Hi. I have a 9 1/2 month old baby boy who has had a cough now for a couple of weeks and has just started with a stuffed up nose. At his last check up, the doctor didn't think anything of the cough... of course he didn't cough once while we were at the office. Now it is getting worse when he is asleep. We are using a humidifier and I've been putting Vicks baby rub on this chest. I even tried propping up one end of the mattress so his head would be raised. That didn't do any good because during the night he rolls a lot and ended up with his head going the other direction.
Any type of cough medicine that I've looked at has a minimum age of 4. Any suggestions on what I can do to help with the cough would be appreciated!
There is not a single Over The Counter med that is okay for your child's age. Most of them don't really do much anyway. If your son is sick, and has been for two weeks and has now developed a stuffy nose, call his doctor and get him in today if now sooner.
Symptoms always get worse at night. It just happens that way, and really it sounds like you're doing all you can.
I have a rule for when my son gets sick...three days max and then we go to the doctor. Since you already saw the doctor I would call again.
It could be something else, like allergies. I found out my son had allergies and most of his 'cold' symptoms were hay fever.
Good Luck
My son had the same type of thing at 11 months. From what you are saying, you are doing good things. Medication dosages need to be done by weight, not age even though the label gives a "suggested" age. I suggest getting a cough & congestion medication that has an expectrant in it (these are usually by the mucinex products). If you cannot find it, ask the pharmicist. Since little ones don't blow their nose or know how to get the mucus out of them we have to help. Putting saline drops in his nose, waiting a minute and then suctioning it out can help as well (the saline helps breaks up the mucus). If it doesn't get better then yes, take him back to the doctor. With how cold it has been its hard to get a little one better quickly. Make sure he is dressed warm, during the day (especially with a beanie or hat whenever outdoors) & at night time. I hope that your son gets better soon! :)
You can't give any OTC meds for cough. They are too risky now. My girls have both struggled with bad coughs since an early age. We got a nebulizer from our pediatrician and use liquid albuteral when they start a cough. Talk to your ped about that.
Dear Nichol:
We never gave our children any medication and our beloved pediatrician agreed and supported this. The things which worked the best were (as mentioned below) saline drops, a humidifier, and, per the pediatrician's recommendation: bundling up the baby and strolling them outside at night. The cold and moist night air eliminated the coughing. Once baby was asleep, we'd stroll back and I'd sit up in a rocker all night with baby so that the nasal passages stayed open. I did NOT overheat the house. After two or three nights, all was well. Also, if you breastfeed, keep the baby on your breast and baby's healing will come even more quickly.
Best wishes,
Marla
sorry to hear he's sick..i love Bioron products...they're homeopathic and can be used on a 9 month old..go to WholeFoods they have their cough syrup "Chestal" also "Cold Ease" give 1/2 dose of "Cold Ease" i use a vaporizer ...b/c u only have to clean a vaporizer once a week..are u cleaning the humidifier? u have to clean it every day w/ white vinegar and a vaporizer once a week also with white vinegar.
well good luck..the colds get easier! my son is almost 3..i remember those days.
Hi Nichol,
If the cough has been on going for a few weeks, maybe take him back to the doctor? Is he wheezing? My daughter who just started pre-school has been sick on and off and I noticed her cough was getting worse followed by wheezing. Brought her to the doctor's and was told she had phnemonia so she's been on antibiotics and doing great (got 3 more days to go of the med). Of course a few days later my 4 1/2 month old is now coughing / sneezing and to take precaution, her peditrician prescribed a different antiobiotic along with prescription cold medicine. Both seem to be doing better, hope your soon gets better soon!
there are about 40 homeopathic remedies listed in the "cough during sleep rubric".on your own you can try Cham. 30C (sold in Whole Foods)if it does not work, final selection should be done by professional homeopath.
Good Luck
V
Nichol,
Congratulations on your baby! Just wanted to reiterate what the first Mom said because it is so important. You CANNOT give ANY over-the-counter cough medicines to a baby this age. The guidelines have changed over the past couple of years, and they have become much more stringent. Use the saline and suction to keep nasal passages as clear as possible. When was your last appointment?? You said the doctor wasn't concerned about the cough, but if the appointment was at the outset of this episode, and it's now been going on for two weeks or more, you should check again with the pediatrician.
When my son was that age, he had frequent coughs, which were worse at night. At 12 months, he was placed on nebulizer treatments, which we continue with to this day. He also has numerous allergies (confirmed by skin test), so it is certainly something to consider with your son. Listen to his breathing, and if you detect wheezing, take him in immediately.
Good luck to you and your son!
Julie
Dear Nicol,
The one thing you CAN do is give him more liquids, and make sure he's getting a baby vitamin, along with it.
I would always give my kids extra vitamin C too at his age. At trader Joe's you can get powdered Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) that mixes great with liquids. You don't need a lot - just a pinch contains enough to mix with a bottle of juice. I always added vit c to my kid's apple juice and they would take it without it being too sour.
When I myself had pneumonia once, the doctor told me I had to constantly drink liquids, because the coughing meant my body was severely dehydrated and I had to get the mucous loosened up and out.
Do you know how to loosen dried up mucous in the baby's nose? A few drops (3 drops is enough usually) of saline solution (that's salt water - you can make it yourself using one tsp of salt to one quart of water) in one nostril at a time loosens them enough to use an aspirator and suck it out afterwards. But don't use the long pokey aspirator they give you in the hospital when the baby is born - get a NASAL aspirator with a removable clear plastic tip that is more rounded and won't hurt if he wiggles while you are doing it. It helps if you have someone else hold him steady, too!
Also (if you can find them) One other thing that worked was homeopathic remedies - the one called "Aching cold' was the one that always helped us - adults and children. They're such a low dose they are quite safe and the lactose tablets melt in a drop of water. Some health food stores carry them and some don't - you can call around to ask.
My best wishes to you on this challenging time with your precious boy. He's lucky to have a mom like you who cares so much to do the right thing!
Ruth
You should take your baby back to the doctor and make him/her listen to his chest. These endless coughs are very common round here, and he may need an antibiotic to get rid of it. If your doctor hears wheezing in his chest, he may be asthmatic (probably temporarily) and there are good medicines for that.
I don't know how or why this worked with my daughter but they advised me to put the Vick's on the bottom of her feet then put socks on. Between that and a humidifier she didn't cough at night. As weird as it sounds it worked! But trust your instincts, if his coughs as gotten worse then a trip to the peds office is worth the extra looks you think you might get! I hope the poor guy feels better soon.
Is he eating dairy, any mucus prodicing foods? Babies often have a cold sounding cough alone, is it along with a fever? Have pets? There are a lot of things to consider that you do not mention. Allergies will give them the stuffy head which is easy to turn into drainage in a small throat and cause the cough.
There are liwuid immunity and antioxidant supplements that are organic you can add to water. we-us.mychoices.biz They are called Twist Tubes. My ids use them all the time.
Hi Nichol,
You did not say if you were breast feeding or not. I would be looking at making sure there was no dairy or soy of any kind in his diet at this time just in case it is an allergan and causing this inflammation. If you are nursing, try adding some olive leaf extract supplement into your daily supplement and tumeric (a seasoning that also comes in pill form, great for inflammation).
I have heard wonderful results with a Netti Pot. You put salt water in it and use it to flush out the sinuses. I have not heard how this would work on an infant though.
On another note, do not vaccinate your baby, especially when they are the least bit sick. Do not get your baby 'caught up" with their shots, ever.
Here is more information and studies on vaccinations:
The Vaccine Book, by Dr. Robert Sears
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Childhood Vaccinations, by Dr. Stephanie Cave
Evidence of Harm, by David Kirby
www.909shot.org
www.tacanow.org (Vaccines, studies listed there)
www.generationrescue.com
You've already received tons of advice and I haven't read through them all, so I apologize if I repeat something. When my son had his first cold at 11 months, the doctor recommended warming some apple juice for a cough suppressant. Your little guy is too young for honey or any sort of over-the-counter remedy. Hope this helps!
Check with your doc about using the humidifier. Sometimes it makes coughs worse because it makes the junk in their lungs heavier. There are only certain times to use a humidifier. If he's doing worse at night, I would try a night without it.
There's a yucky cough thing going around that lasts up to 6 weeks. We got it over here. It's a bummer. A friend had it and tried antibiotics and steroids. Nothing worked but time. I'm a big fan of homeopathics for relief of symptoms in people as small as your boy. Try Boiron or Hylands for starters. If you go to Whole Foods or something like that they will help you out with it.
Hope your little guy is doing better soon!
Hello Nichol,
Your poor baby as well as yourself! First off, keep going back to the doc. If you have a video camera record your son while he is coughing. But, again keep going back to your doc. till something is done.
My son is 3yrs old. since Oct. he has had a presistant cough, at first the doc treated it like a sinus infection, so a round of antibotics, that round didn't work, so a second round of antibotics. But, when we saw the doc when he gave the second round said if that doesn't work in two weeks come back in and we'll do chest x-rays. The doc and I both had a hunch that it was asthma, since my husband and myself have asthma.
Cough didn't go away with the second round, chest x-ray was ordered (the Monday before Christmas) ASTHMA it is. Asthma can come in many different forms, not just whizzing. So, by Christmas Day the cough was under control and we had a wonderful holiday.
We have a wonderful doc and doesn't mind that I keep coming till I find out what is wrong or get my son the relief for him.
Best of Luck and Get Well little man,
Megan
I am sorry your LO is not feeling well. Did you call your pedi again because it's been going on for a while?
I bought this vapor thing that you can plug into the wall, not sure of the brand is, but it says 3 months and up. Also- you can sit in a steamy bathroom with him a couple times a day to help break up the flem.
HTH!
Hi,
Place a lot of the Vick's Vapor Rub on the bottom of his feet with socks. He should stop coughing in a matter of minutes.
I concur with the vicks rub on the feet with socks. Know it sounds weird, but it really works!