Need Help for Conjested Baby

My firstborn had sinus infections (antibiotics) until we moved (from an older house to a newer house) when he was 18 months old. He is allergic to dust & mold. Also has milk allergies. Good luck!

I know it sounds strange but put a few drops of breast milk up his nose. It really works. Twice or three times a day and it will clear him up in under a week. My ob suggested it with my oldest and it really worked.

My son had the same problem. I would put him in his car seat and sit with him in the bathroom with the shower on. That helped him the most. We also ran an ultrasonic humidifier, which worked much better than any other humidifier we had tried.

S.

I have heard that breast milk helps too. And let's see.. sitting in the bathroom with the shower running warm water. Don't use the aspirator more than 3 -4 times a day. If you use it too much it will inflame the nasal passages and make baby more congested. The most important time to use the aspirator is before you lay him down, because if there is lots of congestion it can drain into his ear canals and cause and ear infection. And baby vicks is kind of nice too. Just a little on his chest and back. I can't think of anything else. I know the congestion thing is a pain. We just went the entire winter with a congested baby. He had 4 ear infections, if i remember correctly, and we are on our way in to the doctor this afternoon because this last cold may have developed into a sinus infection. Oh the joys... :)

Hello and congratulations on your new baby. I have three kids and have some experience with the snuffly ones. :-)

I think cold air works better than anything else. Bundle your guy up warm, but don't cover his face. Take him outside when the air is cold or very cool. Breathing in cool air will shrink inflamed membranes in nose and throat, giving more room for air to flow through. This is especially helpful right before feeding or napping.

Hi S.,
Since he is so young, you may not want to put Vicks directly on him. One thing I found to help was to put Vicks on my chest, then when he nursed he got the benefit of the Vicks but didn't have it his skin. Hope you find something that helps!

Our naturopath recommended the "warming socks" treatment for my five year old to get the congestion out of his head. It helps; if your pediatrician doesn't have any ideas, you might try a naturopath, although they would probably recommend eliminating the foods already suggested here.

http://altmedicine.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=...

They have vicks vapor rub made for babies. It works great for at night time you can also get the vapor plug ins. mixed with the humidifier that always works with colds around our house. You can use the infant vicks on the littlest of little guys too. if you dont want it on his skin directly rub a little on the out side of his sleeper i know it sounds weird but give it a shot.

If you are breastfeeding, he could be reacting to a food you are eating. Common mucus forming foods are dairy and bananas. Start elimitating things out of your diet for a few weeks at a time and see if he improves.

You might want to consider if your child has an allergy or sensitivity to something that is constricting his nasal passages. If you have him on any kind of formula, is it milk-based? This was the problem with our daughter. Perhaps there are other things he might be sensitive to in the household as well: dust, mold (you can never escape these two) or animals. Just something to consider.

My little guy is now 18 months, and we have this problem constantly, though not nearly as badly as when he was an infant. What seemed to help him at that age was to omit the humidifier (though that works now) and add a warm mist vaporizer and put a little Vicks in it (these are pretty inexpensive and you can get them at Walgreens). (The vaporizer should have a little spot on the top to add the Vicks.) They also make baby Vicks that has a slight smell of lavendar and calendula, which isn't quite as powerful as the regular stuff. It certainly wasn't perfect, but it did seem to offer at least enough relief to let him sleep. But, every time that he woke up at night, it was still necessary to suction his nose... though that actually worked with the Vicks in his room. I also heard that putting Vicks on their feet with socks actually works better than directly under the nose, which I never did either one... but worth a shot. I am not sure the reasoning on that... but one of my friends swears by it.

He does continue to have the same issue now, though not as severe... and the humidifier works fine at the moment. It is also necessary (for him) to make sure there isn't 1 speck of dust in his room (pretty much every day). And to wash his bedding about 2 times a week. I also wash his stuffed animals at least once a month in hot water on the gentle mode.

I had a baby like that, but I moved to a different climate and it went away. Check for mold around where he sleeps. Allergens may be to blame.
-S.

food allergies.

if you are nursing start by taking dairy out of your diet. then wheat, then chocolate, then onions, corn, soy. take them out 1 at a time, for a week. Dairy & wheat first. By then, you might begin to see some pattern, & can decide what might be the next reasonable one. If you are using a bottle, which formulas to a different base, cow, soy, are the most common, but they make others. the mucus is because he's reacting to something. It might be airborne, you might try cleaning the filters onyour furnace, or getting an air purifier. but start with the foods.

(both my kids were allergic to dairy in my diet when I was nursing. my daughter also reacted to onions.)

hope this helps.
A.

Hello S.,

My daughter is exactly like that! She was born in October and has been congested ever since. I have tried all the same things and we are now on a regimen of a few drops of saline mornings and evening and the snot sucker only when necessary.
I have talked to my Pediatrician about it and he also said that it will work itself out and not to worry.
He strongly recommended to stay away from Vick's and such, because it can make it worse in babies (it works by irritating the mucous lining of the nose).
Her congestion peaked at about 3 months and has been getting better since.
The one thing we do now, that may have an effect, we moved her to her own room and she sleeps with the heat off! I personally think her room is freezing at night, but I bundle her in warm PJ's and a warm sleep sack and she is warm when I check her.

Good luck!

Definitely consider the possibility of allergies--either to something he is being exposed to environmentally or something he is getting through breastmilk or bottles. You don't have to wait for this to clear up in 1-2 years. In fact, the sooner you figure out the culprit, the less likely he is to have allergies later in life.

Sounds like it could be allergies. Do you have pets? Is there a lot of dust around where your baby sleeps? Does your baby sleep right next to a the heater? Changing some of these things can help. I would also consult a Naturopath. My husband and I have a regular pediatrician and a Naturopath for our 5 month old son and the Naturopath has helped us out a lot! I highly recommend you take your son to one. They explore natural means first before resorting to medications. Hope this helps!

S.,
If you are breastfeeding, I would try cutting out dairy, especially cheese. Our youngest son gets congested when he eats any COW dairy including ice cream. I feed him goat cheese and goat yogurt and he is just fine. If grandpa takes him to McDonalds and treats him to ice cream, he gets congested within a few hours.
If you are using formula, It might be the ingredients. Look to see if it has dairy wheat or whey. If it does, then gluten may be the problem.
Good luck.

Have you tried getting your baby adjusted by a chiropractor? There are chiropractic techniques out there that are gentle for babies (and people who don't like the popping noise). Or try tapping gently along his forehead and cheek bone to help loosen the mucus in his sinuses. I find that helps for me, my husband and my child.

Sounds like allergies. My son is 9, he's had them since birth. He's allergic to to common mold spores found in the climate. What happened though is that eventually, when he was about 2, it had gone on for a while and started turning into recurrent strep and tonsillitis. Allergies, even common seasonal allergies, can wreak havok on a kid. He had surgery when he was 6 to have his tonsils and adenoids removed, due to constant swelling and infection. Your son I am sure is a little young for the surgery, but I would still definetely get a referral to an ENT so they can best tell you how to help and if it is allergies, they can tell you what's safe for him to take. If it's allergies, expect infection to set in every few months until they are taken care of; for my son it was strep and tonsillitis, for myself on the wrong meds, I get sinus infections. Ear infections are also common. An ENT can help in determining how bad it is since he cannot talk, and give possible remedies. An allergist may not be a bad idea, either, just to be sure it's not diet related. Over the counter, I realize they've pulled a lot for kids off the shelf. I'd try to find or get prescribed infant drops for congestion. Also, they make vicks for babies, and a vapor bath for babies that help. Lastly, instead of a humidifier, since that did not work, I might try a dehumidifier, to see if you take some of the humidity out of the room it helps. My son and I both do a world better with our allergies if we are in a dry climate, other wise it's finding allergy medicine that works. Long winded, but I thought some personal insight may help, we've had the allergy congestion for years in our home; you just have to find what works for you. But if a doc is saying a year or more, that's the route I'd try. ~A. J

A couple things I haven't heard here yet. Have you gotten new carpet in the last year? The chemicals and kinds of fibers they use can cause respiratory problems in babies. Also, my daughter was having terrible congestion and coughing so we spent a day and TOTALLY cleaned her room. We washed the walls, window sill, shampooed the carpet, washed the hardware and rails etc of her crib and changing table, washed all her bedding and got a new mattress for her crib. With in a couple days she was our normal happy healthy baby agian. Not sure what exactly did it but whatever it was it worked. I also use vicks vapor rub (for adults) and the one for babies. I mix them together half and half and rub it on her chest so that the menthol from the big-people one doesn't burn her.

Ohhh...congratulations! Isn't this kind of true love wonderful?

Okay..so credentials: My mom's a nurse and I've worked for doctors, plus I'm a mom of 3 boys with asthma.

First of all be very very careful of using vicks! If you feel you HAVE to use it, then use the one mentholatum makes for children. Make sure it is completely absorbed and washed off the next day before taking him into the cold air. If not, he can get pneumonia! Also, you could first try applying it to his feet at night then put socks over it. Again, it has to be washed off the next day with warm soapy water.

It sounds like you've done all the right things. Saline is great. I would also recommend:

1. Start a HOT shower, close bathroom door and do not turn on fan (let steam build up).

2. Flush his nose with Saline (not too too much)

3. While saline is still in his nose, put him in his bouncy seat on the bathroom floor, closing the door behind you

4. YOU take a nice, hot relaxing shower (it's so stressful having a sick baby) while your baby breathes in the steam with the saline still wet in his nose. After your shower, pick him up and cup your hand while you gently but firmly pat him on the back. This will help break up the mucus.

The whole process should take about 10-15 mintues. I wouldn't keep him in the steam for any longer than that.

5. Immediately rush your baby to the freezer, open the door and just kind of stick his face close to the inside to breathe in the cold air. Do this for about 1-2 minutes.

This will relieve his bronchial symptoms and help clear out mucus, but eliminates you having to bundle him up and take him outside. He gets the cold air without being cold!

I've repeated those steps like 2-3 times a day, but you'd still want to check with his pediatrician...ask the doctor about that particular procedure.

I think it's kind of weird that the doctor says it'll eventually clear up...in a year or two ??? I'm suspicious of that. Never heard that...I mean unless your son was a preemie and his lungs did not fully develop. Otherwise, it could be asthma, but everyone in the medical community knows that asthma does not "clear up". The symptoms may become more easily controlled, but it doesn't go away.

I would also make sure he has an allergenic type mattress cover...especially one that protects him from all of the chemicals that are found in the bedding which are used for fire retardants.

I bought this after reading the article: http://www.babysake.com/index.htm

The only other thing I can tell you is DO NOT let anyone, not even a doctor, make you feel like you are over-reacting or that you don't know what you're talking about just because you're a new mom. YOU know your baby...there's nothing "NEW" about it. He grew inside your body for almost a year!

Hope this helps! I know what you're going through :(

Best advice: Go to an ENT. They will check out your baby's adenoids, much better than a pediatrician. If they are constantly congested, something is wrong. Good Luck! (We see Dr. Cantlon in Spokane, He is excellent!)

It sounds like you are talking about a chronic condition as opposed to a cold. If so, then you need to talk to a pediatrician about whether your son has allergies. If your pediatrician told you to just deal with it for the next year or two, then you need a new pediatrician!

My son has allergies and asthma. At night it is the worst for him. When sleeping, he sounded like he was out of breath and would occasionally gasp for air. We suffered through it for the first 4 months. Once the doctor gave us an inhailer to try, it cleared up his breathing right away. If he has a lot of snot, you may need to control the allergens like dust. Try a PediaCare Vapo plug in his room while he sleeps. It works wonders.

Sounds to me like allergies. Either environmental or food. If you are nursing, avoid dairy and wheat and see if that helps. Both produce mucus. If not, see an allergy specialist or an accupuncturist who practices NAET. Works great.
Blessings,
J.

1-2 years? Thats encouraging! Try hylands Cold C plus or something else homeopathic. There are no side effects even for a newborn. I have read that drops of breast milk dropped in the nose are like antibiotic drops. Breast milk is amazing!

pedicare drops or tylenonl cold and cough for infants

I have always used Vicks rubbing ointment on my congested children (and myself), and it helps them sleep through the night, but I am not sure it will fix a long term congestion problem. Good Luck!

Right now we are going over a cold. So my little guy is congested too. We use the vicks vapor rub on his feet. I know that sounds funny but it helps. Sometimes the vapor is too strong if it is on their chest. We also do the straight HOT shower. I do the shower thing right before bed and naps. Seems to help him sleep better too.

Hello-
Have you tried talking to a naturalpath? Whenever I have medical "issues", I like to get advice from both a medical and naturalpathic doctor. Have you looked into allergies? Are you breastfeeding and watching what you're eating? Hope you can figure it all out :).
J.

Hello S.!

How hard to have your baby conjested all the time. I have heard some say the tea tree oil in a vaporizer works wonders. Also, could it be cleaning supplies you use? Many are toxic. I know of some great alternatives that you may want to give a try. Give me a call. ###-###-####

K.

I don't have any advice I am sorry to say. But would be interested in finding out what you do. My niece as a 10 month old and she has been congested since December. She has taken her from doctor to doctor. Somebody said it might be allergies to milk/formula?

I know it sounds funny but if you're nursing try a drop or two of breastmilk, it works wonders! I've only tried it for congestion but read somewhere that it clears up pinkeye and several other things. Whatever works, I say!

And I've read a lot to put vicks on the baby's feet instead of their chest. I've never tried this one but I have heard that it works!

This may not be the case with your baby, but one of our sons was congested and we, like you, tried everything. Our pediatrician insisted it was a cold, but this was not my first baby and I knew this was different. Finally it occurred to me that he might have a milk allergy, so I stopped drinking milk (of course, this assumes you are nursing your son). In three days he was completely clear. As an older child he was able to eat/drink milk products without any obvious side effects.

He's obviously allergic to something. Have him checked by a naturopathic doctor. They are much more clued in to immune system problems than MDs