Baby's 1St Cold

My son Connor went through the same thing just a few weeks ago. We put a cool mist air humidifier in his room while he slept and it cleared up his sniffles in two nights. We also used saline nasal spray (it can also be used as nose drops) and a nasal aspirator when he was having a particularly tough time breathing. Hope this helps!

Hi, my name is J. and I have a 6 month and he's been at daycare since he was 6 weeks. He had he's first cold in december. He was born in September 2006. All my doctor told me to do was to run a vaporier and just increase fluids.

Good luck!!

J.

I've been told that even with Motrin they should not have that until 6 months old, that it should strictly be Tylenol until that point. I would also try a humidifier in her bedroom at night, I've used the liquid vicks and poured it in the water to help. Other than that just give her lots of love! She'll feel better soon!

Hi L... I would use saline drops to clean out her nose. Also a humdifier~ we run one all winter long in my son's room. If you still have the nasel aspirator from the hospital use that one (THEY ARE THE BEST). Never use aspirin on a child of any age. You can probably only use tylenol for her at this point. (depending on her weight you may be able to use motrin) After that try talking to your ped nurse or doctor for anything else.. Sad to say there isn't much else you can do unless other symptoms start// Good luck and hope she is feeling better soon..

When my daughter got her first cold at 2 months, the biggest problem for her was sleeping. Since she was too small to take any medicines, and I wanted to make sure she could sleep, I made sure she could lie semi-reclined like I tend to do when I'm really congested. So I put her in her car seat, put the car seat in the crib, and it worked like a charm - she slept extra for the day or two that she had her cold and felt MUCH better very quickly. Hope this works for you!

Hi L.! my pediatrician suggested saline drops and light suctioning with an aspirator. He was hesitant to give her tylenol or motrin even with a mild fever before 6 months of age. at one point he did write a prescription for carbofed (generic), but his advice was always to try to comfort her without the use of medication...prop her up a bit to help her sinuses drain, etc. hope this helps!

Did you really give her baby asprin or was it baby tylonol or motrin?? They really pretty strongly recommend NOT using aprin with babies - actually the recommendation has been extended to age 21 even I think plus when you are pregnant. It's associated with Reye's syndrome which can be serious. If you did use asprin, I'd call the ped and see if they have an concerns or recommendations for the situation. Didn't want to start on a negative tone, but just wanted to share safety info first off.

OK - beyond that, Tylonol or Motrin can help sometimes, but I'm always one that likes to use as little meds as possible. I tend to save meds for times when the cold is interferring with their sleep - I figure in order to recover, they need to sleep so that is when it's most useful. For little ones like your daughter, saline drops in the nose can really make a difference. They don't particularly like it, but it helps keep things flowing and to get the runnies out. You can use the saline drops alone or use them and then a bit later use the suction to more actively pull out some of the loosened mucus to help her breathe easier. They don't really like that either, but it's quick. The other thing you can do is try to keep her upright as much as possible. You might think about letting her sleep in her infant carseat or swing to keep her head raised. You should definitely buckle her at least loosely so she is safely secured, but it can help them breathe better too. Some people recommend putting a wedge or pillow under the crib matress for the same effect, but I always found that mine just slid down the incline and ended up at the bottom of the crib laying flat so it didn't work for us. The carseat was always a winner for us. When she's playing, you might try helping her to sit or be more upright as well instead of worrying about giving her too much tummy and floor time while she's not feeling well. Either using a vaporizor or taking her into a steamy bathroom can also help get her nose loosened up and let things flow easily. Vicks makes a baby rub that is safe for ages 3 months and up that you can put on her chest to help with the cough and congestion too. Johnson's also makes a baby bubble bath with the vapor stuff in it that is safe for eyes and everything which mine really like when they are congested - that in combination with the warm steam is nice before bed.

Hope that helps and you weren't offended by the asprin rant...

L.,

Please do not give her baby aspirin. Children aren't supposed to take aspiring unless directed by a physician because it predisposes them to Reyes syndrome. Give her tylenol. If the dose on the side isn't for a child that young then call her dr. for dosing. Otherwise make sure her nose isn't gunky. Suction her out with a little nasal aspirator if necessary. If she gets worse (fever, unable to settle) call her dr because babies frequently get an ear infection while having a cold. Otherwise keep dosing her with tylenol as directed on the bottle or by her dr. and wait it out. Lots of hugs and cuddles.

H.

Call the doctor and see what kind of old medicine you can give her and what dosage. I always find that dimetap works best for my daughter. Basically it is just to make them comfortable. The cold is going to have to work it's way out of her system, there's no cure for the cold unfortunately. I hope she feels better. Also try a humidifier, that will help her breathe better at night and while she naps.

Most likely your baby's symptoms are caused by a virus, which unfortunately only goes away with time. As far as making her feel better goes, I am writing this because I wanted to tell you to NOT give your baby aspirin for any reason. Like a previous poster suggested, you may want to call the pediatrician if she did get aspirin, just to have it in her record. I don't want to scare you, but there is an association with taking aspirin in the setting of a virus, and the development of Reyes syndrome, which is a very serious illness. I would call your pediatrician for advice in such a young infant. We are just going through a 1st cold with our 10 month old and I agree she is miserable and we feel terrible!

To ease congestion, our pediatrician told us to use a humidifier, bulb syringe for the nasal congestion, possibly elevate the head of the crib a bit to help with drainage. We also turn the shower on hot to steam up the bathroom and stand in there with her (in the bathroom not in the shower!), which seems to help. Tylenol should be ok for a low grade fever, but again check with her pediatrician.

I was always told to let it run its course. They are so small that they shouldn't have so much meds. I would just watch her unless she gets a fever that I would call the Dr. It will take about 7 days to run it course. So good luck.

Hi L. i agree use the humidifier and saline drops. But most of all just snuggle with and give her lots of love. They seem more comfortable when in mommys arms.Good luck l

Hi L.,

Unfortunately there's not too much you can give to your baby at this time. Infant Tylenol is usually the only recommended treatment. Infant Motrin isn't recommended until 6 months of age. If she becomes congested you can use either a vaporizer/humidifier, vicks baby rub, and elevate her sleeping area in an angle. If she's in a crib you can place a small pillow or blanket under one end of the mattress. I hope your little girl feels better soon!

S.

When my son got the sniffles, I would run a cool mist humidifier in the room with him. They really help to loosen everything up and let them breath more easily. He usually showed improvement after just a day this. Other then that, just keep being there for her. Mommy is always the best comfort to a sick baby. Good luck and hope you all feel better soon!

L.,

I know how helpless you can feel when your little one isn't feeling well. Several suggestions here have been great ones. The car seat option always worked for us when we needed it.

I would opt for a warm mist instead of a cool one, as the cool mist tends to cool down the temp in the room as well. You can always just use a small potpourri simmer pot with plain water. That works great to moisten the air gently.

Saline to flush out the sinus is a wonderful idea as well. But since she's not running a fever of any kind, and the use of any analgesics in infants (Tylenol and Motrin) is ineffective as is the use of OTC cold remedies, I would opt for something a bit more natural like Cold+C from Hylands. Lots of drug stores carry this now. I know Rite Aid typically has it. You can call around.

If you happen to be nursing, milk dropped in both the eyes and in the nose will help to keep the sinus clear of any infection. I usually express into a shot glass and have a glass dropper I sterilize before hand and use to apply the milk.

Wishing you and your little Ashlyn the best.

Blessings,
Rolinda
Wife, Mother, Friend

I usually use the cool mist humidifier at night, along with saline drops in the nose. Also, like suggested below, having the baby sleep in a car seat at night really helps too.