Baby Colds

If he has a stuffy nose and its causing him to choke and cough...my doc said to use saline solution and a bulb sucker(the thing they use to suck the mucus out when the baby is first born)...my daughter is 2 almost 3 and i still use it...the saline loosens the mucus in her nose....i also used a humidifier or the vicks vaporizor with the vicks medicine...that even helps me out when i am sick.

hi there... i can appreciate the first cold.. its horrible when all you really want is for them to blow and thats just not possible. my daughter (4 yrs old) just now is blowing effectively. tylenol was and still is good to me..i gave her the cold formula one and it also made her sleep which was good. i would also put her in the bathroom and i would take a really hot shower and that helped break things up a bit (and i got to shower at the same time, yippie) and then i used my sucky thing in her nose. i am an assist loan officer and i can appreciate how hard it is to do our kind of work and tend to a sick baby... good luck!

Oh, N.! I feel for you. My 4 month old has already had two colds this season--I think we've been passing it back and forth. Here's what I did:

-let him sleep sitting upright, in a bouncy seat or a swing, so it's easier to breathe.
-Use a cool-mist humidifier, or a vaporizer. You might try the vicks plug-ins, but sometimes they irritate more than help. Whatever you do, don't use the vicks vapo-rub, even the baby kind. It irritates their skin and doesn't help more than the whole-room kind.
-If you don't want to get a vaporizer or humidifier, take him in the bathroom, shut the door, and run the hot water in the shower until the bathroom gets steamy. That should help loosen his congestion so it'll sneeze out. (You could also try the sucky thing, but I never do--I'm not good at it, my son hates it, and our doctor says it's not effective enough to make it worth annoying the babies as much as it does. :-))
-Encourage lots of sleep, and don't go out a lot. Even low-key stuff can be exhausting, and makes colds linger.

Our first cold lasted 3-4 days, and we're on day 3 with the second one (which now includes an eye infection...*sigh*) but they DO pass. Good luck!

(And yes, it IS hard dealing with a sick baby when you're also trying to work. But you do your best, and everything turns out okay. I'm back at work now (I'm an attorney) and while our being sick has made things more difficult, I've found that we can soldier through. So can you!!!)

The humidifier is the way to go. When my son gets sick, I put his on and it really breaks up the mucus and helps him breath. It will probably make his nose even more runny for the first couple days but it will be much easier for him to breath at night.

N.,

My daughter at 19 months old has battled colds since she was 3 months old and in daycare full time. It is very hard to hear them suffer but we found that the cool mist humidifier which we run in her room everynight even when she is not sick, is a huge help. When she was younger and really congested and coughing she would sleep for a week at at time or more in her swing and slept very well in it. I also use the ocean nasal spray along with the nasal syringe throughout the day and it is amazing what you can clean out of them!!! Gerber makes a vapor bath that she really enjoys and I find it very relaxing.

If his throat is really congested you may want to be careful with formula if he is bottle fed because it can thicken the mucus and make it more uncomfortable for them.

Most important just a lot of TLC and rest!!! Good luck!

K.

Hi N.,

Poor little baby. I would recommend keeping an eye on it to make sure the cold doesn't develop into anything else like an ear infection or chest cold. My doctor would tell me (if it was just a cold) to use the ocean mist nasal spray and nasal syring 3 times a day (you don't want to use it too often or you could do more harm than good), a cool mist humidifier and regular tylenol. That's about all you can do at this age. Hopefully he is feeling better soon! Welcome Fall/Winter :o(

S.

The cool-mist humidifier is great. Mine are 3 years and 20 months and ask for it if they aren't feeling good. I try to avoid any meds unless they are having difficulties sleeping. A low temp helps fight the germs so it's not all bad as long as it doesn't get too crazy. Vicks makes a vapor rub that is safe from 3 months - mine like that too. Just rub a little on his chest and throat to help open things up to make breathing easier. Sleeping upright is helpful too. We always found that the swing or carseat worked better for us than propping up one side of the mattress (from the underside of course to be safe) - they always seemed to slide down and end up at the bottom of the crib on a flat area. Lots of TLC and you can't do enough fluids (primarily breastmilk or formula) but by 5 months he should be ok with a little water too to help get things flowing.

My 6 month old had the same problem and we used saline solution and a suction bulb to help her breathe. Watch for signs this may be more than a simple cold, though..hers turned into a double ear infection and she hardly had any symptoms. Trust your instinct and don't worry about what the pediatrician thinks. I can honestly say, "Mommy knows best". With my 3 year old, I felt like I took her to the Dr. every month when she was a baby..and she always had either an ear or sinus infection. My litle girl is fianlly able to breathe and eat simultaneously..and you baby will get better soon too!!]

S.

N. I have a 6 month old and she too had a cold but the doctors say to give them nothing. I don't like hearing my child cough like she does so if you hear anything please let me know
good luck

N.

Nurse as much as he will go for, and run a vaporizer in your bedroom with some menthol/eucalyptus stuff in it (that Vicks stuff in a bottle, should be sold near the vaporizers). Hope he's feeling better soon.