What More Can I Do??

My son had the same problem early on with the wheezing and we took him in and found out he had asthma and that is why he was coughing so bad. It was do to cigarette smoke and other allergins in the air where we were living at the time. He still has a nebulizer which comes in handy when he gets too sick and starts to cough.

it may be the teething- but is she alergic to anything? Sometimes a running nose cold be an alergy of some sort- but my little one is teething and always has that runny nose- we go to a great chiropracter that has helped loses all that junk up and get it out- and has also helped with ear infections that tend to go with the teething- his cough lasted for a long time- but is almost gone now- good luck!
oops- just saw you went in to doctor- hope she feels better

I know that it may sound weird but it works... put the vapor rub on her feet then cover them with socks before she goes to bed, helps with the evening symptoms at least for me... good luck

Could it be that the runny nose is from the teething, and her cough is getting worse at bedtime because of the mucus draining into her throat when she's laying down?

N. - It doesn't sound like a cold to me if it's lasting so long... perhaps allergies to something? Or possibly asthma which most peds will not diagnose until they are over 2 years of age - but espeically with the wheezing I am wondering about that. I would take her in and tell the pediatrician how long it's been going on and maybe they can test her for allergies or at least give her a prescription for some albuteral or prednizone to take care of the wheezing. Good luck! K.

I had a similar situation with my son last winter. It was like he got a cold that he never got over. He coughed all the time. I asked the Dr. about this a couple of times. Each time he told me that if the cough was not waking him up at night and it didn't seam to bother him (the baby), not to worry about it. He said the cold had irritated his bronchioles and that some times it takes 3 months to get over it. Well just over 3 months later his cough was just about gone and he got another cold. The cough continued for another 3 months. We jokingly would call him Diesel because of how he sounded. I am not sure if this helps, but My Dr. has been amazing and been so helpful.

Have your dear one checked for allergies. Also, has your pediatric nurse suggested albuterol it is a vapor inhaler mist to decongest and relieve wheezing. My baby used it at 16 months but I don't know if ten months is too young. Teeth can definitely be a culprit but there may be other angles to check.

It sounds to me like asthma. Asthma tends to get worse at night and also involves wheezing. Asthma can be related to allergies as well. I would very strongly recommend you to talk to you doctor about these issues specifically. My son has both and for his first year I battled these issues waiting for my doctor to "fix" them, nothing got better until he was tested for allergies and put on asthma meds @ 1 year old. Dont be worried about being pushy with your doctor, sometimes you need to get to the bottom of things! Good luck!

This may seem like it's coming out of left field, but does your house have forced air? Have you ever had the ducts professionally cleaned? We had ours done for the first time and there was mold and critters and tons of dust in there. Everyone is breathing so much better! It's worth a try.

If your traditional meds aren't working I would try a homeopathic approach. There are homeopaths in every state :)
We switched 8 months ago and will never go back.

I have a 3 year old little girl. Whenever she gets a running, stuffy nose, I always give her some tylenol, put some vicks on her chest and under her nose and then we go hang out in the bathroom with the shower on steaming hot. The bathroom fills up with steam and it really helps her. After about 10 minutes of breathing in the steam, I then give her a warm bath -- it really helps! Try it!

Hi N.,
Years ago I had a daughter who at 3 months would do the same. The Doctor took her off of all formula and later when she was older wouldn't let her drink milk. Since then, she does drink milk. Could be an allergy.

Take Care
T.

This is prime time for Allergies....that could be causing the runny nose, as could the teeth (I don't buy the whole new teeth won't cause sinus issues...if our teeth can hurt with a plugged up nose our sinuses can be effected by teething too!)

You may want to ask about some allergy meds.

Just out of curiosity how long has she had the "never ending" cold?

If the snotty nose isn't bothering her and she doesn't have a fever or other symptoms it's best not to medicate with tylenol or any decongestants as they can sometiems be worse than the actual symptoms.

N.---- I have a 15 month old that has had the same symptoms. Her doc put her on zertec it has helped so much. She would have the allergies then it would turn into an upper res. infection. So the zertec prevented the allergies which prevented her from getting infections. Good luck I know it is so hard when they are sick!! M.

Our little guy is going through this also, but we are pretty sure it's allergies, we just haven't figured out just what's causing it yet. He had cleared up for a little while, but now it's back. He has an appointment Thursday for a well check so I will ask again. They told me at his 4 month that it was a cold on top of a cold, but it's actually allergies. He has found great relief from Benedryl (antihistamine only, no decongestant of course), but I don't want him to live on medication, so we're going to ask about allergy testing and see what they say. If I can narrow it down and eliminate the cause, then maybe he won't need the medication...

But he was just the same... Drippy nose, congested, terrible cough at night, etc. Just a thought for you... Good luck...

Definitly take her to the doc! Wheezing is dangerous as it could be asthma or bronchitis and asthma is so common these days. It is easily treated and being on medication to help her is better than the alternatives... Is there any history of asthma in your family? It can be hereditary or environmentally caused (TinaP had some great advice on cleaning products!). My daughter was 7 when she was diagnosed, and I have had asthma since I was 6, and I worry all the time that my son will get it, but so far no. From experience I know how scary it can be and also, the cold symptoms and persistent cough are possible asthma symptoms, so please get her checked out. It is actually very hard to diagnose a small child with asthma but even if it isn't asthma the albuterol treatments will help with her wheezing. Also, if it gets worse at night, try running the shower and taking her into the bathroom to help open up her airways, stay away from cold air and vicks, they won't help and will possibly make her breathing worse. Also, do you have any pets in your home? My asthma is triggered by cats and some dogs, basically if I am even in the same room where a cat has been I am sure to have an attack! Down pillows and bedding can also be a trigger. I hope I am not scaring you! It is something that can be dealt with but don't leave it too long. Good luck and God Bless!

My daughter went through the same thing, then we found out that she has asthma. Might be worth looking into.

N.,

What kind of laundry products do you use? Since she is mostly getting the symptoms at night I would bet that she is having a reaction to her bedding. My son had a chronic cough for his first 6 months. I switched out ALL my personal care and cleaning products to a non-caustic brand and not only did his cough go away, but none of my family has been sick for more than a day since. This was over a year ago.

If you would like more information I would be happy to speak with you about it. ____@____.com

Good luck! This could be an option to get your little one feeling better and save you money in the process!

Well the first time my son was like this and ended up wheezing i called the doctors office and talked to a phone nurse and any baby should not be wheezing so they got me in and i went home with a nebulizer ( just one that was borrowed i think i had to bring it back in like a month or something ) so i could give him albuterol breathing treatments every 4-6 hours so that his airways would come unblocked or open up a little bit more... i also asked them about the whole constant cold thing and they told me that pretty much younger children seem like there constantly sick its like when one cold goes away another one is coming in .. which in a way is good because it helps build up there immune system ( thats what i was told ) but on the second half of that they are miserable!!!!! i would take your child in .. and im not really the type to take my son in for a cold but the whole wheezing thing isnt good just means there airway is blocked somehow and there not breathing like they should or as good as they could be .. i know this time of the year sucks as far as getting sick but it will soon pass hopefully !!!

It could be from the teeth. Our son gets that way. Have you thought of allergies as well? Just an idea.

P.

My son who is now 4 was also like this as a baby and was always getting sinus infections because of it! We also had to get a nebulizer for th wheezing!! We found out when he was 2.5 yo that he has allergies and asthma!! He now take Zyrtec and pulmicort via the nebulizer to prevent asthma attacks! we do albuterol for the asthma attacks he is doing much better now! He also had tubes in his ears and his adnoids out by the time he was 6 months old! Maybe your baby has allergies-yes they can get them in the first year of life despite what some drs. say!! And the wheezing and coughing could be a sign of asthma!! I also believe that theething does cause cold like symtoms so yes it could be related!!Good luck and hang in there!! We use a cold mist humidifier all the time at our house-like day and night-it helps a bit to keep it going as it keeps the moisture going 24/7-it seems to work better that just using it at night!! Hope I have been of some help to you!!-V.

My baby is the same age and is always sick, too. We used to use the Vick's Vaporizer, but then our doctor told us to use a cool mist humidifier. I bought one and it didn't seem to put any vapor in the air, so I stopped using it. Then I borrowed my mom's and her's worked wonderfully. It's a cool mist humidifier with the Walgreen's label on it. We use it every time my son gets sick, and it does a great job. It doesn't seem to speed up the healing process, but he sleeps better when it's on.

Best of luck.

Despite Drs saying that runny noses and tethering are not related, they are. Ear infections are also common during teething. Have you tried running a cool mist humidifier. Vaporizers don't put the proper moisture in the room and run the risk of burning the child. Sunbeam and Vicks have really nice and affordable cool mist humdifiers out. When the kids have really bad cold, I run the humdifier on high. We live in a high elevation mountain climate (The Rocky Mountain Front), so I run their humidifier on low every night. Also, saline misting the nose may help. Hyland's also makes a homeopathic rememdy called Cold-C that helps lessen the symptoms. I hope this helps.

have you taken her to the doctor. with the bad cough and weezing she could have a respitory infection and may need and antibiotic.

It is typically normal for a teething baby to have these symptoms. It if continues after the teeth have broken thru then take baby in there could be some alergy issues. Good luck.

Have you had her ears checked out? My daugher had similur simptoms and she needed tubes. It was like she was a running focet ALL the time. It was because she could breath right through her noise. She has her ears and her adnoids.

Just an idea.

Hi N.,
You may try having her allergy tested, it very well could be allergies. If she is wheezing, she may need a breathing treatment. Have the Dr.'s heard here wheezing?? This would be my next step......best wishes. C.

My son did the same thing when he was getting his teeth in, everything seems to happen at the same time, their nose runs, it can even sometimes give them ear aches also. Just keep an eye on her and if she develops a high fever, go ahead and take her in, it's always better to make sure it's nothing serious! Hope this helps.

My daughter, who is 7 now, had the never ending cough going on for a very long time, like yrs. The coughing was so bad at night it would keep us both up. She tried acid reflux medicine and asthma medicine with no effect. She tested positive for dust and dog allergies (we don't have a dog). Turns out all of the things that the doctors did for her didn't help except for the Zyrtec and Flonase. There are several things that I have done to keep the coughing away at night. I put an aircleaner in her room, that has made the biggest difference, I think. I don't open the windows. I make sure that if she has been near one of her allergens, she gets a really good shower before bed. There are still some nights that she coughs. I additionally give her Benedryl and us Vics. There have been some nights I make her get up and shower.
Keep in mind that you know your child better than the doctors. If their remedies don't work...keep looking for your own answers.

Wheezing = Get to the doc. ASAP!!!!!
As far as humidifiyer a cool mist is safest, no hot steam to burn her. Put it on high in her room lay out towels. She may have developed an upper respitory infection.
Please, Please, Please call your doctor right away, Don't make that baby suffer!
Vapor medicines may complicate things, if you read the bottles it says do not use if child has asthma. My Doc says they are a waste of $$ any how.

Just a little on my experience w/ wheezing. My G is 2.5 years old and has had RSV 1 time and Pnemonia 4 times. She also has Asthma. If I even think I hear wheezing the doc gets a call.

Good Luck, B.

Hi N. - When my daughter was about a year old she went through something simillar. The doctor told us to put a humidifer in her room. I can't remember what type we bought, but I do remember asking the pharmiscist (sp?) who came out and walked me through each type and helped me to choose one. I ran the humidifer at every nap time and at bed time. And sometimes we just played in there so she would be in the room with it more. I don't recall giving her any medicine and I think it took about a week or so and she was back to being a very healthy little girl again. Hopefully something in their helped - that is about all I remember from it.
M.

Do you have a family history of asthma? My daughter started having issues with respiratory problems around 10 months old and has asthma. Doctors are cautious to diagnose them too early (many times for insurance reasons). But if she struggles at night a lot and is wheezing, take it very seriously and keep bringing her in to the Dr. I hope she starts feeling better.

It's probably allergies. You should have her tested then try to eliminate the cause.

D.

N., if I were you I would get her to the doctor. It sounds like she may have asthma. My ex-husband used to be like that all the time and had bronchitis 3-4 times per year. He went to the doctor and found out he had asthma. It may also be allergies (my daughter has them bad right now), but if it IS asthma, you do not want to mess around with that, plus you don't want your daughter being uncomfortable. Good luck!

Hi N.!!

I do think the teething could be part of her problem. My kids always had a runny nose when they were teething. Another thing I would recommend though is getting all those toxins out of the home and start using products that are not harmful to the respiratory system. I used to always use Clorox, Lysol, 409, etc. I found out these things are extremely hard on our lungs. Clorox and Lysol I found out are registered pesticides! yikes!! A year and a half ago I found out about all this and took all that out of my house. I started using products from a company called Melaleuca. They manufacture everything in the United States (awesome) and it's a wholesale company so everything they sell is comparable in price to your local grocery store, even Walmart in some cases. I went from taking the kids to the doc every couple months to not taking them in well over a year now!!! You wouldn't believe how many people that have asthma and other respiratory problems have been able to get rid of inhalers and other prescription drugs because of changing out their cleaning supplies alone?! It's amazing what it's done for our family. Can you tell I'm a very satisfied customer?! All of us are referred by other customers so if this is something that you'd like to get more information on, just send out an email to me and I can get you on a webcast to get more details of what they have.
My email is: ____@____.com
I'm not trying to sell any of their products to anyone, nor do I actually sell ANY products but do believe we all should be proactive in our own homes and I know personally what it's done for me and my family.
Hope this helps!!!

Blessings!

T.
____@____.com

Hi N.. That sounds familiar. Yes teeth can irritate the sinuses. I actually found out that my fifth child had a cat allergy after a year of sinus infections. MY doctor back in 1997 allowed me to give her 1/4 teaspoon of benedryl. We also had to start bathing our cat once a week and vacuumed the furniture more often. The cat, a long time family pet passes away about a year later and we did not get anymore indoor pets. Talk to your doctor about the safety of benedryl. Those over the counter meds can be scarry.

I felt much the same way with my 2 year old when he was younger. He seemed to always be sick with a runny nose and cough. I do know that yes, some of the cause can be teething. I was told that by my Doctor and both of my sisters dealt with it with their children.

But even when my son wasn't teething he still had a runny nose. I took him to my family Dr., and he suggested trying childrens Zyrtec for allergies. It's a liquid given daily and it tastes good to him (banana and grape flavor) and it has totally done the trick for me. My son has been on it about 5 months and has had a runny nose only twice for just a few days when he actually had a cold since then. Imagine that :)

So while I am usually not the type to like taking medicine, or giving much to my son unless he's really sick, it might be worth finding out if the sickness is allergy related. Good luck, and I hope that helps a little.

S.

Good morning! I just saw your note and had to respond because I have a 10 month old as well who seems to be getting lots of colds. I know part of it is being at daycare so she is exposed a lot. My husband and I have never been sick so much in our lives I don't think. Anyway, right now, I think she actually has croup. Have you heard of that?? It is viral and comes along with colds, and it has a barking, seal-like cough more at night or naps. My daughter definitely has the barking cough so that is what we are figuring it has to be. My daycare mom has a lot of experience with it with her son who has had it a lot over the years. One thing she did yesterday was open a window and let the cold air in while Emma napped. I guess that helps them breath, and the vaporizer is also supposed to help or standing in a steamy bathroom with them with a hot shower on or something. These would all be things to try I guess if you think it might be croup. I know getting teeth can give them runny noses too, and my doc said teething can also bring on an ear infection so I would keep an eye on that too. I sure wish they could tell us what was all bothering them at this point. Not sure if any of that was any help, but I do want you to know that you are not alone. I feel your pain right now!! Good luck and hope your little one starts getting better soon.

Kristen

Just a suggestion... But it could actually be allergies and not a cold. My son is 7 mos and is allergic to many things already. He had the same symptoms as your daughter. The cough, sneezing, runny nose. We just started him on Zyrtec yesterday, hopefully that helps him.

I would get ther to the doctor asap. My son went through this and he ended up with broncholitis and RSV. It started as a cold..we did vaporizer and etc. Then he went on breathing treatments he help with the wheezing. He still ended up with RSV and pneumonia and hav eot be in the hospital. IF SHE's WHEEZING GET HER TO THE DOCTOR!! Not trying to scare you...but i've been there!!!

Good Luck!
W.
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Have you taken her to the DR? Has she ever had bronchitis before?

How long has this never ending cold lasted? If it has been longer than the 14 days at most a cold should last I would get her seen. It could be she has reflux if she coughs at bedtime and is quite literally choking on bile and her stomach contents which would make her cough. Otherwise her immune system might be compromised if she hasn't fought it off in a timely manner and you need to find out why. Regardless if it really is a never ending cold I'd get her into her doctor and if her doctor isnt' taking a never ending cold seriously I'd get a new one.