My Lil girl.sigh. How Do I Make Her More Comfortable?

Updated on September 24, 2010
E.A. asks from El Paso, TX
17 answers

She is 7 months old. She had her shots today. So she got a fever. She also has had a stuffy nose for the last 3 days. I have tried the steam bath. But it just comes back. She is miserable. Not sleeping thru the night waking up and fussing and crying because she can't breathe and I just saw today that her second tooth is comin in. which do i help first how do i ease all of it? any advice is appreciated. thank you.

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C.G.

answers from Austin on

So sorry you guys are going through this. My first son would have the same reactions until I started to space out his shots. I think some babies do a lot better with just a few shots at a time. I hope next time her symptoms are not bad. Also motrin has always worked well with both of my kids for fever and teething. Good luck:)

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A.M.

answers from Austin on

There's a really cool snot sucking thing called nose Freda. It works so much better than the bulb syringe. Might have to try a health food store, specialty pharmacy or whole foods to find it. You'd be amazed how much snot you can remove with it.

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M.P.

answers from Houston on

I am a big fan of homeopathic remedies, they do have worked for me and my kids in the past. You can find them at Wholefood Market.

This are three little things you can do:

Similasan Homeopathic nasal spary is safe for babies. (WFood market)

Baby Simply Saline (nasal mist) at Walgreens, Kroger or any store.

BABYRUB from Vicks... (please make sure is the one for babies) Rub it in her chest and back just before going to sleep.

And if possible put something, a pillow or anything UNDER the mattress in order to create a little inclination. Notice that when the baby sleeps in her chair or even a swing she breaths better because she is more upright.

Hope to have been of help, good luck!

PS... also maybe you could try the homeopathic teething tablets that are sold everywhere. I did not need them with my kids but I've heard they really work.

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S.C.

answers from Fort Wayne on

It's so hard when our babies are sick :( And to add shots & teething on top of that :( :(
The only things you can really do for her stuffy nose are the saline drops & use a snot sucker to help relieve congestion. If she sleeps in a crib, you can put a pillow under her mattress to elevate, it will help with drainage. Baby Vicks always helped my kids, just make sure to get the kind that's for babies.
You can use Acetaminophen (generic Tylenol) or Ibuprofen (generic Motrin) for her aches and pains. I see that many women have suggested staggering the medicines, but we were told NEVER EVER to do that. Babies livers can't filter out all the medicines and it can cause major problems including overdose. So, check with your doctor before you stagger any type of medicines. Unless she's in severe pain, Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen alone should work just fine. I prefer the Ibuprofen because it lasts longer (6-8 hours as opposed to 4) and it seems to work better for my kids.
Other than that, there's not really much you can do. The pain from the shots and the tooth should be short lived and hopefully the cold will go away in a few days as well.

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A.C.

answers from Washington DC on

My 9-month-old has gotten a cold with every single tooth so I think that they are somehow related. Usually she has a lot of trouble sleeping with the cold the first two nights and then after that she has a better time of it. Tylenol is usually pretty helpful, but don't give it to them for too long and I only every did it right before bed time.

What really seemed to help her was just turning the shower on really hot and then standing in the bathroom with the steam for about ten minutes. Also, have you tried Boogie Wipes. They are saline wipes, but those really seemed to help my little girl.

Other than that, there isn't really too much else that I can offer you.

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J.T.

answers from Victoria on

why not give her some infant tylenol? if you dont want to give her medication i would ask a store that sells healing oils. sounds crazy but they do work. its what people used before "modern" medicine came around. are you using the nose sucker for her stuffy nose? she might have allergies too. if its gone on for a few days i would take her in so she isnt stuck suffering over the weekend. if she is running fever it could be just the tooth, or the shots , or she might have a little cold.

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D.Y.

answers from Odessa on

Bless her heart, all of that at one time.........for the stuffy nose, I would suggest putting Vick Vapo Rub on her feet, then putting socks on over the vicks, when you lay her down. Don't ask me to explain why or how it works, but it WORKS!!! All of the young Moms here, and now even a Dad, have tried and now thats the first thing they do when one of the kiddos gets that stuffy nose stuff. Try it just once, out of curiosity if nothing else, its really a safe alternative to otc cold meds.

Have you tried the Hylands Teething tablets, they worked great for my grandkids.

Hope she feels better soon!

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K.A.

answers from Dallas on

When my daughter was that young, we would use the saline drops and suction to clear out her nose. The Baby Vicks also seemed to help - not the regular Vicks, just the baby version with the pink lid. Our doctor gave us a prescription for cold medicine for our baby when she was three weeks old, and we have been refilling it periodically for three years. Since you can't give them any kind of cold medicine OTC, this is the only thing we give her when cold or allergies set in. Try propping her mattress up slightly with a towel to elevate her head. Also, we use the plug in ball version of the humidifier. I believe cold mist is recommended, but I never had a lot of luck with mine. Good luck and hope she feels better soon!

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C.O.

answers from Sacramento on

Use tylenol...get the dosage from the doctor as it is weight based. Talk to them about staggering between tylenol and motrin if the fever is stubborn.

For the tooth, Hylands tablets are fantastic.

Love and comfort her and let her know you are there.

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K.U.

answers from Detroit on

Infant Tylenol or Motrin - you can use both and stagger the doses if needed.

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Y.K.

answers from Austin on

I gave my daughters tylenol about 30 minutes before they took their shots. My doctor recommended staggering tylenol and motrin, but not in the way described here by many mothers. Since tylenol works for four hours once four hours had elapsed I gave them motrin, usually at bedtime. Once the six to eight hours for the motrin elapsed i gave them tylenol. This is my doctor's version of staggering. I was told to never give tylenol and motrin at the same time or during the same timeframe since they are both pain relievers/fever reducers. Even though they don't work the same, they treat the same treatments. Giving both medications at the same time is like giving a double dose of either medication. Parents are also cautioned to pay attention to what symptoms any medication you are using is treating so you don't give medication with a fever reducer then also give them a separate fever reducer.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

Ditto Kristen U

Infant Tylenol or Motrin, or both of them together at the same time. (they have different modes of action, they can be taken together... but if you haven't already been told this by your ped/nurse/pharmacist... don't take my word for it, but call the 24/7 nurses info line and ask them. Also for the correct dose by weight).

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L.D.

answers from Houston on

Next time she goes in for her shots, give her a dose of Tylenol or Motrin. It helps minimize the symptoms. I did it with all three of my boys and it always helped. For her stuffy nose, try using Vicks Waterless Vaporizer. You can buy it at Target, WalMart, and Babies R Us. It has been a lifesaver with stuffy noses and colds. Depending on how bad the stuffy nose is, you can up the amount of scent coming out. It will get better I promise. Good Luck.

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R.L.

answers from Houston on

If the steam bath helps, then I would suggest getting a steam vaporizer for her room. It should help her sleep better at night. I'm sure there are some over the counter cold remedies and/or all natural remedies you can use. I would suggest to call your pediatricians office and speak with the nurse to see what they recommend.

One thing to watch out for is congestion that makes a crackling sound in her chest when she breathes, and if she is having trouble breathing and her stomach is going in and out and it seems like she can't breath it may be bronchiolitis. If that happens call your ped but you may have to take her right in to the doc or to the ER. My son had bronchiolitis at about age 2 and we ended up at Texas Childrens ER. Luckily it is easily treated with some breathing treatments and a take home inhaler. Right now with the weather changing it's the season for these types of illnesses.

Hang in there, I hope she feels better!

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C.D.

answers from St. Louis on

the nurse at the peds office told me to give my DD a dose of tylonal right before her shots about 30min and that can help. My ped told me not to use baby oral gel with teething because it's easy to give too much. We used tylonal and motrin in your situation but we staggered the dose with tylonal first and then motrin 1 hour later if needed. Write down when you give a dose and what it is so you don't forget because tylonal you can give every 4 hours and motrin every 6 hours.

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M.L.

answers from Houston on

I am sure you have already done this but try tylenol it does help them sleep. Also saline her nose as much as possible and suction it as well. If you don't have a suction or know how to use it (I didn't either) get one and put it in her nostril till it makes a seal but push the bubble in before you insert in her nostril then let go of the bubble as you are pulling it out of her nose that is what pull the buggers out. Try boggie wipes too they are wipes filled with saline and don't irrate the nose. My son is just turning 5 months and his older brother has given him two bad colds that turned into ear infections so I know how miserable it can be. Also try a vaporizer and prop her up at night to sleep. Laying flat can be miserable. Also try baby vicks rub or little colds rub on her chest and just under her nose after you use saline. but get started on tylenol to relieve pain she may be old enough for motrin which reduces any swelling if she is starting to get pain in her ears. Just remember all that drainage has to go somewhere and it is going to run into her throat or ears if you don't stay on top of the saline. If she will make her some cammiloe tea it calms them and makes them a little sleepy it is caffiene free and lots of companies make it. Celestial seasonings makes one that tastes good my two year old drank it. good luck.

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A.D.

answers from Philadelphia on

Kristen and Riley said it. Start with tylenol and, if needed, stagger with Motrin, the generic ones were never recalled and can be bought at the Pharmacy counter if they are not on the store shelves. Just pay attention, because Tylenol is usually a 4-hr dose and Motrin is a 6-hr one. These will only help the pain from the shots and her tooth, they will not help her stuffy nose, but you can use infant nose drops and the bulb syringe to suck the mucus out of her nose.

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