what does everybody(in your own opinion)or what you have tried that works the best for you,as far as congestion and your child. my son is 5 years old??
At the hospital I work at we give kids Mucinex for congestion. It really helps break up the mucus.
peppermint tea, vicks (both of my kids prefer the baby vicks), benedryl my we were recently at the pediatrician's and he suggested benedryl to help with the congestion especially at night we always get dye free meds (tylenol, motrin, benedryl, etc) because the dye seems to be what makes them hyper not the medication itself although in some kids benedryl will make them hyper.
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peppermint tea, vicks (both of my kids prefer the baby vicks), benedryl my we were recently at the pediatrician's and he suggested benedryl to help with the congestion especially at night we always get dye free meds (tylenol, motrin, benedryl, etc) because the dye seems to be what makes them hyper not the medication itself although in some kids benedryl will make them hyper.
I use sol-u mel- a few drops in a cool mist humidifier. I have also rubbed tea tree oil in a carrier oil, I use jojoba on my sons chest. I will also put a drop of peppermint oil on the front of his shirt- making sure it can't get in his eyes! :)
It depends upon whether the congestion is in the nose or the chest. If it is nasal congestion...try some saline solution, you can squirt it in his nose as often as you want...then have him blow his nose gently. If he will let you, use one of the nasal syringes ( those blue blubs that they sent home from the hospital when you had him!!)....use it after putting the saline solution in to thin and soften the mucus. You could also get some Eucalyptus Oil at the health food store and rub it into his back....especially at night. My daughters both use it for their sons when they have colds and it really seems to help.
If it is chest congestion...it gets a little trickier...there isn't much you can give a 5 year old from the OTC products that are available. Talk with your pharmacist to see if Mucinex for children is alright for a child of 5. Whatever you do...increase his water intake as much as possible...if necessary I would go to flavored water of some sort to make it more attractive to him. The water will thin the mucus, whether it is in his chest or in his sinuses and it will make it a lot easier to get rid of.
I use Neil Med SInus RInse whenever I am having trouble with sinus congestion but I can't imagine that it would be easy to convince a 5 year old to allow you to use it on him.
I would also consider a cool mist vaporizer for his room, but you don't want to overdo it...too much moisture can cause other problems.
Have him take a warm bath...and let him sit in the bathroom after it is all full of steam from your bath/shower...breathing in the moist air will help a lot.
I always used mentholateum on my girls chests when they had colds, then cover it with a warm towel around their chest...and let them breath in those vapors during the night...but I see that one of the Moms has said that the menthol might possible make the problem worse...sounds like something to talk to your pediatrician about!!! SO many different ideas out there...I guess you just have to experiment and see what works best for you.
Good luck
A cool-mist humidifier is what generally works best for my grandson.
You will probably get suggestions to try Vicks on chest or feet. If you try this, use it cautiously and watch to make sure it doesn't actually make matters worse. For MANY children, the mentholated vapors actually increase congestion. Google "vicks safety" for numerous links.
Research by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, published in the medical journal Chest, showed that Vicks may stimulate mucus production and airway inflammation. This could impair breathing for infants or young children with small airways.
“The ingredients in Vicks can be irritants, causing the body to produce more mucus to protect the airway,” Dr. Bruce Rubin, lead author of the study and a pediatrics professor at Wake Forest, said in a press release. “Infants and young children have airways that are much narrower than those of adults, so any increase in mucus or inflammation can narrow them more severely.” http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2009/01/12/dail...
My daughter came down with a stuffy nose over the weekend- this was wonderful, I used it once for her and now shes better :) Good luck... oh, I found this at CVS.
Is it nose or chest congestion????
Congestion can be caused by:
mucous
inflammation of airways... in the chest or sinuses or both.
Then, it can be due to:
allergies
colds
infections
Then, you need to treat it, depending on what the child's condition is...
Have you taken him to the Doctor????
all the best,
Susan
