Sick 5 Month Old

the best safest thing would be irrigating with saline. Little Noses makes it and I'd do it a few times a day to thin it up, atleast.

Vick's on the bottom of the feet (and on the chest when they get older) is a great remedy for both the congestion and the coughing. There are also some things (otc) called Vicks vapor plugs that work great. You plug them in and put in these little strips that have mentholated vapor on them and, in a few minutes, the whole room smells of VIcks. - Not the smell I would hope for on a normal day, but it works great on those days and nights when there is a sick little one in there. I saw the response that said a pediatrician said that Vicks does nothing. My pediatrician, whom I love, said that Vicks works for some and not for others, but he wasn't a big supporter of it either. It doesn't do any harm, but he felt it was unlikely that it would do any good. It has worked with all three of my kids - every time. I think a lot of pediatricians are loathe to recommend those good old remedies that grandma used - but they often work.

You also might try saline spray in her nose. You spray it in and, sometimes immediately, there's a big sneeze, and the nose is, at least temporarily, cleared out.

Good luck!

My 2 1/2 year old has had sinus issues from birth. We have used Singulair (very expensive) along with many other alergy/sinus medications. I'm tired of dosing him with all of these medicines, so I found an herbal remedy online. We just got it in, haven't tried it, but hopefully it will work. Here is the link if you want to read about it
http://www.bionoricausa.com/product-details/sinupret-for-...

What do for my 4mo old who weighs 19 lbs is this:

If stuffy:
1/4 teaspoon of children's mucinex for cold

If runny:
1/4 teaspoon of children's benedryl

If your babe weighs less, I'd start with a 1/8 teaspoon. If not work then go with 1/4. Keep her warm. I also co-sleep with baby vics rub on my chest and hold my babe... also so when feeding (not breastfeeding) also another helpful thing is using Johnson's methol wash when stuffy.

I AM PERFECTLY AWARE OF WARNINGS REGARDING GIVING BABIES MEDS FOR COLDS. I PERSONALLY BELIEVE ITS THE CARELESSESS OF PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS OVER-MEDICATING BABIES THAT HAVE CAUSED US TO LOSE THOSE OTC MEDS. SO PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME PRIVATE MESSAGES WITH BACKLASH.

There is a product that is called "Little Noses" you can get it at walmart it is a saline solution. (Salt and Water) that way it does not burn and is not medicine. It loosens that "gunk" up so that it can easily come out. When i used it on mine it would make him sneeze almost immediately and i was able to catch alot. I usually did it every time he got full.

There is a product my friend uses for her infant it is a product made by Simply Saline- it is a (nasal iragation can) also bebe sounds- it is an( eletric nasal asperator)-you can buy noth at Rite aid. She uses both (inconjunction with each other)
I hope this works there is nothing worse than a sick baby. I'll be praying for all of you!

vicks humidifier comes with some medicated stuff with it. It is pepperminty to me, which cleans the sinuses. My daughter just had immunizations and the dr perscribed tylenol. Sorry for those that dont agree on otc meds, but she was miserable after the shots. The dose for her and shes 5 months, was 0.4. No i wasnt the one late giving her the immunizations either,lol, her doctor had a death in the family and was in the phillipeans for the funeral. There is only 2 other ped's here and I dont trust them. One was under investigation into a death of a 18 mo old patient when i moved here and the other has been going to rehab. So yes her shots were a little late, but this doctor i trust and respect. Im sure that a death of a patient may come up in a dr past, but, the fact was he gave her a shot and didnt post it in his journals, and didnt recall what he gave her, so she had to be autopsyd. The other, I dont drink or do drugs and im not trusting one that does with the health of my babies. Know what im saying?

Another thing to look at is if you or your husband have any allergy problems. My husband has allergies and at about 5-6 months, my son started showing all the same syptoms that your baby is. Our pediatrician recommended Claritin or Zyrtec (1/2 the youngest dose listed) since we were already aware of his dad's allergies. We had symptoms for two months straight before we started trying the Claritin. Ask your pediatrician first.

I wouldn't advice any otc drugs at that age, but i would advice you to ask you doctor for some histex. It is prescription, but the first time my little boy had a snotty sickness, it cleared it up in no time.
Have a great day and god bless!!

Hi! I think for her age, there aren't really any otc meds that are safe for her. You may just have to use saline and the bulb for her nose and maybe a humidifier. If you want to give her any meds you probably ought to ask her pediatrician. Good luck, hope she feels better!

Hey J.,

I think my little one got that same thing right around that age. I didn't want to give her anything so I just used the nasal aspirator as often as I could to get all "the crud" out of her nose.

Also, if her skin starts getting dry around her nose, use a little bit of vaseline to moisten it up. I don't think there's much more you can do other then that and to keep them hydrated.

Good luck!

My pediatrician always recommended suctioning the poor lil' ones nose to relieve them from all that congestion. At the pharmacy they have the pediatrician recommended lil'nose drops to moistine the nose (three drops) then you suction the nose. This will help prevent some of that crud from being swallowed, preventing her from vomiting. You can suction up to six times a day. In the mornings for sure suction because my pediatrician told me this is when a lot of phlegm is produced and also before bed and before mealtimes. Also elevate the head. What I normally did was lift one side of the crib or mattress.
Underneith the mattress I would put extra blankets to lift the side that the baby's head was on. Make sure the blankets you are lifting the mattress with are underneith and nowhere near the baby.

I'm not a fan of putting a humidifier because with my children it always seemed to make them worse. And I also tried putting the vick's under the feet and asked my pediatrician about that and she said that really does nothing. And I also tried rubbing the babies vick's on my little ones chest and her skin was too sensitive and it caused redness. Basically when they're so little all you can do is try and comfort them as much as possible while they're sick because they're too little to give meds too. Now watch so he/she doesn't have trouble breathing (fast/short breaths) or little chest caving in. Some viral infections can cause oxygen problems to where they need to be hospitalized. Our little one that we adopted came to us with a viral infection and was hospitalized for seven days. She was under an oxygen tent for the first four, then afterwards she had the little tube of oxygen in her nose and breathing treatments around the clock.

With little ones you just have to watch them closely, that's the main thing.

Hope this helped.

Sincerely,
A.

Poor lil girl!

We found that raising the head end of the crib with a couple of drops of olbas oil on the bed clothes helped at night. We would put a couple of bricks under the legs of the crib which slightly elevated the head and helped the sinuses drain much easier. The olbas oil acted as a decongestant.

In England they have a product called Happinose. It is a decongestant balm that you put under the nose. It helps soothe the sore skin (the chapping) and has a mild decongestant in it. You could see if your local pharmacist has any such product.

Hope this helps.

My daughter had the same problem at that age in the spring, allergies, and still does! At 5 Months you should take her in just to be sure. It is allergy time, mold is Terrible this year. The best thing to do that I haven't read so far is elevating one end of the bed with towels under the mattress about 4 inches. Have her sleep head up on the elevated side. This will help drainage and mucus production from cloggin stuff up! The warm bath RIGHT before bed with baby Vick's will help open her sinuses and wear her out!
My daughter FLIPPED when I used the saline solution in her nose, made her cry and produce more snot. Just FYI. Her nose is probably too raw from the wiping.

God Bless, get some help, I'm sure you aren't getting any sleep either!
Call Mom or Auntie for HELP!

Have you tried Little Noses saline drops for the snotty nose? This stuff is great. It makes the snot more runny, loose so you can wipe or suction it out easier. Also Humidifiers for coughing phlem. There is also some stuff made by Vick's to put in the humidifier that works great also. Hope your little one is feeling better soon!

HI J.,
Have you taken her to the doctor yet? Since she is so young I'm just afraid of any home remedies other than a suctioning, humidifier, vapor baths.

My son had the same thing when he was that small. The only thing the doctor said was ok to use is plain saline nose drops like the brand Little Noses (a couple of drops each nostril) and a bulb syringe. That and a humidifier. Otherwise, he always felt better after a warm bath - it seemed to open up his nasal passages for a while. All the new research shows that cold medicines, even OTC ones are not safe for children until they are at least a few years old. If she is having that much trouble though, you may want to take her to the doctor.

Hey, my son was like that from 3 months to 6 months. I used the aspirator and the vapor bath, etc. It turned out he had a severe ear infection, and it is called a secondary infection, and snotty noses are a sign. I would get your little one to the pediatrician and make sure there is no other infection. Good luck, and be sure to keep us posted!!

Do you have a cool mist humidifier? That will help her when she sleeps.

When my son was this age he had a lot of snotty nose days and nights so I read that putting Vicks on the bottom of his feet then putting socks on will help break that stuff and help it go away..it worked!! I also used a cool mist humidifier.

J.,

I am out of the baby stage but remember how frustrating it was dealing with a baby who is so stopped up they can't breath. I never took mine to the doctor for this since it's usually the cold virus, untreatable with antibiotics.

Look on the internet for The Bulk Herb Store, I believe still out of Tennessee. Not only do they sell bulk herbs but they also now have combinations for common ailments and a message board. They also stock a wide variety of herbal books, many for children.

K.

Hey J.,

My daughter is the same way because the weather keeps changing her Dr. recommended using Little noses saline drops. We put one drop in each nostril and then suction her nose and pulls out the snot. My daughter is almost 5 months and her Dr. said anything could cause her problems. But he prescribed a nasal spray that is a type of steroid it can only be used for a few days and only if her congestion is extremely bad we have not been using it because the little noses works great.

Please take him to the doctor. You never know when that could turn into resp. or any other kind of infection. The doctor gave me a great apple flovored decongestion med.
Always in prayer,
N.

My precious 14 month old has the same crud. He is pitiful. In the past when he would get sick, I would run to the doctor and he would just tell me to give him Motrin for the fever and make sure he stays hydrated. My doctor doesn't give medicine for the crud. He just says give him time to get over it. Good luck with your sick little one.

she has 2 b the lv of yr life

after reading replies, if you hv not, make sure you discuss this with her pediatrician.

God Bless

Honestly J. you dont need to do otc medication u need to take her to her pediatrician. I dont remeber reading that u took her. If she has those type of systems, something serious may be going on. You dont want her to get pneumonia or anything.

hey J.,

you asked for OTC.. so i recommend some saline drops, any brand and a suction bulb. the trick here is knowing how to use the bulb correctly. i will describe it here... but also please have a health care person show you.

first use the saline drops as described. wait 5 minutes and then suction. (the drops are always supposed to be suctioned)

the worst part is holding your child down as they scream when you restrict them. so find a safe place and position to keep you child restricted from movement (you need two free hands).

place one finger blocking the nostril side you will not be sucking. then squeeze the bulb in until it almost folds on itself. then place the shrunken bulb in the nostril side you will be sucking from. make sure the fit is snug but not to hard, too deep, nor too harsh against the inside of the nostril that it would cause irritation, bleeding, discomfort or inflammation. release the bulb not slowly(wont get much) but also not fast(can feel bad to your baby). remove the bulb and squeeze it out on a paper towel. do this again for about 5-8 times in each nostril. the first few repetitions will not have as much as the later ones. i suction repeatedly until i find the amount return to little or nothing. And i do this 2 times a day (first thing in the morning and then just before bed) If you can ...based on the age of the child, also lt them sleep propped up for naps and night.

now what i like even better.... is a rx med. it is called Periactin or the generic name is Cyproheptadine. I loved it for runny noses and i use it infrequently when i feel they are coming on. It is an antihistamine with the side effect of increased appetite. We started with it when we had severe acid reflux and my little one would not eat, so we used it along with her other meds to increase her appetite as we were reducing her acid with other meds.

anyway, the properties of the medicine also dry out all that mucous and therefore reduce mucous vomiting and eventually coughing. we still use the medicine when she starts to sound stuffy and it not only drys her out but also increases her appetite. this means more food intake which is essentially energy for her body to fight the infection. best part, no antibiotics.

hope this helps,
-mb

There is NO way I would medicate a baby at such a young age. I did however get some "Little Noses" for my daughter when she was just a few months old. I used that and the bulb to suck out the mucous. I also used a humidifier in the room every night.and when she took naps! Hope this helps!!!