Need Cold Advice

Oh, my.....do I know how you are feeling! There have been lots of great ideas. I especially love the baby vicks and elevating. Two things that haven't been mentioned are using saline solution in her nose. Anytime there is a cold, it's a good idea to start that. Also, for my two girls, the cool air humidifier didn't really do the trick. We used the vicks warm air humidifier with a little vicks solution in it (especially now that they are older, 5 and 3) I don't know that I would double up with the vicks on the feet and in the humidifier since she is so young. However, it's something to keep in mind as she grows. One last thing.....allergies. It's been really bad the past two weeks. Her stuffieness might be some of the first signs of allergies. It's hard to tell with her getting the teeth in. But if there is anything coming out of her nose that it clear, that might be a sign of teeth or allergies and not a cold. It's so hard to tell. Good luck! Hope you all get some rest soon!

I love the vicks hot steam vaporizer, it has helped my 3 kids through hundreds of colds!!! The menthol really works. Also, for the teething, those homeopathic teething tablets work miracles. They are available at Walmart, and several other stores.

When my 5 month old had a cold last winter, I bought a waterless Vicks vaporizer. It was my the cold medicines and is nice and compact for a nightstand and also works as a little nightlight. It was fairly inexpensive (under $10). It had vaporizer tabs that you put in it and as it heats up, the vapor fill the room. That seemed to help a little, also try baby vicks, just a little bit on her chest and that may help also. My daughter was exactly the same, she couldn't breathe easily lying down. Hope that helps a bit, good luck!

You could make your little one an Ice Ghost. Take a Clean wash cloth-get it damp- put it in the fridge or just make it cold THEN put some cruched ice in it and wrap a rubberband around it forming a ghost-like shape. You daughter can put the towel in her mouth to chew on it and because it is chilled it will feel good on her gums and the ice part of the ghost may feel good if she is feeling slightly warm from the cold or is uncomfortable. Of course watch you child to prevent any accidents or discomforts. But it may make her feel better to know she has a good little ghost doll to help her feel better.

I would try tylenol, just check with your doctor or nurse to see how much you can give her at this point. This should releive some of the discomfort to her teeth & her cold. Good Luck!

YOu can apply olive oil warmed up with little Camphor. That acts similar to Vicks just with no chemicals and really helps baby!!

Take Care

I second the Vick's Vapor Rub on the feet idea. It works like a dream for my kids...especially if they are coughing. My husband and I actually do the same for ourselves when we have colds. They have Vicks for babies, but I think the regular kind works better. I also use benadryl if the coughing is keeping my kids from resting. Basically the doctor told me the benadryl helps them to rest, without suppressing the cough. Good luck. No remedy is perfect, but every little bit helps!

If a child is miserable,they can give her any number of over the counter medications that will be appropriate for her age category. It is true you CANT cure a cold, however you can manage the symptoms to provide comfort.
Since she is 10 months old, you may not find things over the counter, you will have to call the doc to get dosing info. My suggestion is call the doc on call this weekend, since your primary md seems reluctant to do anything, and ask if there is something over the counter, and ask for dosing info. The on call should be fairly comfortable in doing this, since you are not calling for prescription medicine. They will likely tell you children ibuprofen, and something for the congestion.
The key is that you need the correct dosage for the weight of your child, and that will not be printed on the package....that info you must get from the doctor.
(and yes, you can look it up online, but I don't recommend it. Too many mistakes can happen that way)

You've gotten some great suggestions here. We would put our little ones in the bouncer when they had colds to keep their heads elevated (but not at 10 months they were too mobile). A blanket under one end of the mattress works if she doesn't move around too much. If she'll sleep on her stomach that would help too.

A humidifier always works wonders for us. We don't have the Vicks one, just a regular cool mist humidifier. The moisture really helps loosen the congestion. Motrin or Tylenol for the teeth might help her sleep better too. Hope she feels better soon!

Hi R.,

You can use Pedicare use only 1/2. The kids usually like the grape flavor the best. My doctor says it fine to use that. Or you can go to your doctor and they will precribe something for her.

R.,
We raised 12 children and it always seemed to us that runny, stufy noses were an all to common companion to teething. We always found Vick's Vapor rub to be helpful. A little in each nostril goes a long way. Just be careful not to put so much on that there is a possibility of her getting some on her hands and transferring it to eyes. If her chest is congested too do rub a liberal amount in the center of her chest. If she is teething I sure would be persistant with her doctor about the possibility of giving her ibuprofen or acetaminaphen for pain. Do not give her anything with salycilates, another word for aspirin, because of the danger of Reye's Syndrome.
MP

Hi - I didn't read all of the responses you've already gotten, but:

The cool mist humidifier was recommended to us by our pediatrician's office. We use it at night every time our twins get stuffed up. I think it was only about $20 at Walgreens, and it just uses tap water.

Also elevating the head helps with the sleeping. When they were younger, I'd sometimes just put a large Atlas or other thick book under the one end of the mattress. Now that they're older, I use the boppy pillows, which they really like to cuddle up with.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Make sure she drinks plenty of fluids!!!! You do not need this cold so, wash your hands often and drink PLENTY of water. Good Luck!
PS: Her nose may also be runnning/congested because of her teething.

a cold just has to run its course- you culd use saline nose drops to help open uip the bnasal passage ways- only suction a few times a day- tomuch can cause more narrowing of the nasal page ways. warm baths help to help losen chest congestion and sometimes children get an ear infection so watch for that- difficulty laying flat of taking the bottle. a cold will last 2 weeks- and is at its worse between the 7-10th day. run cool mist at bed side and good luck!

i used to prop up my children's cribs with books under the mattress where their head rests, and i use a vaporizer. It seems to help with drainage, also there are these vaporizer things that plug into an outlet and let out menthol smells to clear congestion. And i know this sounds weird, but putting baby vicks on her feet will help clear her chest too, works just as good as putting it on her chest, i like that because it's not as messy and doesn't get on clothes. Good luck, it's horrible when your baby isn't feeling well :(

Several things have helped us:
* Vicks Vapor Rub for kids on her chest
* humidifier
* plug in vaporizer
* Sit in the bathroom with the hot water running and Vapor tablet on shower floor (sold next to where plug in vapor strips are sold...)

My four month old was nasally and hadn't slept well all weekend. We did this last night and it was his best night of sleep in a VERY long time.

I know it sounds weird, but if you are breastfeeding you can put some breastmilk in her nose to help clear out the nose (it has germ fighting properties) and then use a bulb syringe. Not that she'll like it...but I have had a lot of success with using breastmilk in the nose and eyes (when there's a cold in the eye). Good luck to you!
A.

how about using a steamy shower. Put the shower on with hot water and close the bathroom door. you can sit with her on your lap - so she can breathe in the steamy air to help clear her nose. The moisture will help. Also, you can put a cool mist humidifier in her bedroom at night.
good luck- unfortunately sometimes when babies teethe- they get a runny nose as well.

Keep her free from ALL second hand smoke, which is very irritating to sinuses and respiratory passages. If someone smokes, they HAVE to go outside, but, even the lingering smell on the clothing is very irritating.
Push lots of oral fluids to help break up the mucous. Very dilute orange juice is really good...like one part orange juice to 4 parts water. The bedtime bath helps humidify the air and loosen the secretions, too...give the bath a little earlier in the evening so she can stay longer to have that nice, moist air for longer.

Hylands teething tablets work well, they also have a cold and flu homeopathic tablet along with vitamin c tablets. I would just stick to those. Give her a nice warm bath before bed too. A warm bath helps boost the immune system naturally.

Good luck, she'll work it through. :)

Get the hot shower going and just sit in the steamy room for sometime. Put on shorts and a tank, you will be sweating!!
Best of luck!
N.-Nutrition Naturally
www.jp4ahealthieryou.com

If she is teething give her some oral on the gums. You can also give her some infant tylenol for discomfort . Put Vicks vapo rub on her feet with socks . It has the same effect as if it were on her chest ( you should't put it on her chest at this age). I would bathe her everynight to relax her if you don't already. Other than that just time and lots of love :)

I feel your pain. I just went through a cold/teething with my 14 month old daughter. The best thing that works for us is:
baby vapor rub, I lay her on a pillow to sleep, sitting in the bathroom with steam from the shower if she has a cough and Tylenol. I hope this is helpful. It is really hard to see our babies being sick and there is only so much we can do to comfort them. I hope she gets better soon!
C.

If she can't breathe well, try using saline drops in her nose. It temporarily dries up the mucus so she can breathe through her nose again. It's just salt water, no drugs. I like the Gentle Naturals brand (Winnie the Pooh on the box) (sold at Target and at some grocery stores, probably other places, too) because the applicator is easy to use but I'm sure any brand would work fine.

If the teething is making her irritable, you can also offer any of the following to ease her discomfort:
1. Teething tablets, another drug free option. Tiny little pills that dissolve under the baby's tongue in a few seconds and offer some relief, allowing baby to finally get some sleep.
2. Baby Orajel, put it on a Q-tip or your finger and rub on the swollen gums. Numbs them on contact. People say it doesn't work because the gel gets swallowed over time, but try it on your own gums - it numbs almost immediately and lasts hours. I swear by the stuff.
3. If neither of these help, you can always go to Infant Tylenol, which reduces the swelling and eases the pain, but it takes longer to work since it has to get into the bloodstream rather than be a topical treatment.

Good luck and I hope she feels better soon.

What worked for my daughter is to put a blanket under her crib sheet where she sleeps so she's slightly elevated - that will help her breath a little better. Also, if you don't have one, get a cool mist vaporizer. It works wonders in helping to relieve the congestion. Poor thing - I hope she feels better soon. :-(

If your baby is still in her infant car seat/carrier, and she sleeps well in the seat, you can sleep her in that for elevation purposes if elevating the head of the crib isn't working. My pediatrician recommended this because my little one would just slip down in the crib and his head would no longer be elevated anyway. She suggested putting the baby in the seat and then putting the seat in the crib. My son didn't sleep well in his seat, so it wasn't an option for me, but I thought it was a clever idea nonetheless. Good luck!

Do you have a humidifier in her room? Use the vicks one that you put the oil in the slot and when it starts steaming the medicine goes into the air. Also you can use vicks vapor rub, not only put it on her chest but also on her feet and then use pajamas with feet. This for some reason really works, don't ask me how.

My daughter too has gotten colds - what our doctor said was to aspirate her nose, use the saline drops (we use LITTLE NOSES) in it 5x a day it helps to moisturize as well as clear the nasal passages. To loosen any possible congestion, put her in a steamy bathroom for 10 minutes 1 or 2x a day. If she cannot breathe too well, if you have the car seat that tilts, put her in that to sleep so her head is elevated. Hope it helps!

Try some Simply Saline spray in her nose.....it will really help relieve some of her congestion and she should be able to breath better then. Also, prop up her mattress with a couple of rolled up towels....the incline will help her to drain.

Hi R.,
My son always gets a cold with his teething so I know how rough it must be for you both! I never tried it, but I read somewhere that for little ones to get vicks rub (they have some for infants) and put it on the soles of their feet and put socks over their feet. It is supposed to be helpful! Plus, if your daughter is still able to fit in th swing, the elevation seemed to help my son-not so much drainage in a semi-upright position. Definitely use tylenol, but I am sure you know that helps! Also, try a humidifier; my Mom used that for me a lot. Have you had your daughters ears checked for an ear infection? That seems to go with teething/colds. If not, have her doctor check her ears to be sure. My son did not exhibit the usual major signs of discomfort (incessant crying, screaming)as his brother did, but was just very whinny, clingy and did not sleep well at all. Sadly we have to turn to others for help if the doctors are so unconcerned; it's not their life being interrupted! Ask him if he would be willing to get you some Donatussin drops which is a nasal decongestant/expectorant. My doctor gave me some, even though the label says it is not recommended for children under 2 yrs. I used it very sparingly. Chicken noodle soup is helpful (not in the middle of the night though, right?!)as chicken is a natural antibiotic, so even if she is on the bottle, try to give her some, even in her sippy cup if that is easier. Well, good luck and be sure to research the internet on remedies. You may find some good advice. hope something helps!!!
J.

When my daughter was getting a bunch of teeth in at one time, our doctor recommended giving her Motrin. Call your doctor for the right dosage. It worked wonders and got her through the pain. It's been said that teething hurts so much that adults would never be able to handle it. When my daughter got more than two teeth in at a time, she felt miserable and wasn't herself. The Motrin really helped! Good luck--things will get better!

Hot steam vaporizor with Vicks at the steam opening. Keep it in each room she's in. They hold only a couple of quarts of water so it's easy to move from room to room.

Boy have I been through this! The homeopathic teething pills help wonders and a little Motrin and/or Tylenol will make everyone sleep better. Also what the other gal said about a vaporizer and elevating the bed is very helpful. There is a Vics Vaporub that's made especially for babies. We found this helps too and it's much more mild than the adults version. I hope she gets better soon! Best wishes.