My Poor Little Man!!

This is the worst! My son got a horrible flu when he was about 8 months old and not only are they miserable, but you are entirely helpless!

Cuddle him- if he wants to sleep on your lap all day, let him! Nothing is more important right now. I know that when JD was sick, he just wanted to be held. I slept in the guest room with him snuggled in- he woke up every two hours thirsty and that was really the only time he would drink so we had a cooler of bottles next to the bed.

Warm baths helped- baby massages-

For the eating, my pediatrician was careful to point out that as long as he kept having wet diapers, eating was not essential until he was feeling better. I will also warn you that diarrhea really messes with their little bellies! My son had to be on soy formula for a month after the flu b/c he couldn't digest the milk. Just take one day at a time and call your doctor often- that's what they are there for!!

Good luck and I hope he feels better soon!

If he is still making wet diapers (a few a day) that is good, if he is dry for the whole day then that might be something to call into the pediatrician. Did the ER give you any direction on when to call your pediatrician if there is another symptom, if not I would call your pediatrician and let them know what is going on and for other things to watch out for that would be a concern to call them with.

Hope others give some good advice... just keep the love coming.

My son had pneumonia at 1 yr old. We had to use a nebulizer on him to keep his lungs open and ease his breathing. We were fortunate he didn't get sick enough to land in a hospital inside an oxygen tent. We did the humidifyer (in his room at night, I kept it in the living room during the day where we spent most of our time), elevated the head of his mattress so he could breathe as easily as possible at night. He still wanted to play when he was up during the day, but he'd tire easily. Keeping him hydrated is a must. Pedialyte (and Pedialyte Popsicles) should help if he doesn't feel like anything else. My son liked warm bathes (I think the steamy air in the bathroom help loosen his cough). Keep your ears open in case he gets a barky cough. Croup is more common in winter, but it can happen anytime and humidity helps ease it. You found it early, and got him on medicine quickly, and that's good.

My son had pnemonia around that age it is just awful. It sounds like you are doing all you can lots of love and rest and I believe that is enough feeding. Whenever my son is not feeling well I usually only give him 2-3 oz bottles at least for the day, I know when Im not feeling well the last thing I want is to eat. Hope he is feeling better soon and make sure you get plenty of rest too!

Is he old enough for popsicles? When my kids were little, I could find these nets that you could put food in and screw the net onto a base with a handle (I found them at Babies R Us). This way you can put food into the net and the child can gum it without choking on the food. I would put an ice cube in it when they were teething, but pieces of popsicles would put some sugar in is system (Edy's makes some that are all fruit if you are anti-sugar).

I hope he's better real soon.

My son has had a couple of bouts with some nasty things so you have my sympathy! I have found that elevating one end of the crib helps them at night with drainage. You can use a crib wedge or simply put one end of the crib on a higher setting than the other. Also, I would take my son in the bathroom with me and turn on a HOT shower - steam helps a lot. They really shouldn't have milk when they have a mucus problem as it only creates more. That said, my son BEGS for milk when he's sick and it's often the only calories he's getting so I will usually give him 1/4 - 1/3 milk to 2/3 - 3/4 water. This has really helped get liquids in him and keep him hydrated when sick. Otherwise, keep rocking, cuddling and loving. It's SO HARD when they are sick so we all know what you are going through.