19 Month Old Really Sick

I agree with all the others. Just wanted to add that you can try making a weak, decaf/herbal tea, add an ice cube after steeping to cool it off a bit, but it should still be warm, then let him sip (if he's willing). My dd took to tea very easily .they have kids teas that are fruit flavored herbal teas. Great alternative to juice, and the warmth really helps soothe the throat and loosen up the chest congestion. Also at this age it's a great idea to fill the pedi in on what's going on. The air tubes are still small, things can go from mild to severe in a relatively short period of time. good luck!

Hi W.,
I would hesitate to use cough med on a baby. It is not really that safe for little ones. Do you have any eucalyptus oil? If so, add some to a little bit of veg oil and rub it on his chest. Much better than vicks because it actually is healing rather than just masking the symptoms. Does he have a croupy cough? It sounds like a seal bark, sort of. If so, keep a good eye on him. It indicates that his breathing tube is swollen, causing the barking. Definitely do not give cough meds in this case as they inhibit the coughing, which is critical for clearing his throught. Try the steam shower again. Then, take him outside (bundled if it is cold) to get some cool air. The steam loosens the phlegm in his throat, and the cool air helps his lungs expell it. You are right about honey. No baby under 2 should have honey at all. Keep the {clean} humidifier running all night. If you have a heater on, it can exasperate the cough as it is very drying and hard on the respiratory system. He needs the moisture in the air. Diffuse eucalpytus oil if possible.
I hope this helps!

He might have croup, in which case a visit to the doctor is in order...especially if you hear him wheezing in between coughs. He might need a steroid shot to reduce the swelling in his airways.

Awwww poor baby! It would not be a bad idea to visit the doctor. In case you have, and he said to "run its course," then I have some suggestions. I think it's important to keep them hydrated, so lots of water. This is my grandmother's remedy, sounds strange but it seems to help. Rub vapor rub on your baby's chest (they also have baby rub if regular vapor rub is too strong or causes discomfort), place some newspaper where you applied the vapor rub, try and bandage it so it won't move around, put a onesy on, and pijamas. Just let it sit there for a couple of hours. For some reason it works miracles. This is an old trick from the beginning of last century in Mexico. A friend of mine from the Philipines recommended rubbing vapor rub on the soles of the feet. You could do the newspaper thing on the feet as well. Put socks on. She explained something about the feet being connected to our organs and stuff (sorry I just know it works). You can try rubbing some vapor rub on his neck as well. I don't know if he will drink orange juice but this is another one of my grandmom's remedies. This works great with colds as well. You need: one cup of freshly squeezed orange juice (not from bottles), two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, two tablespoons of honey (since your little one can't have honey maybe some corn syrup, agave syrup, or sugar will do). The secret is to boil ingredients together then have him drink it warm (not hot!). It does not taste bad at all, actually, it's yummy. Have you tried giving him a warm bath with http://www.thefind.com/family/browse-johnsons-soothing-vapor (sorry I rather show a picture)? It seems to help as well. But more than anything, lots of TLC!!!!

Call the 24/7 nurse's hotline through your local hospital. They'll be able to triage over the phone to see if he needs to be brought into the ER tonight, be seen tomorrow, or just be treated at home AND they'll be able to give you the correct dose per weight/severity of his symptoms plus other non-med treatments.

Take him to the doctor. He sounds like he is having trouble getting over it on his own. It doesn't hurt to go see the the doc even if it's just to confirm that he is okay. I took my baby a few weeks ago just to make sure she just had a cold only to find out that she had bronchitis and a double ear infection. She also has a nebulizer for breathing treatments...maybe your little guy needs that. It helped with her cough. The doc said she could her wheezing when listening with her scope even though I could not hear any with my ears. Better safe than sorry.

if he is congested you should not be giving a cough med (you shouldn't be giving cold meds to children under 4 anyways) he needs to cough. Prop him up at night, vicks, humidifier, unfortunately there isn't much else you can do for a sick baby.

Have you bee to the Dr at all? He may have croup and sometimes they cannot get over it by themselves and they need some meds.

If you can hear him wheeze when he breathes, it could be bronchiolitis or even pnuemonia--which means he'll need medical attention. Young children are particularly vulnerable to pneumonia, so I wouldn't suggest postponing taking him in.

Hi,

I would suggest that you get him in to see his pediatrician or get him to the emergency room. He could have just a virus, but it sounds like something else is going on. I would keep the humidifier going to keep the moisture in the air. I hope that he feels better really soon!

I. K.

Take him to the doctor.

Please call and visit your ER!! Please do not wait for internet advice.

Cough suppressants are not a good idea if he is congested. If he is coughing up phlegm he NEEDS to get that out. Supressing the cough can lead to pnuemonia because the fluid stays in the lungs. This actually happened to me as a child - my parents gave me Triaminic hoping it would stop the coughing and let me sleep.. and I ended up with pneumonia. So lesson learned - only use cough suppressants when its a dry cough.

Have you done the good old fashioned nasal saline solution and a bulb to suck out the mucous? It's not pretty but it really works. Nasal saline is cheap and the bulb syringe is a pretty standard baby item. Just put a few drops in his nose, squeeze the air out of the bulb and then put it in his nostril and quickly release. It basically "blows" the childs nose... just in reverse.. by sucking out all that gunk.

When you say "Vicks baby" -- do you mean the Vapo Rub? Thats a winner at my house. I put it right under my kids nose and even on the end of his nose. It helps protect the skin from getting raw from the drainage and rubbing it with a tissue too.

You said you have a humidifier -- they have menthol you can add to humidifiers to help when they have a cold. You could ask a pharmacist about this.

There aren't many medicines that are "ok" for 2 and under over the counter. Last I checked Dr. Sears website still had what dosages to use of the childrens medicines. Please, please be so careful whatever you give him - the reason all of the infant cold medicines were pulled were from people overdosing their kids. Medicine, even stuff over the counter, is only "safe" if used in correct doses. I would look for a decongestant for kids and possibly an antihistamine. Sometimes our sinuses get inflamed and irritated and it becomes a cycle - drainage because its inflamed, it stays inflamed from all the drainage.

Sorry your baby is sick. Hope he gets better quickly.

Either page your Ped which we can do on the weekends or go to ER-it can be a number of things-ear infection,pneumonia,etc. Please do not sit around waiting for advice. L.:)