Allergies or Teething

I'm a first time mom, too. My precious girl is now 18 months old. She started cutting teeth around 5 months old and hasn't stopped yet! It's really been crazy. She's now cutting her 2 year old molars. She's had perpetual runny noses and congestion. I've taken her to the doc and they give her decongestants but they never really seem to do the job. What I have found that works best is to keep a humidifer in her room when she sleeps. Also, I use the saline drops and suction her nose as much as I can. She really hates that, so it's quite an act of congress to get it done. Hang in there. I think what you're going through is perfectly normal - well, it is for me anyway! I've given up on the decongestants and she seems to do better without them now. I was feeling so bad about giving her so much medication anyway. Just keep an eye on her and listen for the congestion if it gets into her chest and take her to the doc then. Also watch for ear infections because with the extra running nose sometimes it can lead to that. We've had several, but since I've started the humidifier, a lot of it has not been as bad. It's a rough go, but eventually they'll all be in!!! Hang in there!

Could be both. My children all started teething at 4 mos and when they are teething they can get runny noses, low-grade fever and pain. But hay fever and other allergy season starts in March and the pollen is really bad this year so your daughter could also be suffering due to allergies. Perhaps your doctor would discuss this issue by phone since you have been in so many times and perhaps he or she might discuss with you an appropriate dosage of Zrytec or something like that - I would not give it to the baby unless the doctor tells you the right dosage given your daughter's weight and history. If the coughing turns into wheezing then it could be something worse like the beginnings of asthma (which might call for preventive treatment) so be sure to continue discussion with your dr. But if she is not suffering greatly, I would not be too concerned. Also try using Vicks on her chest to open up breathing and a cool mist humidifier; and start noticing whether her symptoms worsen after being outside.

My son was the same way. I thought for the longest time that he kept getting soooo many colds and it finally dawned on me that it was around the time a tooth was coming through (which, of course in the first year and a half happened about every month). I was so glad when he finally had all his teeth by the time he was 17 months. He stopped getting "colds" all the time. He had runny nose, cough, sneezing, etc- everything that usually indicates a cold. Like I said, my son had 17 teeth (he has an extra) by the time he was 17 months, so they certainly can come in fast. He had his first at 5 months.

My daughter is 19 months and every time she starts getting really congested I know she is starting to cut more teeth. She eats great and does not fuss either; a friend of mine is a nurse and she told me that it is a very common thing that comes along with teething. I would just suggest that you clean her nose out daily with a nose Aspirator to help.

My first daughter got her first 2 teeth at 4 months, and got more teeth about every month or so following that. Every time she teethed, she would cut 2 teeth at a time. My other daughter, who is 4 months now, just got her first tooth and is working on her next. People are usually amazed when they learn that they both got there first teeth at 4 months, but I guess that is just the way they were made. So I don't think that your daughter is teething too early or too quickly at all. As far as allergies go, my husbands dad is a doctor and I have learned from him that allergies don't become apparant in babies. Allergies don't form until they are in their toddler years. That is air borne allergies. My youngest, the 4 month old, had a snotty nose for about 4-6 weeks in Feb and March, and it ended up being a lingering cold that went around to everyone in the house but none of us had it for very long, except her. She wasn't unhappy or bothered by it, just stuffy. My guess is your daughter has a lingering cold. OR it could be a result of her teeth. Especially if she is cutting so many at a time and one right after another. My first daughter would get an ear infection almost every time she was cutting teeth. I seem to remember a lot of congestion too.

I think it is the teeth, if the medicine doesn't seem to be helping. My son is 20 months and had the same thing, whenever he was getting teeth on the top his nose would start to run and it would last 3 days or so and then I would see a tooth. Now at his 18 month check-up I mentioned to the doctor that i thought he had allergies because his nose was just so runny so we put him on Zyrtec and i never really noticed a difference, so guess what to my surprise he now has his two top canine teeth and the runny nose is gone. I wouldn't worry about it if she isn't being fussy and is eating then she must feel fine, if she wasn't eating or was being fussy then i might think it was something else.
Good Luck!

sounds like allergies to me. ask her doctor about Allernon. it's a natural remedy sold in drug stores for allergies, i know people who have taken it and they swear by it. my daughter and I had those same side effects and found out that it was allergies when we were taking stuff for the symptoms instead of for spring coming.

Teething can cause this but so can allergies. If she is eating and acting normal it probably is teething but my daughter had a high tolerance for pain and even had an ear infection we found at a normal check up. Had no clue. So I would just keep an eye on it. G. W

Teething never caused a runny nose in either of my children, however both of my kids have seasonal, food and drug allergies which was the culprit. If your daughter has green snotty nose, it is a sign of infection and the meds are necessary. You may want to see about getting her allergy tested also. My kids did have other issues when teething - broken sleep patterns, grouchy, very slight fever, etc. just not a runny nose. Good luck!

Starting at 4 months, my son got at tooth on an average of one every 2 weeks till he had a pretty good little mouth full of teeth. My daughter, however, didn't get her first tooth as soon, and when she did at 6 month, the two bottom ones came in. Then at 9 months the 4 top ones came in all within a week. Both of my kids get congested and snotty nosed when they start getting teeth, and they get fevers. I've never worried about it since I got a fever of 105 as a baby when I was teething, and my kid's fevers have never gotten that high. Usually when they get a fever and/or snotty noses, and those are the only symptoms besides a little crankiness, then I figure it's just teething. If you aren't sure, try the baby orajel if she's cranky, and if it's teeth, she should cheer up real fast.

Check with your local health food store. They will ahve some suggestions for you. Chamomille tea or pellets are good for teething irritability. They have other items for infants too for the cough and drainage.

And youa re right it is probably jsut teething.
Hang in there.
Char

She sounds normal. Some kids have all their teeth by now. It took over a year for my daughter to get her canines.

L