Runny Nose - El Reno,OK

I also have a little one that has always had allergies and stuffy nose, we finally started using Zyrtec it's an over the counter allergy medicine and it has really helped. My son is 3 now I don't know at what age you could start the Zyrtec, might ck with his Dr. to see. Good luck and just remember it does get better, their little systems are just working out all the kinks.

I would smear some vicks baby rub on a receiving blanket (something that I did not care that would leave a grease stain) and put it under the crib sheet about in the middle of the crib. Also I would buy the Johnson and Johnson vicks shower body wash and that always gave my son relief to sleep through the night.

Hey--I didn't read all of the responses, so someone may have mentioned this already, but my son is 10 months old now and Zyrtec has always given him horrible nightmares. We are using benadryl now but I am about to ask the Dr. about Claritin because we need more relief than what the benadryl is offering but we WILL NOT EVER take Zyrtec again. No one slept while we were on that med. It did clear up his runny nose, but it was not at all worth it with so many other options out there.

It is my understanding that the idea that dairy causes the body to produce excess mucus is a myth - unless there is an allergy. I have 3 kids and, especially at this time of year, 3 weeks with a runny nose was a common occurence. As long as it's not green - it is really more of a hassle than something to be worried about. Keep up the vaporizer and to help sleep at night we often use either Vicks vapor rub (you can put it on a baby's feet and get a good effect) and/or "vapor plugs." They plug into the wall and then you insert little strips - it gives off a menthol-smelling vapor. We still use them every time my kids have a cold. You can also try Mucinex which helps to thin the mucus. There is likely to still be runny nose but he won't be so stuffed up. Other than that - keep up the fluids and just grin and bear it through the fall and winter seasons. It gets better the older they get!

I feel your pain. My son came home from the hospital with the runny nose. He is 17 months old and on his second set of tubes! He keeps a runny nose. We too have tried the benedryl, humidifier, vaporizer, suctioning, and saline drops. I have suggested allergies to his pediatrician and two other ENT doctors. I finally took him for allergy testing this month--kinda on my own and finally at the approval of the pediatrician. Yep, allergic to dogs. We had a dog in the house for a couple of months, and the previous owners had three inside. We are now doing nasonex everyday and zyrtec on his problem days---he is sooo much better. We have also cleaned all of our carpets again, and sprayed with a special order spray to help rid the pet dander. I have a friend who went through the same thing I did. He tested (last week), and he is positive for dog, cat and also insect bites. They also had two dogs and two cats inside the home. Sometimes you just have to do what you think is right for your baby, and overstep the pediatrician. Don't get me wrong I love ours, but they don't see the baby 24/7 like you do. Use your own instict---it is usually right! Good luck.

C.,

My son was born on January 9, so he is almost as old as yours. We started day care a couple of months ago and he started picking up viruses. His nose clears up and he stops coughing for a while and soon he picks something up again. Doctors have been telling me that he is building up his immunity... What I do is what my mom used to do to me and my two other siblings. She used to draw iodine grids on our noses and chests where the mucus collects. Iodine is antiseptic. As it goes through your skin, it breaks bacteria apart and prevents it from multiplying. I do it before he goes to bed and in the morning. It helps my son but not always.

Hope it helps,

M.

If I were u I would take my child to see another doctor. It cannot be viral. Your child may have a severe sinus infection. Or he maybe allergic to something he comes in contact with everyday. Try using the allergen sheets/pillows for his bed linen. But I strongly suggest u c another physician.

C.:
You have to take all other loads off the immune system and the biggest one in today's world is the diet. Two of the biggest food allergens are wheat and dairy so if you can restrict these foods for a couple of weeks, he'll clear right up. Focus on rice, fruits and veggies and stay away away away from dye, preservatives and little crackers/cookie treats. Read every label and don't give him any artificial colors or any chemical compounds that are unfamiliar. And if it were me, there would be NO wheat at all for a while.

Another load on the immune system is electromagnetic stress from TV's, cell phones,overhead wires and possibly cell towers. You can take electrical items out of his room as well to lessen the burden.

Other more common sense things would be to keep chemicals out of the house and use clean washing products like 20 Mule Team Borax and get rid of the fabric softener.

Anyway, you get the picture! When my son was 9 months old he started having trouble with his immune system. So instead of focusing on the snot, focus on his immune system and it will be quick and easy.

Good luck.

Cut out dairy and sugar (including juice) from diet.
Dairy triples the mucus production and sugar lowers the immune system.

We found a product called Xclear that works very well.
It's natural and made from Xylitol.

You can price compare online to find the best deal.
Or call a local health food store and see if they carry it.
Don't know where you live but Everman's in Pensecola gave us a sample that we used for quite sometime before having to purchase a bottle.

For little people, get the one that is in a squeeze bottle... not the one that sprays up the nose.

A few drops in each nostril a couple of times a day works wonders for us during the yucky cold season.

Let us know what works for you!

Could it be a milk allergy? It was for my son.

Go to a different doctor. It sounds like he has a sinus infection which will not fix itself. I took my daughter to one of those quack doctors that tell you your body will heal itself and then bills your insurance companies. He told my the same thing, she has a virus. A week later she was worse I took her to a different doctor. Turns out letting her try to heal herself caused her to develop a good case of pneumonia and she ended up having to have a stronger antibiotic than she would have if treated immediately. Good luck

How long ago did you take your son in to the doctor? I give my sons about 7-10 days then I take them to the ENT. I skip the pediatrician. They just pick up other germs from the doctor visit and I walk out with - it is viral!

Oldest had tubes at 3 mos., second has lots of diagnosed allergies. Both had their tonsils out as preschoolers. My older one rarely gets sick (7). Younger one is currently on antibiotics and will be (on and off) from Sept until April due to all those allergies. The other day, ENT said sinus infection and bulging eardrums - second set of tubes are out.
He is also on an antihistimine EVERY night and nasal spray. Zyrtec is great - he using something different due to problems with very difficult eczema.

I DO NOT like the antibiotics but know from the past that the younger one will not get better until he gets them. The older one would have a runny nose only then another visit to the doctor a day or two later he would have an infection. They will give you antibiotics for the ear infection but not the sinus infection (in my experience).

My younger son had NO runny nose until he was 9 mos old - this was the month of Sept, too.

I agree with the other responders that diet plays a large role in health. My son was allergic to a lot of the food that we were giving him and food passed along in breast milk but was not tested until he was about 18 mos old. Egg whites were a big problem for him. They are in baby foods. I would have sworn milk or wheat - but he is okay now with that.

Guess my point is - mom's intuition means a lot. Doctor's do not like to give antibiotics and that is great but sometimes your child needs them to move on and feel better. If all the natural suggestions do not work soon take him back to your doctor and be more assertive or try an ENT. Good luck!

We used to run the humidifer with our son a good bit because we thought we were doing the right thing. His doctor told me I was probably running it too much and making the air too damp. I stopped using it and would only use it when he was stuffy nosed, not runny. The old Vicks sauve works nearly better than anything for stuffy noses still today. I put him on a daily non-drowsy antihistamine and it does help to dry them up. He has terrible allergies and they are just as bad in the fall as in the spring. He's already been on meds. for congestion, runny and stuffy nose during this month. Good luck!

Hi C.,

Anything could be the cause of your little guy's runny nose from household cleaners, the air everyone breathes, to his diet. Their little immune systems just are not developed to withstand everything thrown their way.

Do you have him on a good vitamin?
http://www.shaklee.net/thewrightplace/prodNutChild
(For him, I would recommend the VitaLea Infant)

If he's been on antibiotics, he more than likely needs to have the good bacteria put back into his little body:
http://www.shaklee.net/thewrightplace/product/20639 (When the digestive system is out of whack, any number of symptoms can occur.)

Here's a link to check the safety of your personal care and cleaning products:
http://www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/index.htm

Listed below are only a few of the chemicals to be aware of:
• Sodium hydroxide
• Hydrochloric acid
• Butyl cellosolve (2-Butoxyethanol)
• Formaldehyde
• Bleach (sodium hypochlorite)
• Ammonia
• Sulfamic acid
• Petroleum distillates
• Sulfuric acid
• Lye (potassium hydroxide)
• Morpholine

If you have any questions, feel free to email me directly at ____@____.com

Hope I've been of some help,
~V~
PS I also highly recommend the book Green Goes With Everything by Sloan Barnett http://www.GreenGoesWithEverything.com (It's available at amazon.com) The green products she shows under her sink can be learned about at http://www.GreenHealthyClean.com

my son has had the same problam for a few weeks now. i was told all u can do is wait it out.. i hate when the doc says that. but its starting to get better. have u tryed taking his to a ears nose and throt doctor?

but i was wondering how has ur 9 mo. old started school? hes to young

There is a cold tea you can get at Wal-Mart. I know this sounds too simple to work, but I promise it works.
It is called Cold Remedy Tea--it is Celestial Seasonings, I think. Anyhoo--it WILL do the trick. Just make as directed and let cool. There's nothing in it that would harm your baby. Kellymom is a great site to check on it, though, if you're worried about the ingredients.
Other GREAT remedies:
***Some vitamin C drops--(you can look up the info on how much is ok on most natural sites.)
***RAW apple cider vinegar (a 1/2 tsp or so in some warm water with something to sweeten it. I use equal amounts ACV and honey--but you CAN'T give honey until after 1 year of age.
Plain, organic sugar will work--a little won't hurt ; )
***FRESH sqeezed orange juice--this won't hurt baby, either. Very good for the tummy (the acids in citrus are only acid OUTside the body--they help alkalize once in the tummy--so don't worry about upset stomach.)
Baby will be fine. I tell everyone--if you're worried, you're a great mommy!!

Blessings,
H.

Try elevating his head when he sleeps. My son has had snotty nose for about half his life. Not all at once of course, but it would come and go. I would do all the saline drops and the benedryl and suck all the snot out. The head elevation just helps to keep it from clogging in his head and will help to keep him from getting an ear infection. That's not something that's fun to deal with and I'm sure it's even more horrible from his point of view. My son got one when he had a stuffy nose and we didn't even know since he never cried or complained. It was as red as a fire truck by the time the doctor told me he had an ear infection.

My daughter is two and I think we had the same problem as you and your 9 month old. If my daughter had a runny nose for to long it seemed like everytime she had an ear infection. Eventually we got tubes which helped sooo much. My first suggestion is to just make sure she dosen't have an ear infection. My second piece of advice is that if you think it it allergies use zyertec it worked wonderful for us and we have been using it since before it was over the counter. I hope this helps with the problem.

Did the doctor prescribe Nasonex? I am surprised the Benadryl didn't dry up some of it. Is the doctor sure it's a virus?

If you are breasfeeding, keep it up. If he takes a bottle, don't put him to bed with it, unless it is water. You don't want the dairy to seep into his sinuses while sleeping. To cure or help avoid an ear infection, gently simmer a few cloves of garlic in about 1 cup of olive oil for about 20 minutes. Cool it to a comfortably warm temp. Discard the garlic and pour oil into a dropper bottle. Use these drops in the baby's ears. Store it in the frig, warm the bottle in a mug of hot water. I have used this for all my children and myself and it always works. You can also get liquid echinacea to give to the baby.