Baby with Influenza

My daughter got the flu at 2 years old and slept consecutively for 17 hours. I had to force her to wake up. She didn't get out of bed for days and was sick like 7 days all together. It was horrible and I felt guilty and horrible. She's had a flu shot every year since. I would just lay and rock him and make him as comfortable as possible.

Kate,

Both my boys (then 7 months and 2 years) had this in January (and they were both vaccinated. My then 7 month old had a 104 degree fever for about 5 or 6 days. Scarry for me. I called the nurse line just about every day. Especially when the tylonol wasn't working and we were almost done with the doses of ibpreufin we could give.

put him in a warm bath, just luke warm, it will feel cool to him and it will help a little with the fever. Give him tylonol or Ibpreufin, we used the tylonol until it didn't help to break the fever.- use using these to reduce the fever, should help give him some relief and you too for a bit at least.

The nurses told me unless his fever gets to 105, or he's showing signs of dehydration (sagging skin, no wet diaper in over 8 hours)you don't have to bring him in.

We found some baby vicks at target (it's made for kids under 1) and I put that on my son to clear up the congestion. For the most part it worked very well. Keep the solids out, if he doesn't want to eat and feed him lots of bottles.

Our son wouldn't drink after a while, he was so misserable, so we had to resort to 2-3 ounces every hour or so.

I hope your little guy gets done with this soon! I know how miserable it can be. Our 2 year old got it first, and just when he was getting better our then seven month old got it. It was a horrible 2-3 weeks at our home and I had help. I can't immagine the strength it must take to get through it alone!

We had this at our house too...it was terrible. Ask your doctor to put you on Tamiflu preventatively. Tell him you are nursing though to be sure it's ok for your little one.

P.S. Thank you to you and your husband for your sacrifice!

For physical symptoms, do all the things the doctor tells you. I rely on Tylenol (or equivalent), a vaporizer, propping the baby up for nasal drainage (one of mine slept in the infant seat for awhile), infant Mentholatum on the chest, thinned formula and juice to get more water into them (mine won't drink water straight) and lots of TLC. Be sure you do everything you can for yourself, too! Sleep when your baby sleeps, even if it means bringing him into your room/bed. Being able to get to him quickly, w/o waking yourself completely, is a God-send when you are exhausted. Keep all your supplies readily available, remember to eat and drink fluids yourself as a precaution, and let everything but the most critical chores go by the wayside. Laundry, necessary dishes and an occasional shower are about all you should be concerned with until your little one is well again. He needs lots of cuddling, knowing you are there for him, and trust-building time. Caring for a sick baby is an act of love and they remember it! Don't hesitate to call on friends and family, even just to bring you groceries. No one needs to come into the house if they are uncomfortable with that, but you shouldn't have to go out with him at all. Hang in there and don't let yourself get frustrated. This too shall pass - and come again, so learn what you can from the experience.

SAHM of seven - the oldest is USMC (awaiting deployment), another in college our west, five at home and a wonderful husband that travels ALOT

i got the flu that went around this year. i got it worse than my son. (thank god for breastfeeding). in total, the worst of it was a week or two. took four weeks to feel pretty much normal again. it's nasty. love him up. i'm sure he feels AWFUL. i have never been so sick in my life!

I work in a lab and it is going around like crazy.. The most important thing to do it keep fluid in your baby. WATER is the BEST thing. With some people it can take up to two weeks before it finally gets a little better. Watch for weezing : If this happens the will probably do an x-ray.

Good luck.

Alternate Tylenol and ibuprofen every four hours to help with the fever. It is better to stay on top of it than to wait until it peaks. Also if you need to get the fever down fast luke warm bath, not too cold. Do not force the issue on food. Just make sure that he gets fluids so he does not get dehydrated. It is hard when they are sick:( I would put him in a seat like car seat or swing where he is reclining just a little to sleep. This way he can breathe easier. Also put a humidifier in his room. It helps to keep his nostrils wet for breathing too. I used to add the night time calming baby bath with lavender to the humidifier, I don't know if this made a huge difference, but it gave me peice of mind that I was doing everything I could. Don't worry. He'll be ok:) Hope he is better very soon!

Cooling him down is the key to helping his immune system to fight this illness. A fan blowing on him, cool wash cloths on the forehead, face and neck/chest, a mildly cool bath... all of these things will bring relief to him and will bring the fever down.

Give him cool liquids, pedialyte pops, etc.

The best home remedy, if you can give him a bath, is to put a small amount - 1/4 cup to a basin or 1 full cup to a bathtub - of apple cider vinegar in the warm/cool water. Apple cider vinegar is loaded with potassium and will give him the energy he needs to fight the flu as it is absorbed through his skin.

Bathing is super important because our skin absorbs so much of the water we are sitting in, hydrating our bodies when water cannot be ingested or when we are throwing up.

It is so easy to forget the lessons we learn from our own flu experiences when we are helping a baby ~ they seem so fragile! Think of your own flu experiences - wrap his body but cool his face if he wants covers. Don't wrap him if he doesn't.

Never leave him alone while his fever is high, but don't forget the easiest tools you have to help that fever to come down. You won't sleep while he's sick, but you will be glad he got through it safely and without antibiotics - which can mask a child's symptoms and lull you into a sense of safety that could be dangerous.

Once his fever breaks he will be feeling better, but still be vulnerable for two-three days following. Keep him immune system on the offensive by giving him more baths, but making them warmer so that he stays warm.

The dance of the flu is not hard once you get it down. He will have the flu many times in his life - shots or not. The best response is to dance - apply cold when he is hot - hot when he is cold.

give him very soft back rubs, it will help break the fever.
give him pedilite any you can get down him, even if it is just an ounce....
cuddle cuddle cuddle...

our whole family was sick with the flu about a month ago, it was very hard to tend to the little ones when I myself was in bad shape, if you can have someone come over to help you get through it too, maybe a break even if it is just a half hour...we used tylenol or motrin just to try to help them a little.

I would recommend taking echinecia because you are still nursing he will get what you take and because its natural it won't harm you or your son. I would also say to take vitiman c this will boost your immune system as well as his. You can find echinecia just about anywhere just go to the medicine aisle or as the pharimist. That is what the chiropractor i work for recommends to her patients.

Hi,
My baby boy had the flu at just 4 weeks old (a month ago). We ended up in the ER and that's where he was diagnosed. The fever went down within a couple days and in about a week he was looking a lot better, nursing better, and was happier in general. We were so scared cause he was so little and young. I hope your LO feels better soon and if not bring him back in. I know it's tough when your LO is sick, especially when they're babies. Good luck!
S.