Constant Runny Nose and Cough!

Day care and school are just germ factories - it's so hard to keep them well! Build up his immunity with lots of sleep and good diet. Ask the day care (nicely)what their policies are to help prevent the spread of germs (handwashing regimens, etc.). They probably have things in place but just in case, it might prompt them to do a brief review with their staff. Do you have a humidifer on your furnace? If not, run that vaporizer as much as you can, even if you are moving it from room to room. If the cough is not loose (bringing up mucus) listen to his back. One particularly troublesome year, my daughter had undiagnosed pneumonia and they kept treating it as a cold until my mom did this and pronounced it pneumonia and she was right! Good luck, I know they don't like to give antibiotics any more so he is building up his own resistance but I know it's tough on both of you!

could it be asthma??

Have you been referred to an ENT specialist? My son was the same way and tubes were our saving grace.

Does he get enough Vitamin C? Berries, oranges, clementines, etc.? If not you may want to get a supplement, they make liquid that you can mix with a drink or in his food or just give it out of a spoon. It's pretty yummy. Also Vitamin D3 is important for immunity, also comes in liquid if he's not getting enough (and at this time of year it's hard to get enough). Probiotics help the immune system as well and so do omegas. Try boosting his immune system and see if that doesn't help some. For the cough in the meantime, try honey or mix some eucalyptus oil with olive oil and rub it onto his feet then put socks on him. I promise it helps. Good luck with your little guy!

I just heard something on one of the news shows the other day. It was about "winter allergies". Most people think that because it's cold there are no allergies, not true. Actually in the winter there is still alot of dust being kicked around from your furnace, things that grow more in dry air than in humid air.

They said that if symptoms go on for more than 10-14 days, more than likely it is allergies or from the dry air. Humidity in your house drops to 10% or less in winter, that in turn causes your membranes in your nose and sinuses to swell causing snotty and congested noses. They also said use a humidifier (Vick's makes a great one that you use the liquid Vicks stuff with it) and saline drops.

However, you can't expect this to work overnight. You've got to give it time once you start doing these things.