Cold Season

I suggest putting a cold air vaporizer in his room, to keep the air moist, and if he's really congested, you can elevate the head of his bed slightly by putting a pillow under the mattress. I wouldn't take him to the Dr. unless he spikes a high fever, has trouble breathing, or exhibits any other sudden/alarming symptoms. Try to get some rest!

I am and was going through the same thing. All I give my daughter is allergy meds, when it gets really bad. I spent 3 weeks going to the dr with her, only to be told it's nothing. so, finally before i left, i asked her dr, if and should i give her something for the nose, and cough. he said if i felt she needed it.....2months later...she is still caughing, and has a runny nose. i don't think it's ever going to end. Just hang in there though.

I'm sorry to hear your son is sick. I would not bring my child to the doctors unless absolutely neccessary. If you want to give him medicine at night to help him sleep, I swear by Dimetapp cough and cold. Also, what really works great is a humidifier and I use Vicks Vapor rub for babies. I rub it on my childrens chest and back (I make sure to rub it in really good so it feels warm then I cover them with the blanket. The Vicks really helps them breathe and it is soothing.
All in all, your his mommy and you know what he needs better than anyone else.
Good luck and take care.

hi J.,
my name is kelly and i work in pediatrics and sound familiar of what we have been seeing in the office. i wouldn't bring him in unless he has had fever for more than 48 hrs and above 102.0 degress. he has coomon cold/cough and you can give him some baby medicine called delsyum and it works well for babies help with cough and cold, you will probably havwe to call your doctors office to see how much to give him depending on his weight. if you tell me how much he weighs then i can probably give you a dosage. ok well if you needd more info e-mail is ____@____.com

J.,
I am a second time mom and have found myself in the Dr's office more times than I can count with my 9 months old (I also have a 5 yr old). Understandably it does cost the money and it is quite the hike from your place to the DR, I would say if you ahve that feeling that you might want to bring him, just do it. It will put your mind at ease and you won't have that constant nagging feeling like...What if??? GL!!

Hi J.,
This year is terrible! I have a 14 week old son ( and he's my first) and poor thing has been sick at least 4 times already.. 1st time at 4 weeks old!!
I would say as long as he has no fever and he is eating, pooping and peeing, then dont bother with the doctor. Obviously if things dont seem to be getting better over the next 5 days I would then call the doctor.. Good luck and hope for a happy healthy new year!

J.,

Everytime my son (now 2 1/2) got a cold the Dr.'s would tell me to push the fluids (popsicles) & give Infant Tylenol for aches and pain. Also, you can get a vicks vapor night light to help w/ his breathing. Obviously a cold will have to run it's course, so give if a few days, but if he spikes a fever or shows signs of getting worse, deffinately call your doctor right away. Hope this helps.
A.

Hi J., If your son does not have a fever than it is most likely a cold, and their is not much you can do. When you call the dr office do you speak w/ a nurse? I know with my daughter I call my office for any thing, and everything, and I talk w/ a nurse who I explain her every symptom, then she will tell me if I need to bring her in or she will advise me on what I should do. I would say if he is uncomfortable and you feel he is in pain, then I would just give him baby motrin to make him feel better. Also if he is conjested and caughing then call your dr and speak with a nurse and ask them if their is anything you can give him. But, I feel that I would rather be safe than sorry, so if he does get a fever or you feel that something is really wrong than just take him. I have insurance so it is really never an issue for me. Do you have insurance? If not than you should really try to talk to someone on trying to get your son insured. It is really important. If you can't afford it than look into trying to get him on mass health or something. God forbid he needed to be hospitilized!! Hope this helps a little. Take care.

What I usually do is call up and ask to speak with a nurse. I tell her what's going on. It's always extremely helpful.

Hi I think I would still call the office. My son was actually sick last night and I called and just spoke to the nurse. Good luck

Well my first suggestion is to get a pediatrician that lives closer to you. I understand about the financial situation as well and beleive me you are not alone there. When you call the dr. I would explain that you want to be the best mum you can be however if there is anything you can do before you bring him in and possiby avoid a copay you would appreciate it. it is so improtant to be upfront with the dr about health and finances. I feel very uncomfortable suggesting any medications to you cause i really dont know you or the baby but i would try to keep him cool and plenty of fluid to help with the horse throat and cough. again talk to your dr.
do you live in Auburn mass if so, Dr. Howard Zinman is on Pleasant st in Worcester and is fantastic, try him or his associate. every one there is very easy to talk to, that is where my boys go. best of luck.

I swear by Tylenol Cold and Cough for Infants. It will put him to sleep and ease his symptoms. Within 3-4 days he should be feeling better. You need to ask the Dr. for the dosage though. I forgot what it is for infants.

Good luck!

If I were in your position, I probably wouldn't bring him in right away. I'd give it a couple of days to see if it clears. If he has no fever, it's probably just a cold. I would ask a pharmacist what OTC meds might be best for his symptoms. If it doesn't start to improve by Monday, or gets worse, consider bringing him in (it might ave to be the ER). However, I am NOT a doctor... so go with your gut. The commute from Auburn to Portland can be a pain, especially with a sick child. Would you be interested in recommendations for Docs around here? I've found the CMMC pediatrics office to be very efficient, available, and effective- just an FYI.
Hope you all feel better!

If it continues for a few days then I would definately bring your baby into the dr. He could have an ear infection and you might not know it. When they have a cough and runny nose..the nose sometimes drains into the ears(causing the ear infection) and throat (causing the cough).

Hello It is very frustrating when a baby has a cold. My son who is 1 is always sick with colds. Unless he is uncomfortable and having a hard time breathing I would not bring him in. They are just going to send you home and say he has a cold. You could also call your Doctor's office and ask to speak to a nurse and ask they what over the counter med. you can give him. I found that pedicare nightrest works really great for the night time cough and for during the day I use delsum.. Hope this helps

Hi J.,
Is it possible to call and leave a message on the nurse question line? I know at our pediatrician they have this option and sometimes having the nurse return your call and answer any questions or give reassurance can be helpful!
I hope your son feels better soon!!

I am also a new Mom, I have a son that is going on 7 months old. He was sick a couple of weeks ago, I brought him to the doctor's because he has a very hoarse cough, wasn't sleeping well and seemed congested, they told me it was just a cold but then a few days later it seemed to be getting worse and he seemed to be wheezing a little bit and I brought him back and he had bronchitis and a double ear infection. I would say if your son is very irritable and sounds really congested you may want to bring him to the doctor's again but if you think it's just a cold, you could try Johnson and Johnson's Vapor Bath, it really helped my son to sleep when he was sick. Hope this helps!!

You could try elevating his crib and running a himidifer in his room. When my son was three months old he developed a cough and was really congested. The doctors office recommended that I do the above. I also would put him in his bouncy seat whenever I took a shower. He ended up having a hard time drinking from the bottle so I took him the doctors on a Sunday and he had an ear infection. It was hard to tell he had one because he never got a fever. Pay attention to how he is eating and if you suspect something worse than the average cold go to the doctors!

I like you am the type of person who would rather try and solve the problem than bring them to the doctors all of the time. My kids doctors are in New Hampshire so I really know how you feel. There are many different things to try. I am a big fan of asking the pharmacist of a CVS or Rite Aid, ect, for a recommendation. It is free advice and usually they can guide you in the right direction.