Baby Has a cold...help

You might try a cool mist humidifier and saline spray for her nose. Both might help make things runner, but maybe that will make things exit her system faster??? I wouldn't give her smaller doses of anything. Her body and brain are still growing and developing. You just don't know what adult medicines will do to her.

Hi A.,
There isn't anything they or you can do for the cold. Especially this little. But one thing I did for my girls when they were little was try a little vics rub and put it on the bottoms of the feet and put socks on top so they don't put their feet in the mouth. Also, you can try a little water. Never add sugar to the water. If the cold gets worse, let the doctor know. Good Luck! And take care.

Maybe try a humidifier in her bedroom. Do not put anything but water in it though. When both of my daughters got colds, that always helped them. Good luck, B.

It's always hard to see our little ones sick, especially when there's not much we can do to help! Whenever my daughter's colds got bad enough, I'd give her a 1/2 tsp Children's (liquid) Benadryl. I only gave it to her every six hours or more so she wasn't overly medicated. This was okayed by her pediatrician, and seemed to help dry her out. She is now 13 months old, but I've been doing this probably since 6 months of age. It really doesn't make her tired, but does help dry her nose out and help her cough. My mom told me that Benadryl used to be a cough medicine! I also use a Vick's vaporizer in her room while she sleeps - it uses the vick's vapo-rub scent dispersed throughout the room. Helps clear my sinuses too!

Please stick with your doctors suggestions of no medicine! There is a high risk of overdose when you use older children's meds!! I know how frustrating it is! My 9 month old had many colds this winter and we couldn't do much for her. It is annoying because when my oldest daughter was that age we could give her medicine. I don't know how it works this time of year, but we used a warm mist humidifier most of the winter. It is probably to hot to use that, but you also might try the baby vicks rub! I hope this helps!

We had several of these when my son was that age. The doctor suggested we give him regular infants tylenol for the fever and clean his nose with a salt water mixture. For the salt water mix; use a quarter size amount of salt mixed in about 1.5 cups of warm water. Squeeze the mix into a nasal aspirator and then shoot it up one side of her nose at a time. It will send all the "gunk" running out the other side of her nose. We didn't believe it would work at first and thought it to be cruel but it works wonders and kept our son from a lot of infections. It is best to do it in the bath tub because of the mess.

Hi A.- Unfortunately, I've been dealing with the same thing with my 6 month old! I actually took him to the doctor 3 different times. They kept checking his ears to make sure that he didn't have an ear infection and sending me home. by the 3rd visit in 2 months, I think the doctor realized I was getting frustrated. A week ago, he gave us Ammoxicillan to give to him and he is so much better! He said it was a sinus infection. Now, we are almost completely over it, and it's great! You may just have to go back to the doctor time and time again and be relentless about your concerns. I know, it sounds annoying, but it worked for us. Do you use a humidifier in her room? That was another suggestion our doctor had given. Good luck!

Hi A.,

Oh, good luck with your little one. My advise is to keep suctioning her nose to make sure it is clear at least 2-3 times a day. My little guy came down with a minor cold when he was around 8 months old and I gave him 1/2 the dose of children's tylenol. (Liquid form) That worked for him. Again, I wish you luck!!

D.

My son always had a cough or stuffy nose at that age. I always used the saline drops and bulb syringe. Also, my pediatrician recommended a cool mist humidifier with baby vics vapo rub. We lived with the cool mist humidifier most of his first year.

My 9 mo old just went through the same thing. I definitely would not give her any medicine. I brought my little one in the shower with me every morning and that helped with her nose. I also bought eucolyptus oil and put it in her baths. I bought organic cold care tea for kids and mixed it with water and that seemed to help as well. Basically it will have to run its course. Oh and breastmilk up her nose (if nursing) and then suction out with the bulb. good luck!

Hello, my son is 8 months old also born in Oct 07 and he had all the same signs your talking about but he was also tugging on his ear a bit and I took him to the doc and he has an ear infection on top of his cold and he was put on Amoxicillin after about 3 days he was feeling much better. Have you noticed her tugging on her ear? I know they'd feel so much better if they just knew how to blow thier noses. Good luck and I hope she get's to feeling better.

Be careful with the meds. Check with your dr but most dr will tell you to ride it out. Also, if your baby has had this for more than 10 days, go back to your dr as this could be an infection which they will probably give you antibiotics. After 10 days, it usually turn into a sinus infection or more seriously pneumonia. I also see alot of response about Baby Vicks on the chest, be careful with that, if the baby is teething, make sure she cannot touch her chest and then put her hand in her mouth. My dr did not recommend putting baby vicks on the chest for that reason, because they can get it on their hands and then end up mouthing the Vicks...not good. If you have PJ's with the covers over the hand and put the vicks on below the neck, I guess that would be ok. The vaporizors are better.

I have 2 year odl twins and a 7 month old baby. I've been through this time and time again. I actually pretty much gave up on taking them to the doctors office for that b/c of what your saying. When the twins get all that, this is what I do and what i have done since they were itty bitty. I prop their beds, I used to use a boppy and put it under the mattress which seems to do the job. Make sure that she lays at the propped end of the bed and at night this will help drainage. I give them a bath with the Johnsons calming relief vapor bath stuff. It's in a green bottle and smells like vicks. When they're ready for bed, i put baby vicks on their feet (and then socks) and on their chests. It helps believe it or not - something about the oils are absorbed through their feet. Anyways, we also use the nose drops and "suck them out" with the "nose kisser" as we call it at our house. Also, we put the vaporizer/humidifier in the room and use the vicks inhalent in it as well. The moisture in the air helps alot too - i could tell the nights that i ddint use it, the boys coughs would get worse. Other than that, the last thing we did was pleanty of liquids to flush out the nasty cold. Juice? Juice and water...water...whatever you do. Good Luck!

Can use Motrin to get baby over the hump. And can use a little Afrin in the nose; it will get the yuck going. But for the most part: keep on top of it: it sounds like you're on your way to a secondary infection. My girls were great at this, getting a little something then becoming very ill with something else; once my 18 month old (she was then, anyway) got a horrible cold, dr. wouldn't prescribe anything, we went into the Michigan north woods for a vacation ... and she got a raging sinus/ear infection. We ended up at the emergency room, and it eventually took three rounds of antibiotics to clear it. Nursing helps, too, if you're doing that ...

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My son had the same issue last week, he just turned 9 months, we did a lot of humidifier, it really helped him easy out a lot, also used Little Noses Saline Drops, then I used a bulb syringe so get the Mucous out. Also try, running down water in Shower for about 15 mins and then you can sit with your baby in the steam, that helps too.

There are no medications for cold, but it generally takes about 2 weeks before they start feeling better, if your daughter is on solids then try some chicken soup.

Your baby might be teething, I know people say it isn't true, but mine runs a fever and has a runny nose when teeth are coming in! Motrin and Tylenol are made for babies, as long as they are over 6 months you can give them to treat fever, teething pain, etc. Make sure you follow the proper dosage directions. Your Dr. might even ok for you to give Benadryl to help dry up the runny nose, it even helps baby sleep--call the Dr. if you need the dosage amt.

The cough could be just post nasal dripping, if so that is one less symptom to worry about (she does nothave a resipiratory symptom). The nose....
use a soft wet washcloth, not tissue or wipes. Tissues can and will break the skin and make it painful and she won't let you near it, wipes will sting, taste funny (because you will get it on her mouth) etc. Keep one in a baggy and rinse when needed in public outings.
Try a humidifier near her sleeping area, it will break up the crusty stuff and help things get out.
Use Johnson's menthol bath (in green bottle) and BABY vapor rub (only on the chest!) to help things stay clear
You can also do steam in the shower if you can manage that
That's all we have got in our arsenal.
Don't try altering other drugs doses!!!!!Can you imagine how you would feel if something went wrong. And don't do benedryl either....everyone thinks that one is harmless...don't do it!....
good luck

I gave alternate doses of baby tylenol and baby motrin. Give the motrin first, then 4 hours later give tylenol, and so on. At night I put Baby Vics on my kids' chests to help them sleep a bit better, it has , some of them, baby lavendar and menthol and it'll help with the cough.

When My daughter got sick, we gave her saline drops (little noses). She has a humidifer in her room that was constantly on and alot of fluids. Thats about all your can give them. I wouldn't give my daughter cold medicine since they were all recalled. You just have to ride it out, even though its terrible. We gave her tyelnol for the fever and to take the edge off. Best of luck.

M.

Do not use over the counter cold medication it is way too strong for a 8 month old. Use baby vicks, directions are on the box. A runny nose is actually good, it is draining out any infection there may be. Baby Tylonol works for comforting her. If you can find hore hound candy disolve some in hot water and make it like a tea. It should help her cough dramatically, let it cool to a exceptable temp and put in her bottle.

Have you tried the salt and water saline solution? They sell it over the counter or you can make it at home. It is only salt and water and it dries the runny stuff all up. I always make ours. Get online and type saline in. There are some sites that give you how much salt to water measurements. Hope it helps.

Hi A.,
At this age some babies start getting teeth and the symptoms sound the same as when they get teeth. Fever on and off, running nose very fussy. Look at her gums and see if there swollen and a bit red. If so then that's probably it. Sometimes the gums aren't swollen. Some of my childrens teeth came in without them being swollen.
If so keep the tylenol and a teething ring to sooth. Good luck!
Happily married 3 children 14,9,4.

I like peppermint tea for babies with colds. You can buy it at the grocery store near the teas and coffee. Just make up a cup, let it cool to room temp. or ice it if you like. Sweeten it a little and put it in her bottle or sippy. This will help clear congestion and settle her tummy if she's been swallowing gunk from her nose.

I always use a humidifier in my son's room and use Vick's baby rub on him which is safe for babies 3 months or older. It smells similar to Vicks VapoRub but I believe it's mostly naturally ingredients. You can also try a saline solution for her little nose which will help with the congestion. Roll a towel up and put it under her mattress to keep her head elevated a little, that will help her sleep and she needs lots of sleep to recuperate. When my son gets really bad with congestion and cough, I boil chamomille tea and put a pot of it (it was just boiling) in his room (out of his reach). The vapors help relieve some of the congestion. When I was little my mom did the same for me. Chamomille also helps relax. I hope your little one will feel a lot better soon.

I sorry to hear about baby's cold. I love the Sudacare Vapor Plug-ins. I believe the package indications are for children over the age of 3 months. I have used them for both of my children during bed/naptime. It has always really seems to clear them out. Best of luck to you and have fun on your vacation.
I am a 34 year old mother of Samantha (almost 4) and Nick (19 months).

Hi A.,...I wouldn't be as concerned about the sneezing as I would be the cough. I'd recommend taking her to her peditrician. Before the trip, you need to make sure she doesn't need an antibiotic for a respiratory infection? or ear infection? You are such a good mom to be concerned about how she will feel on the trip.....D.

My 9 month old just went through the same thing...we just rode it out and it cleared up in a little over a week...he had terrible sneezes...very "productive" and messy...but we just gave him a dropper and a half (1.2 total) of Tylenol.....and gave him vitamins (Gerber infant vitamins - liquid)

Hope she feels better soon!

My daughter was 6 weeks old when she got the exact same thing i tried everything, nothing works besides letting it run its course. It is very painful to watch.. Her cough was awful.
Good luck

I am all about Vicks vapor rub. They have it for babies. I know a lot of people and doctors recommend cool mist vaporizers. I, however, think they don't work very well. I like the good old fashioned vaporizers. The kind that makes the room smell like Vicks vapor rub. I also like the plug in kind that plug into the wall like a room freshener.

We used infant cough and cold medicine when our daughter was sick. Just be sure to follow the dosing very carefully. You do not want to overdose her. Usually, for every 6 pounds your daughter weighs, you can giver he an increment of the medicine. Here's a link to babycenter.com in relation to dosing for baby tylenol type medicines: http://www.babycenter.com/0_acetaminophen-dosage-chart_11...
Similar would hold true for the cough and cold medicines.

have you used a cool mist vaporizor or vicks vapor rub? It is so hard to not give them something when they are so young and feel that miserable. Keep up the little noses. If she is sneezing out stuff, she is getting it out which is good. Sorry I don't have any home remedies to help. Hope she gets over it before your trip.

Hi A.,
My daughter (and I) had the same type of illness several weeks ago. I didn't medicate her at all. The most that I did was use a vaporizer in her room, rub Vick's baby rub on her chest at night, and use lots of soft tissue. Since I am still breastfeeding her, that was the same treatment I used for myself. Personally, I would not give her anything without her pediatrician's approval. Throwing caution to the wind can have very serious consequences for an infant. My daughter fully recovered in about a week, so I would be surprised if your daughter is still having problems when you go on your trip. Best of luck to you!

All my best!
A.

I am a pediatric nurse and mother of an 8 month old son. With a fever, the best thing to do is call your pediatrician - Good job!

The best rememdy I know of for congestion is moisture...a humidifier, saline nasal drops (only saline), warm baths, etc. I have also found that taking my son into the bathroom while a hot shower is running, or even - with the help of my husband - taking him into a warm (not hot) shower with me really helps. The increased moisture in your baby's nose will actually thin out her nasal secretions, allowing them to drain better. This may seem like it makes it worse...but better they come out of her nose than stay in! If you haven't already, invest in a ear bulb syringe. They are about 99 cents at the drug store. After a shower, bath, or using saline drops you can suction out her nose to help remove some of the drainage.

The coughing isn't actually bad for her either...it just sounds bad to us. The actual act of coughing forces oxygen down into her lungs and keeps foreign objects out of her airway - both are very import defense mechanisms in our bodies. Again, keeping her nose moist and frequent suctioning should also help with her cough...the more that comes out of her nose, the less that will drip down the back of her throat causing her to cough.

DEFINITELY do NOT use any over the counter cough and cold medications with your 8 month old! Your doctor is absolutely correct. She is too precious to take that sort of risk with!

Make sure to contact your pediatrician if she appears to have difficulty breathing, is refusing to eat, or appears to not be acting like herself. But, if she is anything like my 8 month old who touches EVERYTHING and then puts his hands in his mouth, a runny nose and congestion is probably the least of your concerns!

Good luck!

Hi A.... I have a 17 month daughter. If it is a true cold, it will just take time to run it's course, but I find that the symptoms can be less severe with a few suggestions. I use plain nasal saline and a small nasal aspirator to help get the junk out of her nose a few times a day. I use the Johnson's soothing vapor baby bath before bed. I rub baby vick's on her chest. I also use a cold mist humidifier regularly in her room. On nights that are especially bad, I also add a Vick's waterless vaporizor to add more menthol and eucalyptus to the air. Keep her full of fluids. Good luck...I hope she feels better soon!

I had no problem giving my baby a small dose of children's tylenol cold. But just small amounts. We used a humidifier to help my son at that age. Also Vick's Vapor rub for babies, rub it on her chest and on her feet! I found this to really help also.

Hope this helps a little.

Hi A.,

I feel your pain! As a mom it's so tough to see our children suffering and not be able to fix it. My son had several colds last year - at least one that was pretty bad - and we were in the same boat with his age. Here are some things my pediatrician suggessted: buy saline drops and put 1-2 drops in his nose, wait a minute and then suction all the junk out. Make sure to run a vaporizer at night in her room. Tilt the head of the bed to keep the drainage at a minimum - if you can't tilt the crib mattress you could just strap your daughter in her car seat and have her sleep in that. If she's congested at all the doctor recommended BABY Vick's vapo rub - not the adult. Just rub some on her chest at night to help her sleep better. Hope this helps and good luck!

Saline and a bulb seringe for the nose and it will help the cough some since she won't be swallowing so much mucus. Actually, if you are breastfeeding, breast milk is better than saline because it's anti-bacterial and helps clear germs as well! You can put it in a dropper or a small medicine seringe and drop a few drops in each nostril. Wait a bit (she might sneeze it out anyhow) and then use the nasal aspirtator to suck out what you can.
A humidifier can make a world of difference.

A cold is just that....a cold. The body will repair itself in almost all cases. You just have to be patient. Keep her hands clean (and anyone who touches her) by washing her/your hands constantly. And NEVER give a baby medicine that is not prescribed by a doctor - if anyone tells you to do that, I would be very frightened! I have 3 young children who have had colds during their lives and I almost NEVER give them any medication unless it affects their sleep (and hence, their body's ability to fight something). Overmedicating is unfortunately, what has gotten us into the antibiotic issues we now face.

I also turn on a humidifier in my kids room when they have a cough, etc... to make sure the room does not get dry which can irritate a cough.

And please, please don't medicate your child unless you absolutely have to. But go with your instincts and if it gets worse, go back and see your doctor.

hey A.

sound like ur baby has a head cold/teething and or alleriges my baby was just there, i put a hummdafire in her room and kepp the house cool that what the docs tolfd me to do and tyenol for fevers. and that should hulp other then that u have to wait it out it took three weeks for my baby to stop the runny noise good luck

We used to give our son, now 4 years old, the over-the-counter infant decongestant that was available at the time. It always seemed to help and he didn't have any side effects from taking it, but we were not aware of all the potential heart problems and other issues these type of medicines could cause at that time. We felt that if it was available for us to buy at CVS, it must be ok.

Now we are more aware of the dangers so we haven't taken the same risk with our younger son who is 6 months old now. We do use a Saline Spray that is in a pressurized can so it sprays a fine mist that really gets up there (available in baby meds section) and the "booger sucker". He doesn't like it, but it does the job and is a lot safer.

I recently read somewhere that Saline sprays are good for all ages because it naturally cleanses the nasal passages of allergens and debris. Since there is a safe alternative, I would just stay on the safe side.

Any chance of an ear infection? Might be worth checking out with your pediatrician. Took mine about 10 seconds of looking in my daughter's ear to go "yep!" Treating the symptoms will only make things better temporarily - but if you need it, a prescribed antibiotic could clear it up in a jiffy!

Poor Baby - Good luck!

Your baby should be given nasal saline drops or spray with no problem.
They are OTC and I never heard of a pediatrician opposed to this treatment for babies stuffy noses. It is natural and harmless but an efficient remedy.
In addition to a nuursing history that included labor and delivery,I am Mom to 6 and Grandma to 15. I have used this method for all of them. Good luck on your trip. Take your time and don't worry, infants usually travel pretty well.

J.

When my kids are sick I use a humidifier in their rooms and slather on the vicks on their chests (and I know this sounds weird) but their feet and then put socks on their feet. Really all you can do is make them comfortable as possible....you could call your pediatrician to see about giving her a little Benadryl to help dry things up. My son is 2 and takes it.

Hi A.
wonder if your littl bundle of joy is taking any kind of vitamins. Be careful what you get over the counter and I would say put her on a GOOD vitamin. If you like droop me a note and I can help you with that issue. There are a lot of viruses out there and you really want to build your childrens immune system before those viruses attack. The doctors are unable to perscribe for them and are unsure what residuale affects they have on our kids. It is preventable. Good Luck
S.

Sometimes it's better to let the cold run its natural course. If she is really bad though you can go to the pharmacy and ask a pharmacist what you can give her. When my kids had colds I either let them run their course or I would find out how much ibuprofin or tylenol to give them along with cough meds. Most of the time though I just let the cold run its course.
D.

I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4.

Vics Baby Rub everywhere! It sounds crazy, but in addition to the back and chest, rub some on the bottom of her feet and cover w/socks. It works wonders for the cough.

OK. make sure she's hydrated. Even though no vomiting or diahrrea a small fever will dehydrate her. A little pedalyte in a juice bottle works great. I used to do a tiny amount of sea salt in water. ( about 1 tsp. to 1 cup warm water ) let it dissolve and give a couple drops up her nose w/ an eyedropper. That should dry that stuff up, but you may have to repeat a few times per day.

Simply saline gentle baby spray and a bulb aspirator (the "booger ball" as I affectionately call it) to remove the lose mucus if you can. It is hard to hold your child down to do it, but it's worth it. Usually my husband held her head, while I sucked it out. (Remember to deflate the bulb completely BEFORE inserting the tip into her nose cavity.)

Infant Motrin helps some.

Baby Vicks rubbed on the chest and also the feet with socks or footed pajamas.

Sounds like it very well could be teething related. That's what my kids always do - the fever and cold. If you're leaving next week, she should be well over the feeling bad hump by then.

Strong possibility of teething. My now 6 yr. old, used to get diarrhea and runny nose, sometimes with fever.

hey A.! i just read a few responses so i don't end up repeating someone.... i would not try vicks nor on the baby or in the vaporizer. my son actually had a reaction when i even just rubbes a lil on the back of his pjs. our ped said not to use vapor bath or even the vicks in the vaporizer b/c it could cause their throat to swell b/c it's stuck in the air. just lots of love, saline drops every now and then, a bulb syringe for boogers, and a humidifier in the room the babe is in most. i know how frustrating it is, it's hard. don't give any meds though, most have adverse affects, that's why they've been pulled off the market. don't chance anything. for your well being and babies, go to the ped if she doesn't seem to be getting better.