My poor 6 mo daughter has a nasty cold. I'm not sure where she got it from, but I just heard that her 8 mo cousin is also sick and we spent a lot of time together 2 weeks ago, so who knows. Anyways... She has a nasty wet cough and her nose is constantly running (luckily its clear and not green). We saw her pediatrician yesterday for her 6 month check up and were unable to receive the shots because of the cold. She had bronchiolitis when she was 3 mo and her doctor prescribed an albuterol inhaler. Yesterday her doctor told me to use saline drops when needed and the inhaler every 4-6 hours. I also have a humidifier in her room when she sleeps, and she is luckily sleeping very well (unlike when she had bronchiolitis). My husband is concerned about her cough and telling me to give her cold medicine (we have some that came in a kit before the FDA banned it). I'm looking for any recommendations on how to soothe her cough and deal with the constant flow from her nose.
A. ~
Suggest that you don’t give her any ‘other’ meds for the next 48 hours- if she does not improve call the peds office back and tell them all the systems and what happened when you were there. THEY will suggest what to do from there. ** IF she worsens, call them right away <spike in fever/rash etc.> Hope she feels better.
Sometimes you need to let the cold run it's course. Sure, the symptoms probably sound terrible but I bet it is worse for you than it is for her.
You've done all the right things: talking to the pediatrician, using the saline drops and the humidifier, and giving her TLC. Babies cannot blow their nose, so it isn't terribly uncommon for the nose to run. Also, when they sleep the fluids can back up in the throat, causing them to cough more at night.
Be patient and let it run its course. If she gets a fever or the mucous turns yellow or green, then call your pediatrician.
My 2.5 yr old and 4 month old just got over this nasty cold bug that is going around (as well as I got it too). It takes a good 2 weeks to get out of the system. Same symptoms that you described - deep bronchial cough, constant runny nose, and no energy. My doctor said it is just a cold, and it has to run it's course. My 2.5 yr old was able to take robitussin, but my 4 month old could take nothing. It was horrible to see him suffer. He was coughing so hard, he was shaking and moaning in his sleep. My doctor said the best thing was to continue nursing him because my antibodies would fight off the cold. But then I got sick. I used Vick's Vapor Rub (my mom heard rubbing it on the feet of babies help??) I also used a warm mist humidifier every night. I just had to tell my 2.5 yr old to not go near it, in fear of burning. Good luck, cause this is a nasty bug going around.
Don't give her cold medicine. If you want to give her something, try Infant Tylenol. It works really well to help relieve symptoms. I would just let her go. I know the coughing is irritating (for you and her) but it serves a purpose. As long as it is a productive cough and not a dry hacking cough, let it be. If you do decide to give her cold medicine, don't give her any other medicine. Most cold medicines have acetametophine (sp) in them and that's the main ingredient in Tylenol. You can give her an overdose if you give cold medicine and Tylenol. Make sure to call her pedi for the correct dosage as well.
I wouldn't give cold medicine. The reason that she coughs and nose runs is that the body is fighting the infection, pushing the germs out with all the mucous. When you give a cold medicine that dries everything up it leaves the germs sitting around in the nose and chest and leaves one more vulnerable to pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus infections because other bacteria cannot be pushed out. This is the same reason we shouldn't always treat a fever- a low grade fever is generally not dangerous but can be deadly to viruses and bacteria- if we make it go away we lose that protective measure.
Cold medicines do nothing to heal the cold, only to treat the symptoms. Your doctor's advice should help her feel a little better without compromising her body's ability to heal itself. Good luck , it's hard to see your little one sick.
Try a little baby vics vapor rub on her chest at night under her jammies. Sometimes that will help give them a little relief. She will be well soon. Good luck!
