2 Month Old Ill

I had the same thing happen to me when my son was 2 months old. I used lil noses saline drops to help ease the congestion. It really works well to start the process of getting all of the mucus out. I also bundled him up (hat and a big blanket) and sat outside in the cold air for about 5-10 minutes. I would ask a doctor before doing this...it helped us, but I would hate to make anything worse for you!

One thing my pediatrician told me to do when my baby (who was 6 months old at the time) had RSV was to put baby vics on the bottoms of her feet and cover them with socks before bed time. It really helped loosen everything up and helped her sleep a lot better. Another pointer she gave me was how to suction a nose the right way and be productive in doing so. She told me to put Saline in the nostril, plug the other side of the nose and stick the bulb in and tip it towards the inside of head. I was AMAZED at the difference one little angle of the bulb did for the suction.

Best of Luck!

Hey Sister,
I think after having read your letter that you are a GREAT MOM!! It seems like you are doing everything you should be doing and your son is lucky to have you!! It is why moms get grey hair, because we worry like we moms do. Keep up the great job, hang in there......

just a suggestion-rotate children's tylenol then chlidren's motren every four hours (tylenol, four hours, motren). also put wet washclothes on his forehead, in armpits, and between the legs because they are heat points.

saline drops in the nose to help it stay nunny and not stuffy??

Hi,

Our little guy got his first cold when he was about this age. Although he didn't have a fever, he was very very congested. I would take him in the hottest shower I could make and turn the water so it wouldn't get on us, and just let him breathe in all of that steam. We would stand for about 20 minutes and then I would put him back to bed - at night, or hold him upright during the day. We also used tiny drops of saline - maybe one per nostril and one of those suckers they give you when you come home from the hospital. I have also heard of other mothers who put Vicks on THEIR chests and hold the baby against them so the baby can breathe the vapors but it won't actually touch their skin. I'm telling you - it's hard, and you'll feel like you've been drug through a knot hole backwards.......but staying up and standing with them in the shower really really helps. Good luck!!

Lots of great ideas so far - I will agree with many and maybe throw out another idea.

First off, I agree to really stay on top of your son's fever. That's a sure sign that your little one is fighting something, and should not be overlooked.

The saline drops in their noses and aspirating the mucus from baby's nose is a good place to start with helping him to breathe better. Humidifiers are great, especially if you're in a dry climate.

One thing we have found to be SO helpful are the Sudafed Plug Ins. They give off a Vicks-like vapor and is not medicine that is ever ingested. All three of my daughters have had great success with these, and it has helped them to sleep. I would try that!

Another strange thing I have found is to put Infant Vicks rub on the bottom of baby's feet. Then cover feet with socks or footy-pj's. It sounds crazy, but I have had a LOT of people tell me that it helps with coughing and breathing as well.

It's so tough, and you hate to see your family have such a tough time. Wash hands all the time!

Hang in there - hopefully it will pass soon enough. Can't promise, but hope some of these ideas work for you. Always talk to your pediatrician if you have any questions about anything - they are used to parents having lots of questions, and you'll feel better checking in with them as a mom.

Our family uses the wet sock treatment. It will bring down a fever without meds and can help clear congestion. With cold water, wet and wring out some socks and put them on, then put a dry pair (wool if you have them but I never do so I use a thicker pair of cotton)over the wet pair. Then immediately go to bed. The child (or adult) will sleep well and the fever is drawn out the feet. The results are even better with a very very warm or hot bath just before bed and then to immediately put on the socks and go to bed. In the am, the socks are all dry and the fever is gone. Last month, my 4 yr. old had influenza and a fever of 100-101 for 6 days. The only time his fever was gone was in the middle of the night and in the morning. He actually asked for the wet sock treatment every night. I only gave him ibuprofen once. I am a believer and hey... it's not medication. Good luck!

Baby Vicks on his feet might help, but check with your doctor. My only thought is, if they have you watching his breathing, is his mucous particularly thick? That can be a sign of RSV. The down side, is if you took him in this weekend they would probably admit him to the hospital. The up side, there is a lot they can do to make him feel better. We just went through this, and it was not as scary as I thought. RSV is a virus, but our son ran a high fever during and for a few weeks after while he was still contagious. I know having a sick little one is no fun. I hope he gets better soon and uneventfully.

did they test for r.s.v.? if not have thwm do so! you can never be to worried about your kids. hope he feels better soon.

Are they sure that he is old enough to isolate infection? I know around 2 months is when they start to isolate infection. The reason I ask-- and NOT to make you worry!!! (Beleive me-- I am not a doc, and I am guessing your doc knows what he is talking about). But-- my daughter was 6 weeks old and got influenza, but she didn't have a fever yet. The doc put her on antibiotics to keep her from getting pnemonia, etc. And they told me to give her Tylenol to make sure she was comfortable. A week later she was 7 weeks old and spiked a fever. I took her in and they sent me to Primary Children's for some precautinary tests. They told me they really didn't think it was anything, but just to make sure they tested her urine via catheter, took blood and did a spinal tap. They said worst case scenario they were watching for meningitis, but that was unlikely. Turned out, she did have meningitis. They couldn't tell if it was bacterial or viral, because of the antibiotic already in her system, so they gave her the IV antibiotics and kept her in the hospital. All turned out well in the end and she had no lasting affects from it, but I guess her body got an infection somewhere, despite the antibiotics, and it spread to her spinal fluids. If he is over 2 months, they may not be in fear of that. They wondered if 7 weeks was close enough to not test for it and they thought about it a bit before going ahead with it, just to make sure. I am glad they did!! SO, I really don't want to get you worried, but I am glad that I took the fever seriously at that young age.

Good luck!!

I agree with Kimberly about the baby vicks on his feet. My 6 month old came down with a cold last week and I couldn't beleive how much it helped him sleep. The first night I was up with him almost every hour sucking his nose out, the next night I used the vicks and he slept all night and didn't have any trouble breathing. Hopefully your boy will get past this soon, it is always scary when little ones that young get sick.

Did the ped do an RSV test on your baby's mucas?

It seems that everyone is fighting this horrible bug this winter. My girls and I all had it and I posted for help. The most helpful things we Vicks Vapor rum on the bottoms of the feet and covered with socks and a humidifier. The vicks helped them sleep better, my DH and I noticed that right off. I hope this helps and your little on is feeling better soon.
Saarah

Oh, sick babies are awful, aren't they? My son got a really bad cold at 3 weeks and we thought it was whooping cough at first....I was a nervous wreck! They told me not to dress him too warmly so the heat could escape to bring the fever down and to make sure he was drinking plenty at feeding times. But that was pretty much it. While your at it, do something for yourself...you need a bit of relaxation, too. It's hard dealing with sickies!

You might try just talking to your local pharmacist. My husband is one and I find it immensely helpful to pick his brains. They can usually recommend something helpful and can give you more time than a doctor.

We just went through RSV a few weeks ago and I learned a lot. The hospital and my sons doctor both said it did not matter how high the temperature got, the real concern was how long it stayed there and other symptoms. My son is 2 years, so it may be different for a 2 month old. My son ran a fever of 100 to 104 for 2 days and they would not admit him and really hardly blinked an eye about it. He was breathing 81 times a minute and they still did not care about it 'cause they said treat the fever then he'll be fine. It wasn't until he was breathing 'bout 100 times a minute and lethargic that they finally would admit him to the hospital.

They did tell me to try and make him as comfortable as possible. One thing that seemed to help a lot was taking a cold wash cloth and washing his head a lot. It would usually take his temp down for a little bit. You'll want to check with your Pediatrician on this one, but we would alternate between Ibuprofen and Tylenol every 4 hours, instead of 6 hours on just Tylenol. Then top it with TLC and hope it passes quickly. Good luck!

My son was a preemie and after about 5-6 hosptializations at a very young age for pneumonia, RSV, you name it, the doctor finally informed us that humidifiers often make the congestion worse. He stated several children have the exact opposite reaction when exposed to a humidifier. It may be worth a shot to bag the humidifier for nap time or a time you are going to be up with your cherub and able to listen to the breathing. My other advice, is that if you are not sure or don't have a good feeling about how your little guy is progressing, or not progressing, call the nurse, ask to speak to the doctor or even make another appointment. When it comes to these little ones, I feel, a mother can't be too careful!

Hello, If you are nursing, I recommend nursing anytime your baby will take your breast. The immune response from the breastmilk and your touch alone can be astonishing.

Also, having your skin touch your baby's day and night can be incredibly reassuring and healing as well. I recommend wearing your baby in the day (see mothering.com for resources) and sleeping with your baby at night, which will make nursing easy, too. "Good Nights: The Happy Parents Guide to the Family Bed (And A Peaceful Night's Sleep)," by Dr. Jay Gordon is a great resource to this worldwide practice.

Love to each of you. ~T.

Hun, if it were me---I would take him in to the doctor. A fever is very normal and nothing to worry about, but the fact that he had a fever that went away---then he got another one---could be a sign of a secondary infection (ie: ear infection). It is better to be safe with such a little one who likely can't pull at his ears to let you know if it hurts. Hope he get's well soon---Good luck!

Hi,

I have a 2 1/2 year old and from the symptoms you described about your baby boy it sounds to me like RSV. My 2 year old got RSV twice in a 6 month period! First he got it on the tail end of one cold/flu season in April, then he got it again at the beginning of the very next colf/flu season in October. He was EXTREMELY congested, couldn't eat well, even with suctioning out his nose and using saline drops. He was feverish and couldn't sleep well either. Just down right miserable. There is a test they can do to confirm RSV and I would ask your doctor about it. As far as treatment, well, sadly enough there usually isn't too much more than what you are doing that you can do. I would definitely watch him close at his young age. My little guy was about9 months old when he got his first case of it.

Good luck! Hopefully it should be gone in a couple weeks. =)

It's hard when our kids are sick. Especially when they can't communicate what's wrong. Give him a bath with Johnson's lavendar or vapor bath. Put baby Vicks on his chest and feet. Elevated sleeping is good. When breathing is difficult --- take him into a steamy shower. Also, take him outside for fresh air. Try to give him Pedialite liquid or popsicles. Pay attention to his skin color and ribs. If he gets a bluish tint to the lips or if you can see his ribs when he breathes --- take him to the doctor. We've been through this lots. It's no fun.

I would use a warm mist humidifier, if you can. The cold mist ones don't do as much for the breathing from my experience...the steam in the warm ones is more like being in a bathroom while the shower is going. They are pretty cheap; ours was 20$ I think. I feel so bad for you! Sick babies are so hard. Put him in his carseat to sleep, to keep him propped up, and you can also use saline nose drops on him--squirt it in, and then suck it out with the bulb syringe. It helps clear things out.

I don't know where you live, but here in Montana and in Wyoming I know for sure that there have been alot of cases of RSV. I don't know if it has spread elsewhere in the states, but I have a 3 month old son and I don't take him anywhere for fear of him getting it. The symptoms you describe sound alot like RSV, if he isn't breathing well and won't eat and such you might want to take him in and ask the doctor if that's what it might be, because they aren't really as smart as they make themselves out to be sometimes. Anyways, if that's not it, and it is just a cold, put Baby Vicks vapor rub on his feet and put socks on, especially while he sleeps but preferably all the time. It will help alot with the congestion, I don't know why it helps so good when it's on the feet, but it does. Also, turn the heat down a few degrees about an hour before bedtime, and give your son a bath right before bed, the heating up of his body and then the drastic cooling off helps them fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. I really hope your little guy gets better, give him alot of love.

Oh sweetie ! HUGS! A sick baby is hard on anyone even us seasoned mommies.
Just saline, humidity and even ask about Johnsons vapor baths, I think on the label it says six mos and up but that always helped calm and soothe my babies when they were congested. My daughter got a nasty cold at 6 weeks old and I was a wreck!!! She barely was eating and the after hours nurse actually had me call 911! What a big deal and it was scary however thankfully Childrens Hospital cleaned her our with a tube and saline and sent her home. Within days she was better. Fevers are good and her body fighting it off, however unless it is over 102-104 it isn't really serious (which I just learned as my three year old spiked to 104). If you have him in a back positioner try propping his crib mattress up a bit where he won't slide or go to the side but help keeps him upright so he won't be so congested. Also Vicks Vapor plugs fill the room up with that smell and help my children rest. They have Baby Vicks Vapor rub for the chest but ask your Dr first. Sounds like you are doing all the right things..HUGS HUN I hope he is better soon!

No fun!! I hate it when my kids are sick. I have 3 girls and they are currently sick. I have found that the cool mist humidifier doesn't work as well as the steam ones. You do have to be careful as to not let the kids close to those, the steam can burn them. But my girls do so much better. Also, if you can get to a healthfood store and buy peppermint oil, dillute it with olive oil and rub in on his feet. Peppermint will help bring down the fever. You can rub it on your chest and while you are holding him he can breath it in. It's also relaxing to you. That should really help open the airways. If your health food store has Eucalyptus Radiata, that is a good one too.

I was reading the comment about children's Mortin and tylonel altering. You aren't suppose to give babies under 6 months old motrin or advil. Check with your Ped first.

Good luck!

A fever is a healthy response to illness. Many "bugs" can't handle the heat, and that's how the body kills them. So a fever is really sort of good for your little one. Also, 101 is not even close to a dangerous fever. Having this mild cold will builds his immune system for future germ encounters. Also, if you are nursing, he will also get the benefits of your immunity through breast milk.

That said, of course you want to help your baby to be more comfortable. Since the FDA recently nixed all the baby OTC cold meds, it's hard to know what to do. Try taking him in a steamy bathroom and cleaning his nose out after 10 minutes of steam. He won't like it, but it will clear him out for a little while.

What I have done with my little ones, which has worked great, is homeopathic remedies. They are available at any good health food store. You need to really look at the specifics of his cold to know how to help. The easiest way to give a homeopathic dose to such a little baby would be to dissolve a couple of pills in water and dribble a tiny bit into his mouth. Here is a link to an article that you might find interesting. http://homeopathy.suite101.com/article.cfm/treating_fever...