Cold Remedy?

Updated on October 23, 2007
S. asks from Saint Louis, MO
16 answers

Any good tried and true help for infants with colds? Since the cold meds have been taken off the market, I don't want to use them anymore (even though my pediatrician gave me the ok prior to). Please help, my baby is so stuffy and congested with a nasty cough. Thank you :)

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So What Happened?

Well, my little man is finally getting over his cold. Thank you for all your recommendations. They were very helpful. We used the vapor bath, then I put the Johnson's Vapor Lotion on his chest and we plugged in a vaporizer in his room. This worked really well last night especially. He slept from 8 until 7 this morning! Thanks again ~ S.

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M.L.

answers from Rockford on

The only thing I can think of is saline for his nose. Other than that just keep suctioning out his nose.

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T.L.

answers from Peoria on

Dear S.,
This is an old wives tale.....however, I've tried it on myself and my 4 kids and for some odd reason, it seems to help out when we are all stuffed up and runny with colds......put vicks vapor rub on the bottom of each foot and then put socks on......some how it helps!!!!!!! Good luck!!!! Johnson's also has a vapor bath soap that can be used on babies to help out with colds as well. Sincerely, T.

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C.M.

answers from St. Louis on

Try vicks vapor rub. Also give a really warm bath with the johnsons soothing vapors baby wash, then apply the vicks. Keep a cool mist vaporizor on in the room where baby is. I know it's hard when the little ones are sick, call your doctor if things worsen. Good Luck!

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G.R.

answers from St. Louis on

Hi S.,

As a mom that's gone through quite a few colds with my daughter who is 16 months, there's not much you really can do for them. I found that she sleeps best with a humidifier in her room and a little bit of Vick's rubbed on her chest. They have an infant formula & she's even gotten a full night's sleep with just those two items. Now if your little one has a fever, my pediatrician recommended alternating Motrin & Tylenol within the alotted dosage times. We were told early on that the cold meds for babies should not be used and these are the main products we use to help her out. There's going to be some time of being uncomfortable for him, but I found the humidifier to be the best. We use a fairly inexpensive one by Vick's that is just a basic.

Good luck & I hope he gets to feeling better soon.

G.

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B.A.

answers from St. Louis on

I don't know about tried and true, but I would try taking him in the bathroom while your husband showers (not in the shower, but just in the room) and the moist heat may help to loosen his congestion.

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K.C.

answers from Peoria on

Vapor baths, vapor plug in, cold water humidifier, and baby Vicks. Your local natural store should sell a homeopathic medicine called C Plus for babies. Check them out. They are little tablets that dissolve under the tongue. This is how I have treated my, now 2 year old son, every time he gets a cold. We also have a nebulizer that we use when he gets any kind of cough, of course with my doctor's okay.

I hope he feels better, poor little thing.

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J.G.

answers from St. Louis on

Ocean Saline Nose Drops -4x a day really helps dry up the mucus. Make sure baby is sitting up when applied because it will drip into their mouth a lil bit. WARM apple juice, or if they are over 6mos- you can use that vicks baby vapor bath & the vapor rub on their chest which works great too! Good luck!

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S.S.

answers from St. Louis on

My daughter is 6 months old and what I have been doing is running a cool mist humidifier in her room at night, frequently aspirating her nose, using the Vick's baby rub on her chest and back and the Johnson's head to toe with vapor in it at bath time. I have also read that you can elevate one end of the crib mattress, but I didn't try that because my daughter rolls around too much through the night. Our doctor also suggested an over the counter nasal spray for infants.

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J.D.

answers from St. Louis on

Ok....as a mom of 4 who took this advice from her pediatrician who is also a mom. This might be tough to do but boy does it sure work!
A lot of people recommend the ocean spray drops but this worked a 1000's time better.

Using a nose syringe, fill it will a little bit of regular warm water and squeeze it into their nose. You will be amazed at all the mucus and junk that comes out. Like I said, it is hard to do, because your baby won't like itat all. However, once you lift them up, they can actually breathe out of their nose with a little smile on their face.

What I would do is take a little bit of luke warm tap water and put into a cup, using the bulb syringe, squeeze just a little into the syringe and then squeeze the water out into their nose. You don't have to use a lot of water....just a little bit. After a while you get pretty good as figuring out how much water to use. Be prepared to see some muscus fly out of their little nose.

While it was hard to do the first few times, it sure got easier when I could see the immediate results of the mucus actually coming out of their nose and them being able to breathe.

Then I also used all the other advise you have been given with the vaporizer, etc. Another thing you can do is wrap up a blanket to put under the mattress of the bed so that it raises one side of the mattress up a little bit. The gravity helps the muscus drain downward as well.

Good luck...I know it is not fun when they have a cold.

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M.H.

answers from Springfield on

I use saline drops for my daughters runny nose, it seems to help. Also, keep the house a little cool and run the humidifier in his room. I do give my daughter benadryl at nite to help control the flow of gunk and stop her cough, so she (and I) can at least get a little sleep. We are going thru this all right now. Getting ready to give the warm bath and encourage her to stay in as long as she wants. That seems to thin out the mucus. Good Luck!

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C.B.

answers from Peoria on

Though my children are 14 and 23 yrs old,our pediatrician said to use the ocean spray which is salt and water which drys up the nose and you can make it yourself but I would look on the internet for the recipe it has been to long for me.Also we always used the humidifier at night andthat also helped.I hope this helps .

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D.G.

answers from Springfield on

My 5 year old takes Aussie Pals vitamins that I get from a wholesale club and I am very happy to say that he is rarely ill, I would say to put her in the bathroom and sit while the hot shower water fills the room this may help relieve some discomfort even for a little while. If you would like to know where to get the vitamins , email me. Store nutritional supplements only gives your body 8-12% of what it needs on a daily basis, my family gets 80-85% and we stay well. Good luck
D.
www.changestores.info

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A.T.

answers from Rockford on

S.,

I give my son a warm bath before bed to thin the mucous. Several times throughout the day, I sit with him in the bathroom with the door closed and the shower running hot to steam him. That helps a lot, too. I also use Baby Simply Saline, which gives a nice, controlled mist spray. Be carefuly with suctioning his nose too much, as it can produce nose bleeds. I would also recommend talking to a nurse at your doctor's office about cold meds. I think the problem with them was due to parents using medicine cups not given with the product. If he's really miserable, the nurse or doctor may give you the OK.

Hope he feels better soon.

A.

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J.F.

answers from Champaign on

S. -

I use the baby vicks salve (it is different from the adult), a cool mist humidifier, saline nose drops to loosen the snot and a nasal aspirator. Of course my daughter hates the aspirator, but it helps!I also gave her some polyvisol for extra vitamin C. It still took week to get over it...

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R.B.

answers from St. Louis on

a long as its just a cold it will run its course about 2 weeks i would just give tylenol and let it run its course to help build up his ammunity to all the junk thats coming his way. I dont believe in all that medicating anyway.And give plenty of fluids and rest Good luck

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M.L.

answers from Columbia on

I've always been told there isn't much to give a baby that age. That the cold meds aren't of benefit anyway. Something that has helped a bit for us are those Sudafed vapor plugs (I think that's what they are called). You put a cartridge into it and plug it in by their crib. It actually works good for when adults have colds too - helps alleviate the stuffiness when trying to sleep.

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