9 Month with Cold

On top of what the other moms said, use some saline drops in his nose a few seconds before you use the "nose picker" the bulb syringe you get from the hospital, If he is running a fever I would give him something for that, but really none of the other stuff works that well, one other thing you could do is get some vicks vapor rub for babies and apply that to his chest it helps open the airways.

Hi C.,

I definitely wouldn't give a 9 month old cold medicine, especially because they recalled the all the infant cold medicines. I called my Pediatrician's office recently to see if I could give my 10 month old a "modified" dose of Children's Tylenol Plus Cold, and they said "NOOOOOO!" You're probably OK if you're only giving it to him once a day, but be SURE you're dosing correctly. I use medicine like that very sparingly. When I use it, I only give it to my kids at night so they can breathe better (and then they'll sleep better). I would avoid giving it to your son during the day, unless he really seems to be suffering.

I know some people have suggested saline nasal spray, but my 10 month old won't let me get that stuff up her nose for the life of me! I SWEAR by Baby Vicks Vaporub. Wipe a little of that under his nose and on his chest, maybe even around his jaw line, and it should help him at night.

Teething could also be the cause of a runny/stuffy nose...another reason to kind of avoid the cold medicines :)

Good luck to you!

A.

I posted this response back in August to a similar question about a 7 month old w/ a cold.

I would like to add that you shouldn't use the nose sucker from the hospital, it is to long and pointy and can damage the very fragile nose tissue, get one that has the small nub on the end, I have one made by the first year company. Use a little of the saline drops and then suck the goodies out.

My Daughter goes to daycare center so she pretty much has a cold all winter. I know it is already humid outside, but make it really humid in the house as well... I’m talking dew on the window humid. My pediatrician prescribed rynatan (might not be spelled right) to use as needed. It is a decongestant, it doesn't cause the jitters.
I would stay away from any of the Vicks rubs/plugs, My doc says they are a waste of $$, and if your child has allergies or asthma they may actually make things worse. If you have a bottle of the menthol baby bath read the back it even says not to use on children with asthma.
Push lots of fluids, at this time fluids are more important than food, however should still be on formula so she should be getting enough of both.
I would give Tylenol as needed, it won't hurt. If her runny nose doesn't start to get better in a few days, and she starts to cough take her in ASAP to the dr. she may have an upper respiratory infection, like RSV. A clear runny nose is one of the first symptoms.
My Daughter has had RSV, and Pneumonia (3times) and she is only 2. And NO no one around her smokes. If she gets a runny nose and a cough I call and make an appt to have her lungs listened to. Be persist with your doc. that you want her looked at; it can save you a few days in the hospital.

Unfortunately, colds are just a part of childhood. If your son has made it 9 months before getting his first cold, you must be a careful Mommy. Good for you!

From my experience as a Mommy of 7, and a carreer in nursing, the best thing to do for babies and kids with colds is just to support the body while it heals itself. And I don't like to use cold medicine. While they may help cold symptoms, they do nothing to help get well.

I would treat his stuffy nose with Vicks rubbed on his chest. Rubbing it on his chest just wafts the vapors up past his nose as his body warms the ointment. Use a soft cloth hanky to wipe his nose so it doesn't get sore. Offer him fresh-squeezed orange juice diluted with water in a sippy cup. (Strain it through a fine strainer so it won't clog the cup holes.) Don't worry if he isn't eating well. And just let him nap more if he wants, hold him if he likes it, rock him if that's his thing.
He may vomit all the phlegm he is swallowing - don't be alarmed. Watch for ear infection - ear pulling and sudden pain response. Now, just settle in for a few days on intense mothering, and God bless.

Hi C....
You can give him something NOW... If your kids are sick, usually try to dose them right before bed because it gets worse when they are sleeping. Then, check the bottle to see how far apart you can dose them, usually every four to six hours. If he's running a temp, check him in about four hours and wake him up for meds if he's running a fever. What kind of cold meds are you giving him? ONLY do it if he's acting different, uncomfortable, fussy, not if it's only a runny nose with no behavior change. Make sure you are getting meds for infants, not toddlers, it's more concentrated, dose according to weight, not age, and call the dr if you have ANY doubts. As far as liquids, if he's still wetting a few diapers through the day, he should be okay. Do not force him to eat if he doesn't want to, but the liquids are important however you can get them to do it. Pedialyte has popsicles now or even regular sugar free ones work. Some people swear by echinacea, although I have five kids and have tried it, it doesn't seem to do anything. But my other friend says it does... So maybe it will in some cases. They sell gummi echinacea by vitamins for the kids. Also, a multivitamin drop can help just as maintenance. Wash YOUR hands and his often, I would stay away from a totally germ free environment, germs help them build their immune system. Now...prepare for all different opinions! lol Good luck. My two year old has a runny nose, but he only gets meds right before bed unless he's running a fever earlier in the day. I am using tylenol melt aways.

Hi C.,
My son is 18 months and when he had any colds there was really no cold medicine that my doctor recommended. I stayed away from them completely. It's times like this that you sort of have to just let it run its course but try to make him feel more comfy. Try a humidifier in his room at night, plenty of liquids, and suck his snot out with one of those sucker things. If you feel like his nose is running all over, it helps to use a soft receiving blanket to wipe it. I had so many of those blankets that he grew out of after about a month.

I'd check with your doctor to be sure, and it will put your mind at ease. Now that I think of it, one of my son's doctors prescribed an allergy medication called Zyrtec which didn't really do any good that I could tell.

You shouldn't be giving your 9 month old cough medicine, even though it is hard to see them suffer. It doesn't really do much and it is easy to give them too much. That said, try a hot steamy bathroom to loosen congestion. You can also use a saline mist and squirt that up his nose and that will help with getting all the congestion out. Try rubbing a little eucalyptus oil on his chest for any coughing and if it is early in the cold you can use sambuccol. That is an anti viral and is very cold at treating colds, but you need to treat right at the beginning to be really effective. Good Luck!

your pediatrician's nurse can answer the dosage questions on the phone based on your son's weight. use a humidifier and give him some juice for vitamin C.

With the current "banning" of cold medicines, it is important to remember what we did before these medicines were even around! My pediatrician says babies should have lots of clear fluids (water, or juice mixed with half water). Also, make sure baby sleeps on his back...and he can be slightly elevated with a flat pillow or folded towel to help him breathe. Also, using a humidifier is really helpful(I find this to be one of the best remedies). If there is a cough involved, you can put Vick's vaporub on his feet and cover them with socks. The vaporub is absorbed through the feet, and works great! Also, if his nose is really "cruddy", you can use a saline nose spray (it is simply a water/saline mixture), and the blue "booger sucker" they use in the hospital. I hope this helps!

About 6 weeks ago our daughter had a runny nose and cough as well as trouble sleeping at night. We gave her tylenol a few times but then I noticed she was wheezing. Turns out she had RSV. We elevated one side of her crib mattress by placing a folded blanket (or two) under the mattress. That seemed to help as well as her prescribed albuterol breathing treatments. I would recommend trying to listen to see if you son is wheezing if so take him in otherwise elevate the mattress and stick to tylenol as needed. Good luck!