5 1/2 Month with Cold

- infant tylenol or ibuprofen
- Vicks Baby Rub on the chest and back(the regular stuff isn't for babys, but the infant stuff is awesome)
- Vicks also makes something that dissolves in bathwater and helps clear the sinuses.
- cool mist humidifier

His teething may be having some impact on all this as well. If its been 4-5 days already, and he's not improving, I would call the doctor in the next couple days. A cold really should start clearing up after about 5-7 days.

There aren't any safe cold medications for him. If he gets a fever, he can have tylenol or ibuprophen to help him be more comfortable. Otherwise, try a cool mist humidified and warm baths.

A humidifier, saline drops for the nose and lots of cuddling.
Most times you just have to let these things run the course. If he has a fever and it has been more than two days, you should call his DR on how to proceed. They may recommend infant tylenol or motrin or suggest you come in. I think 3 days of a cough with a fever requires going in, but you said he has had no fever. Coughs can last for weeks but always good to check in with his DR.
But really, there are no meds that are recommended for little ones as they aren't good for them.

If your baby is breastfed the absolutely best thing to do is make sure he is eating well...No additional vitamins are necessary aside from a Vitamin D supplement during the winter months. Tri-Vi Sol has Vitamin D included in it but Enfamil makes a D-Vi Sol also...you may need to ask the pharmacist for it as it may be a special order (it is at my pharmacy).

Pediatricians don't usually recommend using medications for minor colds in infants. Do not give any medications without talking to your pediatrician it can be very dangerous in a child so young.

For a stuffy/runny nose put a couple drops of saline in each nostril and use a bulb syringe to suck it out. The saline helps to break up mucus.

If the cough is preventing him from sleeping during naps and and night use a humidifier in the room he is sleeping...be sure that room is well ventilated.

He should be feeling better in just a couple days but if you notice a change in his breathing...or it sounds like his chest is becoming congested his breathing sounds like something is rattling in his chest you need to take him in as he may require antibiotics

Hello N.,

Last year the FDA strongly suggested/demanded parents stop using infant cold meds because they harmed babies.

I suggest using infant tyenol for the teething pain and a lot of rest for the cold. A humidifier may help too.

Good Luck-

R. Magby

Sounds more like teething than a cold. My son had the same experience, and I didn't know that he was teething until I looked into his mouth and suddenly there were two teeth.

Keep him out of reach of any sick individuals and make sure he doesn't become congested. If it becomes congested call your doctor. As long as he isn't congested and doesn't have a fever, he should be fine.

other than making sure the baby gets enough of all good things (nutrients and lots of fluids--water and breastmilk were the only two liquids mine were drinking at this point--low salt and sugar, keeping warm) ... I recommend letting the cold run it's course. It sounds like you started with a reasonable one at least (one of mine got pneumonia for their first serious "cold"--oops!).

ANyhow, I say to let it go, because babies aren't only learning all the intellectual things like language and obvious physical things like sitting and crawling--their immune systems are also trying to get oriented. If we remove all symptoms (eg., always medicate fevers), their bodies never get a chance to figure out how to recover from them naturally. I've seen arguments that make a lot of sense to me, how many of our 'neurological' problems nowadays are actually partly because kids' immune systems don't properly suppress inflammation ... and I'm guessing it's because they never learned.

Not that I am a medical doctor et al--if you are into medical doctors, definitely ask your nurse advice line and all that.

(I did go to our naturopath for the baby pnuemonia. Cleared up with homeopathics in 24 hours, residual head cold with a second type of homeopathic, within 36 more hours. Poor man only sees us when I have some massive health thing going on ... sometimes only every couple of years.)

I wouldn't give any medication at this point unless prescribed by his Ped. I found running a vaporizer during night and nap help (Wallgreens, Bartell Drugs, Target). Also saline drops and a nasal aspirator if he is congested. I use "Little Noses" by Little Remedies brand. My daughter always was congested when she got a cold (which was often since she has an older brother in preschool). I would lay her on her back and put a couple of drops in each nostril, massage, then suction it out. She hated it, but it helped her breathe. Also suctioning the nose after a nice warm bath helps clear the mucous out.

Ah, N.,

So sorry your little one has a cold. I remember the first time my son had one; my husband was out of town, which was a good thing as most of my attention was focused on my boy.

Check in with your pediatrician regarding fever reducers, dosages and when to use it/when to let it run it's course. I think forums are fine for something, but better to get this information from someone who can be accountable and who has all the updated info.

Besides taking echinacea while I was nursing, I also propped myself up with pillows so that my son and could sleep with our heads elevated. If you use a crib, remove the mattress and either use a foam wedge (there are some specially made for this) or some tightly folded/rolled blankets to elevate one side just a couple inches. It shouldn't be so drastic that he rolls down it. Double-check to make sure that there are no gaps and that it is all very secure before laying your son down in it.

I wore my son a lot, which seemed to help. Another thing we did was to go into the bathroom a few times a day and run the shower on hot and just sit near it, on the lid of the toilet. The steam helped to break up some of the junk in his sinuses and lungs. If you can do nose drops, so much the better. (My son fought me on this, so the steam was better overall.)

The Dr Sears website has more very good information.

And as for cold meds, steer clear of them. Cold meds are for people who are forcing their bodies to function when they should be resting and healing. (Circumstances sometimes dictate these things..this isn't a judgment, just an observation.)The biggest problem with decongestants is that it dries up the mucus membranes, which function best when moist to rid the body of the virus. A runny nose is far more productive than a dried-up nose in getting us well and my experience is that cold meds actually prolong the cold as it stymies the body's natural defenses.

Take good care!

You got awesome responses so I just wanted to add something. We have a 5 month old too and we can never get stuff out of his nose with the bulb. We talked to our pharmasist and he said it is perfectly safe to mix adult medicated nose drops and childrens saline drops and use a few drops from birth. He said you do 1 drop of the medicated with 10 drops of the saline. Mix it up and use a medicine drop to put a few drops in baby's nose.

We have been doing it for years now and it works well on all our kids.

We end up sick a lot in the winter..

Oh and just to be clear since a lot of people suggest tylenol for fever. Infants naturally have I higher temp than us and can have a slight fever because of teething that isn't a big deal and doesn't need to be treated. An infants normal temp is usually in the low 99s. A slight temp for teething is anything under 100.4. If you are getting over 100.4, you don't need to medicate but you should watch carefully. If you are getting in the 101s, you should probably medicate. Higher than that or 101s that won't go down with meds, probably should go to the dr.

Many many people end up over medicating their kids and the kids end up becoming immune to the meds when they really need it..

I was in the military for 10 years and then 11 years as a reservist and my husband was in for 26 years- I understand. My husband was stationed in Germany for 3 1/2 years and I met someone who had their products shipped from the states and so I was curious about these products that my friend thought were so great but she just showed me a catalog and did not tell me much about them. Our next assignment was to Florida and I found a brochure about the products in the health food store. I ordered some vitamins and started learning about health. My husband had gotten bronchitis every year in Germany so I wanted to do something so he wouldn't get sick any longer. Am I ever glad I tried the products because he hasn't had bronchitis since and rarely if ever gets a cold. I have heard equally amazing stories from Moms that use Shaklee products. Their children rarely get sick and if they do it is mild. I would ask some Moms that have used the Shaklee products with their children and get their stories. What I have found to be the best is to help your child's immune system do its job--the more natural the better the results have been in my experience. Hope this helps.

Hi N.,

Sorry your little one isn't feeling good....

You should go to the health food store and pick up a "Hylands Kids Kit" it's truely amazing

It's a homeopathic Medicine kit, they melt in their mouth, so no choking and all natural, there is pill that stops a runny nose and cough within an hour, I swear by the stuff, they also have one for teething so u don"t have to use junk like tylenol.

It cost about $40 but is worth every dollar, we never leave home w/out it.

good luck

Lots of great advice already!!

If he does develop a fever, you definitely want to call the doc. HOWEVER, most pediatricians are overwhelmed with the flu right now, so taking him for what is probably a cold, probably won't happen. Call the pediatrician's office, and they usually will connect you with a nurse who can help answer questions.

Our older daughter didn't have a cold until she was 7 months old, and it was SO hard to see her coughing and stuffy! Then I realized it bugged me more than it bugged her. She's now 3 and has had very few colds, and nothing that has put her out of commission for more than a day. Our younger daughter, same age as Mateo, has had one cold for each month of her life... She even came home from the hospital with one! Thankfully though, she's our second, so we knew it wasn't really bothering her. We do the nose drops (saline) with an aspirator called a NoseFrida. It's WAYYYYY better than the bulb. They're kind of hard to find, but SO amazing! Katterman's pharmacy on Sand Point way in Seattle is the only place in WA that carries them, so you may want to check online. We were so impressed by how well it worked, we now have a few on hand to give as shower gifts!

Good luck with this, he'll be fine!

my favorite cold treatments are vicks baby vaporub (awesome stuff) and taking the baby into the steamy bathroom. between those things I usually feel like we can manage a cold without other medications. of course if a fever does set in than we use tylenol.

Hi N.,
It's never fun when your child is sick. A phone call to your doctor might be in. order Your doc can let you know if the symptoms warrant a trip to the office. I'd watch for worsening symptoms and/or the appearance of a fever. Our pediatrician recommended a Vitamin D supplement (beyond the Tri-Vi-Sol vitamin supplements that are usually prescribed). And, when a fever is present, or teething pain is an issue, we have used infant Tylenol, your doc or the pharmacist can advise the correct dosage if you are unsure. I hope your little one feels better soon.

C.

If you nurse, no better medicine exists than breastmilk. Humidifier needs to be at least 50% humidity, saline drops, and also prop up upper half of body at an angle (30-45 degrees?) when sleeping to help postnasal drip to drain from runny nose and reduce coughing from throat irritation.

It is hard to watch your baby suffer a cold but most OTC medications are actually very unhealthy for babies (and people) and won't help them to get over it any quicker. If you need to do something you can try homeopathic teething tablets both for teething and also to help calm baby. Rooibos (redbush) tea is actually good for babies. Also, baths are nice, and holding baby a lot will help them to recover more quickly.

Hi N.,
The hardest part is not knowing exactly what is going on. Take him to medical - better safe than sorry, and as a new mom they get it. Don't risk it. Tylenol and a cool mist humidifier worked for my Gracie when she was that age. Oh, and the "booger sucker" (looked kind of like a turkey baster) to help pull the yucky snot out of her nostrils. Johnsons and Johnsons makes a bubble bath with eucalyptus/menthol - not too strong for baby's skin. Good luck!
USN, Retired

I would steer clear of medications unless it's tylenol for a fever. I would like to make a suggestion for a fantastic nasal aspirator I found that is SO MUCH better than the crappy bulb aspirators most people have. It's called a Nosefrida aspirator and the web site is www.nosefrida.com

It seems weird at first, but I hated using the bulbs so much I decided to give it a try and it has saved us the last 3 colds my daughter has had. I got it when she was about 6m old and at 2 yrs old I still use it on her. She doesn't like it, but it is so much faster and more effective than anything else I've used that it is worth it. After this last cold she isn't fighting me as much anymore because she is understanding that she feels better after I use it and she can breathe better.

Hello, I am not sure how many responses you have gotten so far, but I have to tell you that Homeopathic medicines are safe and non invasive for little ones. If you get the tablets (opposed to the pellets) they melt on the tongue posing no chocking hazards or spit up issues (as with liquids) There are a few brands like Boiron and you can easily find the line of Hylands for children at Fred Meyers (if you don't have another natural food store close) Some are for specific symptoms but there are others that are combos for multiple symptoms.

Other mainstream medicines(OTC; tylenol, motrin, etc.)can tax baby's system and break him down even more only masking symptoms.

Just remember that you mustn't touch the medicine with your hands (place it in the lid and drop them into babe's mouth) You also should allow about 10 minutes before and after of no food or drink as it can interfere with the subtleties of the homeopathic medicines and their effectiveness.

Homeopathics can give almost instantaneous results. I have had nothing but success for my twins and they are 9 now! I hope you find little one some relief. Take care.

Hi N.,

You can prevent much of the colds and allergy symptoms by supporting your little ones immune system with a high quality liquid supplment for infants.

My personal favorite is called Kindermins and its made by Herbalife. All 8 of my grandkids have started life using Kindermins. All of the kids I personally know who have used Kindermins had great results and reduced flare ups with colds, ear infections and allergies. Once they able to chew and swallow Herbalife has a great tasting chewable called MultiVites.

When your child is sick you can use natures medicinal herbal plants. Which can be purchased in the form of teas, tinctures and homeopathy.

Perhaps the two best known herbal plants for kids of all ages are Echinacea and Chamomile. They will become your best friends. Search your local stores. Select organic products. Teas can be sweetened with natural Stevia which is also from a plant. Once your child is over 1 yr old you can use honey to sweeten your tea.

I hope your little one is feeling better soon. Let me know if you have any questions.

I. Schmeck "herbaliva"
Holistic Health Practitioner & Herbalife Indep. Distributor
www.herbaliva.com
IM: herbaliva

Calm Forte is a homeopathic remedy I used for my kids when they were teething. I bought it at the health food store. It also helped them to sleep.
If he is having a cold, which is very rare for a breast fed baby under one year of age. Do not give him Tylonal as it was recently revealed by researchers that it interferes with the vaccinations infants have been given. If you are giving him formula make certain it has no sugar in it. As a matter of fact babies and children who do not get sugar or honey do not get sick very often. They also develop few if any allergies.
Did he become sick after a vaccination. Can happen immediately, days or even two weeks later.
If you and your husband are in the military you might be sending him to day care and that is a big source of exposure to many diseases.
When he recovers from this illness he will have built up his immune system.
I once had to disobey my doctor in order to let my older daughter's immune system fight an illness she had gotten at day care. I let her work it through watching like a hawk to see if she got any worse without the medicine. In the end she never got sore throats again.
Just watch him carefully to make certain he does not develop any high fever or vomiting. Keep him well hydrated with water and whatever you feed him either formula or the breast.
Also if he has teeth you can give him cereal if he is willing to eat it.
Hold him and love him through the illness. The love of the parents for the baby is very healing for all three of you.

My 4 month old caught a cold somewhere. We waited about a week to take him in just to make sure it wasn't brewing into something else. If he's not running a fever there isn't much of anything you can do for him. My mom read a great article about alternative healing and so I tried one for my son's cough that actually worked. Rub a small amount of Vick's Vaporub on the soles of his feet and it'll help the cough. Not kidding! But just a tiny amount.

Hi,
I have twins that are 3 and a 1 year old, so colds have been a common thing in our house. The things that you can do for them at that age are limited and it definitely is frustrating. But things that are safe are: humidifier, baby saline nose drops followed up with the suction ball to clear their nose up (my kids hated this, but it really does help them breath better). And I also use the Vicks Baby Rub (found by the adult Vicks rub products). It goes on their chest to just help them breath a little easier. Who knows if it really works but at least I felt better when I put it on them because I felt like I was doing something rather than nothing.
If you feel your baby is not breathing correctly or have any other mother gut instincts telling you he's really not doing well, then take him in. Otherwise, you just have to let it run its course and try to keep him comfortable. One thing I've noticed is that colds in babies, versus toddlers, take A LOT longer to run themselves out. My twins get over a cold in a few days. The baby would always take a week and half to two weeks to be totally snot free.
Good luck!