Very Congested 9 Month Old

We swear by the Vics Vaporub on feet and covered with socks remedy. It works like a charm, even on me! My sister has always used this trick on her son, who suffers from asthma and frequent sinus infections.

Saline drops, humidifier and vicks on her chest is about all there is to do for that age, poor babies :( My 4 month old was really congested a couple of weeks ago and it's so hard to see them like that. Those three things helped some, hope she's better soon.

My mom told me about this, and I thought she was kinda crazy.......Vix on the feet. I tried it out of desperation and I really think it made a difference! Slather Vix on the baby's feet and put socks on. It has to do with the reflexology of the feet. Also, the humidifier, for sure. Suctioning sucks, but it does help. The saline will help loosen up the snot. I definitely feel for you. It is so frustrating when they can't breathe .... and so young :(

Good luck!

Suctioning can sometimes make the passages swell up. Have you tried also using saline drops? A few drops in each nostril then wait a bit. Helps pull more stuff out when you suction. Also helps loosen it up so it drains better. I usually do it right before nursing and nap time.

Good advice so far....
Saline for SURE. Also no one mentioned but keep her head elevated when she sleeps. This will help tremendously.
Lots of fluids, I'm pretty sure that milk can make mucus worse so look into that.

Hi Mama
My son had regular bouts of stuffed nose. What I found best and I tried alot of things was eucaleptus oil.
I burn it in an oil burner in his room an hour before bed and found that it worked a treat for helping with breathing.
Best of luck and hope your baby gets better soon.
B.

Use saline drops and let them sit about 10 min. before suctioning out her nose. Also you can use Vick's on her chest. A humidifier is great, too, and you can actually put a little Vick's right in front of where the steam comes out and it will release the aroma into the air! They also have Vick's-type plug-ins you could try (not sure the brand name of those). A nice warm bath might help as well.

cool mist humidifier in her room at night and during naps.

If you are breast feeding you can squirt breast milk up her nose. It has antibiotic properties and will thin the snot. Breast milk is also useful in treating eye infections.
I also have found eucalyptus oil helpful. I rub it on my kids' chests.

I don't think you can give her anything, but we swear by a humidifier in my son's room when he's congested. It really does help keep everything "loose" and "moving".

If you aren't already doing so, use the infant saline spray before suctioning her. I have found that it get "more out" so you don't have to do it as often. Remember to keep her hydrated too- mouth breathing for long periods of time will dry her out!

I would ask your doctor for a decongestant. My pedi. Gave us one with my daughter that had a cold and it really helped keep things moving with all the nose sucking I was doing too. Also, you can put saline drops in her nose to help keep infection away.

Have you tried running a humidifier in her room? That has always helped my lil one when she is stuffy and/or congested. Another thing I do is take my lil one in the bathroom and run hot water for about 5-10 minutes, the steam seems to help with the congestion too. I personally try to avoid giving any type of medication unless it's tylenol or motrin/advil.

Good Luck!

Warning about using Vick's!! Be very careful about using Vicks on her chest!! My daughter was very sensitive to Vick's and it would cause swelling in her airway and eyes and she would break out in a rash. I could only use the one labled for children. Just keep a close eye on her to make sure she can tolerate it.

Saline drops work wonders - I like Simply Saline. A cool mist humidifier is also helpful.

Did they test her for RSV? There are OTC decongestants you can use, but you have to get the dosage from your doctor. You can also try homeopathic, a friend recommended this:
http://abchomeopathy.com/r.php/Hep
Also, try the J&J baby bath that's in the green bottle for babies with colds, that always helps my daughter a little bit, or you can get the Aura Cacia clearing foam bath at Sprouts or Whole Foods. Good luck! Hope she's better soon.

I had to deal with exact same thing with my newborn. I did several things that worked out for her. I Kept suctioning her nose constantly with a nasal aspirator. It helped her breathe better.
Also, I used a 1 tablespoon of carom seeds (ajwain) crushed and tied up in a cloth. It heped her inhalation. I also put a bundle of it placed close to her the baby sleeps (close to the head). It seemed to relieve her nasal congestion. Or put it under her clothes close to the chin.
Also, I made a mixture of water and salt. I I put 2 drops in each nasal canal to help her to take out the mucus. Normally i put 6 times a day. Wait 5 minutes and then, use the aspirator. Don't forget doing it at night time. An humidifier works as well. I do not know which one worked, i used all of it together! and it worked. it takes time, but it worked!
I filled up the bathub with hot water and pour eucalytos oil inside and mentol oil. After there was a steamy atmosphere inside I went inside the bathroom with my daugther and stayed there for 30 minutes. I place her on my laps her face facing down to the wtaer so she could inhale the oils. I covered her head with a towel. After it, i saw a significant improvement on her congested nose.

I would not keep on suctioning. You can damage the membrane.

I would give her saline drops as often as you can i.e every 30 minutes. Also, I would purchase a humidifier. This will help tremendously.