What Can I Give My One Year Old for His Cold?

Updated on November 24, 2012
M.S. asks from Pottsboro, TX
17 answers

I have looked and not been able to find anything i can give my 1 year old for cough and sneezing and runny nose.. Is there anything i can give him to help him get better?

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So What Happened?

Thank you everyone for all of your advice!! My son is doing alot better!!

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L.S.

answers from Houston on

There is no medication that you can/should really give him. I use saline nose drops, humidifier, and lots of fluids. Aspiration helps too if he will let you do that. I know there is Vicks Baby Rub that can help with a cough. I rub it on my older son's feet and put socks on at night, and no coughing. :) Just some ideas. Hope that helps. It's rough for a mom to not be able to fix her baby, but he is young, and his immune system is getting it's workout.

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D.G.

answers from Houston on

saline nasal spray for infants (little noses is a good one) and vaporizer for the room. Do not give cold medicine, it is too dangerous.

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J.P.

answers from Austin on

For my little girl who got her first cold when she was 6 months, I used...

Vicks - on chest, back and neck
Simply Saline (for babies) - sprayed in both nostrils before using aspirator
Nasal aspirator - nose, she didn't like it but I swear it helps keeping the nose cleaned out
Boogie Wipes - for wiping her nose, has Vitamin E, Chamomile & Aloe and is more gentle on the nose and surrounding area
Infant Tylenol - fevers

I still use the same now and she's 19 months. She knows how to blow her nose now but when she's really stuffed up I still use the aspirator. She actually asks for it now that she knows it helps her breath. I swear that keeping her nasal passage as clear as possible helps her recover faster. Also, try to keep his head elevated when he's sleeping so that he's draining properly otherwise he might also develop an ear infection. Good Luck!

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M.D.

answers from Longview on

There are a few things that can make him more comfortable.

1. Pedicare plug-in. It fills the room with a menthol vapor that helps them sleep at night by soothing and helping with the nose. I can really tell the difference on the nights I use it versus the nights I don't.

2. Baby Vicks

3. Humidifier

4. Infant Tylenol or Motrin for help make them fell less awful.

5. Saline rinse such as Little Noses. You squirt saline up his nose to thin the mucus and then suck it out. He will probably hate it, but he will be able to breathe out of his nose for a little while.

Hope he feels better.

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C.T.

answers from Houston on

Since the day my daughter was born, I have only given her saline drops for a cold.

Saline is just salt water which breaks up mucous.

It does not work as fast as meds but you are right, there is nothing out there for little ones.

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D.H.

answers from Houston on

My suggestion to you would be to call the pediatrician and ask. What I used with my children is no longer correct, so it's always best to get a definite from the doctor themselves. Also, what you can use is there is a baby form of vapor rub that is actually more like a vapor lotion. It's not near as strong as the regular vapor rub. You have to be unltra careful with vapor rub because it can actually cause a cold to get worse if it's not used properly. Just be sure to get the one that's for babies. Also try the tylenol and such to help him sleep. But I definitely think you should call your doctor if the baby is really not responding to any of the normal non medication options. I saw the little noses on one of the responses down there and I think that's always a good option as well.

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N.R.

answers from Houston on

He is too young for cold medicines, please don't give them to him they could be dangerous. Most doctors are recommending that you wait until 4 years old to give cold meds and some say 6.

You can use saline nasal drops (I like the Little Noses brand.) You can run a hot shower to create steam and then close the bathroom door and sit in there with him. If he is on cow's milk, you can give him a cup of warm milk before bed for his cough. This sounds really old fashioned, but my doctor told me about it and it really works. It helps my daughter have a good night sleep when she is coughing.

If you are breastfeeding, then keep it up and offer the breast whenever he wants it - this is very comforting for a sick child and can impart some immunity that may reduce the duration of the cold.

Otherwise, the traditional remedies of plenty of rest and plenty of fluids applies.

Hope he feels better soon!

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J.N.

answers from Houston on

I have 4 kids, ages 5, 4, 2, and 1. Every nurse I have ever spoken with has told me that we cannot give our small children cold medicine. All you can do is use saline drops and suck out their nose. Also, you shouldn't do this more than 4 times a day, bc it can make their glands more swollen and make the problem worse. You should drop 2 drops in each nostril, with their heads tilted back, wait 5 min, and suck it out, 1 nostril suck while holding closed the other nostril. When you suck, they should be in a somewhat upright position. Good luck and God bless!

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B.K.

answers from Austin on

Ibuprofin, to reduce any inflammation of the nasal passages and help them stay clear. Also, lots of spraying with saline. My daughter's ENT says that the Ocean's brand is the best. Then suction him out as often as you can. ...but gently so you do not cause further irritation and inflammation. It's a lot more productive if you hold the opposite nostril closed while suctioning. A humidifier would be good to use and you can try to prop his crib mattress up slightly by rolling up a towel and putting it between the mattress and spring. I've never tried this myself because me kids are all over the crib. I'm sure they would have ended upside down.

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N.R.

answers from Houston on

unfortunatley there is nothing you can really give them until they are 4 yrs old...however you can use little noses saline drops and then suck out his nose with an aspirator...that will help with the runny nose and congestion and when our daughter starts to get sick we load her up on orange juice...and limit the dairy products...good luck and i hope he gets better soon!

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W.W.

answers from Austin on

My pediatrician gave me children's Zyrtec for my 1-year-old's cold. 1/2 tsp a day and it takes about 5 days for it to completely work but it really does help! You can buy it over the counter. Lots of fluids too!

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S.C.

answers from Houston on

tylenol/motrin and some benadryl are pretty much all you can have. Some Dr's will also recommend mucinex but you will need to get dosing information from you Dr for benadryl and mucinex.
You can also use saline nasal drops and bulb suction to help clear up his nose.
He cannot have anything else w/o a Rx and there is nothing w/ dosing information for his age and size so please don't buy any cold medicine and try to guess b/c it's really not safe.

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L.W.

answers from San Antonio on

Hi M.,

I am a grandma who lives with 2 of her grandchildren who are 4 year old twins. My daughter works for a pediatrician and her advice would be to call your doctor's office. She has told me numerous times about children under the age of two being over medicated and not all children are the same, even in the same family. Asking your pediatrician assures you that you are getting the best advice for your precious baby boy.

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M.P.

answers from Houston on

It is a personal choice, pediatricians usually do not approve of, but I like and I give my kids homeopatic medicine that you can get at wholefood markets and they do help.

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L.G.

answers from Baton Rouge on

Wat can I give mi one year for a cold?

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M.M.

answers from Houston on

Good Morning M., I usually use the Tylenol cold to help out with some of the symptoms, if they are really bad, but for a more natural approach, I give my son 2-3 warm baths with the Johnson's Vapor bath in it and it makes him feel so much happier and if you will do it when he first wakes up in the morning, and then again right before naptime and then again right before bed, this will help them sleep better. Good luck and I hope your child gets to feeling better.

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A.B.

answers from Houston on

You can also try calling your pediatrician, I recently moved here from Colorado where we had multiply colds a year. Because of the new recommendations on not giving children under 2 OTC cold medicines(of which I 32 and my 9 years old son survived). My now 3 year old had a lot of problems with colds when she was born and they gave me Donatussin. I don't believe it is expensive, I always got samples and never had to get an actual prescription. But we would use that and a very small amount of Vicks(doesn't take much for a little one) and a hot air vaporizor.

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