was easiest for me b/c I could hear her.

Also, I put Vicks baby on the soles of their feet a chest--it seems to help too.

Poor little guy! I'm sorry to hear he's sick. The other thing I would recommend beside the things you're already doing is to have him sleep in his car seat or some other baby seat that elevates him well. Then any drainage from his nose will go down his throat and be swallowed, plus it helps to be upright when there is congestion. Keep him well hydrated too. Keep getting fluids in him. Maybe when you give him a bath, let the bathroom get a little steamy too. Good luck and lots of love to him.

I love the book smart medicine for a healthier child by Robert Roundtree and friends.. it gives lots of good advice for caring for babies and children at home

When my daughter had a cold, we would set her in the bathroom with toys and turn the shower on hot to let the steam build up. we would let her sit for about 10-15 mins at a time. Or when we shower we would put her in there. It seemed to help.

Poor baby! I hope he gets over it soon!

How about sitting in the bathroom with him while you run hot water. Get the bathroom really steamy, or have him in the bathroom when you shower (if that is possible). It used to help my little one somewhat.

I also have a 7 week old with allergies/cold symptoms. We have done all you have, but here are a few other things we are doing to help out: placing him in his vibrating chair/rocker and putting him in the bathroom for a steamy shower for about 10-15 minutes, in the am and in the pm before bedtime. We also have his bed in an slanted position - not too extreme, but at least he is not flat on his back in his bed. We also have been letting him rest/sleep in his vibrating chair since it allows him to sit up and helps with his breathing. Hope these help! I am with ya sister!!!

Hi mama :)
Here's an idea. If you're breastfeeding, you can pump some milk, put it into a dropper, and put it straight into his eyes. Your milk it chock full of wonderful antibodies which are sooooo much better than synthetic antibiotics. My midwife has used this tip with countless mamas/babies, with wonderful results. You can even use the milk on your/your partners cold eyes too!
Hope that helps. My 8 week old son got his first cold at 3 weeks, and while it takes a while to dissipate, it really isn't as big of a deal, babies get sick...but I know watching your little one is tough.
Good luck!

We used to have our little ones sleep in a baby swing, bouncer or comfy car seat when they were extremely congested (along with the cool air humidifier); it was the only way they could get some sleep and breathe better.

Although I always used the natural stuff for my kids like Echinacea, vitamin C, etc. I also gave them pedia-care (for stuffy noses), benedryl, tylenol etc. and they seemed to get over them quickly. With your child being so young you'll need to talk to his doctor before giving him anything over the counter. I have a child that is allergic to Echinacea. Get well little guy!

Try taking him in a steamy shower with you and just hold him in there for 10 minutes or so. Also, you can put a moist warm washcloth over his little forehead and eyes. Finally, I'm not sure I would rub anything on his skin, even something made for babies--he's just so young. But what if you put some Vick's Vaporub on you somewhere where it won't contact him directly but will still be able to affect him? Maybe your shoulders under a sleeved shirt? I would just check with the pediatrician and make sure it's OK first.

My son is 8 months old and we've been using a Triaminic vapor fan in his room on and off for a few months now. There are a couple different brands of this type of product in the stores. The only thing with the Triaminc fan is that it runs on batteries (thought that would be great for travel/camping) but it goes through batteries pretty quick and the refil pads are hard to find in the stores. There are others that plug in. You can find them in the children's allergy medicine section.

My daughter also had a real bad cold when she was an infant.
We did the saline, sucker and pedi-cold med (per dr).
We had went on a trip to see a family member.
She took one of her own crockpots and used it like a humidifier. She put vicks in it and closed all the doors to the room.... It was a very strong smell but it worked... (I also had the cold as I caught it from her and this helped alot.) I am not sure what else you could try...
I agree with the others when they say you might want to have him sleep in his car seat or elevate a side of his crib.

Hope your poor little one can find some relief soon.

my 2 week old had a cold and I was supplementing with formula, so I switched to a non-dairy, non-soy kind (nutramigen), thinking the dairy was adding to his congestion / mucous. I also stopped eating any dairy, so that couldn't get into my breastmilk. I don't know if you are even giving him any formula. That and I got a really nice air filter in her room, thinking she perhaps had some kind of allergy too. I approached it more from an environmental way. I also made sure to get this ongoing plumbing issue we had in the house fixed, as that created some mold. She got a lot better after all of that. Hang in there, I know how stressful this is. But my baby is 10 weeks old and has been in perfect health ever since then.