Doc?

Hi Katrina,
Yes - I would definitely take her to the doctor. It's probably a really bad cold, but I've never flown with my chidlren, so I don't know if there are special restrictions when they are sick and plane flights. If nothing else, maybe the doctor can give you some helpful advice on keeping your daughter more comfortable on the trip. If she was older, it wouldn't be quite a big deal. But with the younger children, you really should take more caution when traveling when they are sick. Your doctor will want to check her throat and lungs just to make sure it's a simple cold. It never hurts to call the doctor and get an opinion. Since your leaving soon, I would do it now! Best wishes and I hope you have a nice trip!

I'd get her into the Dr and explain she is flying soon. If her nose/ears are stuffed up, the pressure changes are going to give her a lot of pain and she could end up screaming the whole flight. There might be a decongestant she could take that the Dr could give you. If it eases cold symptoms (and / or helps her sleep through it), it might make a big difference in her first flight experience.

I would take her to the doctor just because you are traveling. It is probably nothing now, but with babies that young secondary infections frequently develop. Let your doctor know you are about to leave town so the doctor will treat her more aggressively. Also, if she does take a downturn or develop a secondary infection while you are out of town your doc may be more willing to call in an anti-biotic or other prescription if she has been seen. Also it'll ease your mind to ask the doc's advice.

If you decide not to go to the doctor before the trip, be sure to know what possible medical facilities/urgent care you will have access to where you are going. When my 3rd child was 4 months old we were trapped in rural Alabama with the nearest doc 45 minutes away (who made us pay cash for the visit as we were not an established patient despite having insurance they accepted). I can tell you it was not fun. She had just a runny nose when we left and we carried a nebulizer and tons of medicine with us just in case, but she developed such a nasty respiratory infection I nearly took her to an ER.

Take her to a chiropractor! Helps with our kids any time they have had a cold, ear infection, sleepless nights, etc! Find one that specializes or takes training in infants. The adjustments are very gentle for babies. We've taken our kids since they have been 12 hours old.

We've flown with our kids as babies multiple times and they have done great. We always take them in for an adjustment before a trip just to help them be as comfortable and healthy as possible!

Spray saline solution into each side and suction out in the morning, mid-day and before bed. If you are nursing, you can use breast milk in the nose instead of saline. Sounds strange but it's really a great thing! The fat helps lubricate and the antibodies are thought to speed up recovery. Anyway, that will keep the nasal passages clear and hopefully lessen the chances of fluid in the ears. Keep it clear! Also, be gentle when you suction because too much of it can cause more inflammation and stuffiness. Our ENT recommends Oceans brand saline. If you sit the baby upright and spray upwards, it's a fine mist that goes in, instead of heavy drops that make them gag. Another trick I learned over the years is to close the nostril that you are not suctioning, while suctioning the other. It's much more effective because you get a better suction. Tylenol might help with inflammation. ?? Motrin would be best (because Ibuprofen reduces inflammation) but I want to say they cannot have that until 6 months? Check with your dr. As for flying with a sick baby, it's all about fluid in the ears and an ear infection. You can take her to the doctor tomorrow and she could have an ear problem within 4 hours of having her at the doctor. Infections are funny that way. I would probably take him/her in tomorrow, just to be sure. Definitely ask what their opinion is because there's always the plane flight back home. Hopefully there will be no infections by then. Lastly, don't let me scare you with all of this infection business. Not all babies are prone to fluid in the ears or infections. Mine were so I'm just telling you what I know. Also ask your dr about Musinex for kids. My guess would be that he/she is too young but things might have changed over the years. You could ask about a homeopathic option as well.

I would definitely see the doctor before taking her on a flight.
Just for future reference, it seemed like I had snotty kids from day one. When they were old enough to start milk it seemed to be worse. Both of them ended up with tubes around 1 yr old. The tubes have been a great thing for us, but the point is that milk seemed to make the snot worse and it never went away.
About a year ago I decided to try alternatives to cow's milk and the best one I have found so far that we still use is Almond Milk. My girls like chocolate milk, so they never even noticed a difference and the snot has dried up! They used to have hacking coughs all night and I would just agonize over it. Pedi always says "we live in Houston - allergies, etc." But I knew in my heart that it was not normal to have a hacking cough that kept them up at night so decided to try to figure it out myself. If it continues past 1 yr I would try dairy alternatives. That is not to say my kids have a dairy allergy, but the absence of cow's milk has meant the absence of snot for us and that is proof enough for me. Good luck! (Make sure you have bottles or pacifiers ready for take off and landing - she will need that for her ears).

The bulb can make it worse. Use a saline nasal spray. Also nurse as much as possible, THE BEST medicine made for her specifically.

Make an appointment, as you don't want your baby to fly with fluid in her ears, or an ear infection, as the pressure on the the plane could cause her eardrums to burst and that's very painful. Get the dr. To check your baby thoroughly and get suggestions for how ton help her fly more comfortably from the dr.