Problems Sleeping Due to Baby Congestion

My Son loves to sleep in the car seat or his swing, keeps his head elevated, and it helps. maybe try that

K.,

We had the same issue just a few months ago when our baby was just four weeks old. We still had her sleeping in a bassinet at the time, and we were able to elevate that, which did help at times. Also, we did the saline/bulb thing BEFORE we fed her, which definitely helped. Unfortunately, at times, the ONLY way she was able to sleep was with me holding her upright. Fortunately, it didn't last forever, and definitely wasn't long enough to form that habit of sleeping on mommy! Good Luck...I know it's no fun when they don't feel well.

Take care,
B.

Hi K.,

I went through the same thing with my little guy for the first 3months - at the pediatrician at least once a week to make sure it wasn't in his chest. Used Saline constantly in conjunction with the humidifier. Finally I switched pediatricians and the new ped. switched his formula to Alimentum by Similac (I don't know if you are nursing or not). Within days the congestion got better!! In my head was my Mom saying milk makes mucous - and I guess she was right. This is my third so I wasn't one to be running to the Dr. all the time.

Also, I don't know what kind of humidifier you are using, but you totally need a warm mist - the cool ones do not work they are really only recommended because people are afraid that with children they will touch the warm ones and get burnt. Hope thid helps:>)

Hi K..

Contact your La Leche League Representative in your area.

She may be able to help you.

www.llli.org

Hope this helps. D.

The best thing for my kids at that age was always to put them snug in their car seats (any upright seat that's safe will work-I didn't strap them in) and put the seat into the crib. That way I knew they were safe and the bedtime routine was the same, but being upright in a familiar seat really helped a lot. Even in the best case, though, babies with colds are miserable, and it's hard to watch. I'm sure he'll be better soon. Good luck!

It's very frustrating, but I'll bet those things will help after the first few days...it will get better. I would keep using the saline and run the humidifier in his room every night. Hang in there. Seems like when the baby has a cold, everyone is up all night--hold him up on your shoulder & see if he will doze for you that way. My step dad had an uncanny gift for sleeping that way with my son and he never loosened his grip even though they would both be O-U-T!

I'll tell ya, the only thing I think those bulb syringe aspirator are good for are basting really tiny turkeys.

My dd had terrible congestion for the first few months of life (enough to have her suctioned at Children's a few times) so I feel I can speak with some background in the subject. The best thing I found was a combo of Bebe Sounds Nasal Clear and the "Nosefrida" (www.nosefrida.com). Both used in conunction I found were the most effective (my little one was so congested that she couldn't nurse...this was the ONLY thing that worked). Also my Dr. gave my dd a prescription for "Cardec" drops, a sugar-free decongestant/antihistimine. Now, my Dr at the time was extremely cautious about giving ANY meds for babies, but finally after the third frantic phone call informing him she couldn't eat he gave in. It really helped.
Good luck, hon!

make sure he not too warm. don't over do the saline and bulb and some don't do that much.

My pediatrician said it was alright for us to prop my son on his side when he was an infant to help with the congestion. We used a little thing that I don't remember the name of. It was basically a piece of fabric with velcro on either side that 2 little pieces of foam attached to. You place the baby on his side with his belly between the 2 pieces of foam. With the foam on either side, there is no danger of falling onto the stomach. You should check with your doctor if you decide to try this method, but my doctor said it was fine. It definitely seemed to help, although we still also did plenty of holding him while he slept. When we held him, he rarely had the problem. However, we didn't get nearly as much sleep of course. I confess that I spent many nights sleeping on a chair in his room with my son in my lap on top of his boppy. I would make sure that he was placed in such a way that he wouldn't fall even if I fell asleep, which I often did out of necessity. The problem went away all on its own as he got older. Hope this helps!

Hi K.,
My little girl is almost a year now and for the first 3 months she slept in her car seat. It seemed to help her feel more snug and being up right helped her breathing. I would put a blanket in the car seat and tuck it in and put her in on top of it and then put the car seat in the crib. At about 3 months I started using a positioner in the crib and I also proped up the crib mattress. If she had bad congestion I would feel her in the bathroom with the steamy shower running to help open up her nasal pasages and then when we were done and walked out into the cooler air she cold breath a bit easier. I still do that now when she is sick. I didn't have much luck with the saline and bulbs and ended fighting with her more than it was worth because she hated it too.
I hope this helps.
A.

I agree that a more upright position may help - my first did the car seat and the third a bouncy chair (the second really only on our shoulders). Congestion can also be an indication of reflux, so if your baby shows other signs of reflux (extreme fussiness, inability to sleep, feeding problems, spitting up especially followed by screaming, etc.), I would look into that possibility as well. That may not be the issue in your case, but thought I'd mention it just in case (all 2 of mine had reflux, so I'm always wary of it). Good luck.