5 Month Old with Congestion

Take him to get allergy testing. There's an allergy clinic downtown & they'll be able to tell you. The testing isn't bad, pretty simple.

It's probably not allergies. My daughter had a clear congested/runny nose for a good 2 months when she was little (7 mos.) It seemed like it took forever to clear up! I chalked it up to the fact that when they are that little they can't be productive with a good nose-blowing session, or coughing it up.

Great suggestions below for ways to keep him comfortable. Humidifier/Vaporizer in the room did WONDERS!

Good Luck, it's so hard to know they are uncomfortable!

Try a humidifier and possibly put his car seat or a bouncy seat inside the crib so he can sleep propped up. I don't know if doctors are supportive of cool air or warm air humidifiers these days (they went back and forth on this between my kids) as to which was best. A quick call to your drs office should clear that up.

My son recently had simular symtoms. His turned out to be a sinus infection and the begining of an ear infection. I think the best thing to do would be to bring him back to your ped. My ped has told me that allerigies are not shown until childern are over 2 yrs. Saline nose spray really works well and elevating babies head. Colds and viruses also take longer to clear in babies then they do in adults. So maybe it just hasn't run its coarse yet.

I would have them tested for RSV, the nose swab test is most accurate. If that comes back negative, take them to an allergist. Here are 3 of many websites that give you symptoms and info on RSV:

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/rsv/a/06_rsv_symptoms.htm

http://www.rsvinfo.com/diagnosing/diagnosing.html

http://children.webmd.com/tc/respiratory-syncytial-virus-...

I would lay him on his side as the congested sinus drain down the throat and cause coughing on the back or elevate the head, I also would give them a good decongestion that keeps the phelm loose. Watch for green or dark yellow snot as that would be an infection. A good vaborizer would also help.

Hope that helps some.

I am a Grandma and Mom of a large family.

My son also had congestion problems when he was infant. There really wasn't a reason for it, but I did find the solution. The best technique for clearing it up is using something similar to the Nettie Pot, but with a nasal aspirator..

This will probably take 2 people..

You suck a little warm saline water into the aspirator (snot sucker), tip your baby's head on it's side over a sink and push the saline solution through the upper nostril. Then flip the baby over and do the other side. The saline will come through the lower nostril and push all the thick mucus out. The baby will HATE this, but it's VERY effective and will not harm him at all. Look up the Nettie Pot if you're interested in how it works for an adult.

This was the only solution I found that allowed my son to breath comfortably. :)

When my son was 8 months he got a cold and continued to cough repeatedly for another month or so. I finally had enough and took him in and they diagnosed him with reflux after doing some chest x-rays. They put him on Singulair, I can't recall why, but it helped treat everything at once and he got better. After a month or so he was just fine. He had allergies as well, but he only coughed when I laid him down, which was the giveaway for the reflux.

Put a pillow under the mattress of the congested one so he has a chance to drain that congestion. Also get a nasal suction tool and use that. Take him into the bathroom and run a warm shower before bed time (don't put him in it though). Get a vaporizer. But watch how often you use it. Running it constantly can promote black mold. (yuck)

But some kids just have nasal drainage until they grow up and you might have one of those.

Get an ionizer for your babies' room and one for the house. Pollen is so heavy right now and it sounds like this might be the cause. It's a non-invasive treatment. It will remove the pollen and other 'stuff' from the air and it will drop to the floor and other surfaces. Be sure to wipe down/dust all the surfaces in their nursery and other rooms. Vaccuum after they go to bed to keep the dust down. Bathing them before they go to bed will help remove any pollen/dust/etc from them as well.

If you can, sleep them on their sides, as tummy down is not a good idea. Take good care!!!

Hi...could it be an ear infection...I know babies don't like to lay down and don't sleep well when they have an ear infection.

My 8 month old twins just went through this! We were at the doctor's office several times, each time they tested the oldest twin for RSV, which came back negative each time, but they take the RSV vaccination which makes me wonder if it gave a false negative. My friend's 6 month old daughter had the same symptoms and came back positive for RSV. We also just got through antibiotics for bronchitis on both twins, and I of course got it too.

Neither twin could lay down flat. The slept in their car seats and infant to toddler rocking chairs that vibrate, strapped in of course. This has gone on for a couple of months and seem to be doing better now. We run a humidifier 24/7 and that seems to help. We can tell when I don't fill it up at night and it runs out! Everyone wakes up coughing and congested! Doing the saline solution and "booger getter" helps them a lot for a couple of hours.

If it is RSV, don't let it go, it turns into pneumonia, as does bronchitis! These illnesses seem to be running wild from Alaska to Alabama, so just have them checked out, especially if they were premature. Mine were 6 weeks premature and seem to have lung issues. The oldest twin was on a respirator and has been diagnosed with asthma, which will (and has) make her susceptible to all lung infections.

Best of luck! And hope this helped you some!

K.

Try a humidifier, if you haven't already. I turn my kids' on about 1/2 hour before bedtime/nap time and keep the door closed to let it get moist.

Also, change your furnace filter. Every 3-4 months you should change or clean it, depending on what kind you have. It makes a huge difference in your heating bill too. It needs to be changed if you hold it to light and cannot see through it. Before we found this out, we were constantly getting stuffy noses and sore throats.

I know I was glad that we had a relining chair when my son was a tiny baby with a cold. I just slept with him on my chest in the recliner until he got better.

You can also use a saline nasal spray (non-medicated, you can make your own, but I can't find the recipe right now) to help clear his nose before bed, or if he wakes up. I tried it on myself and it really does help.

Good luck!

My daughter had this issue as well...she was always gagging and chocking while laying down...sleep was terrible. We finally took her to a ear nose and throut doctor. She had allergies. She was put on Zertec and only needed it during the winter (it was a winter based allergy we found out)...her first 2 winters she needed it, but by the third she had outgrown it (which is somewhat normal). I would definitely take the little one to an allergy specialist. 6 weeks is too long for clear runny nose, especially if it is affecting sleep.
Other than that: for normal cold related congestion, I would recommend baby vicks rub, vicks plug ins, and saline nasel spray (baby Nose's or Oceans brand).