Hello beautiful moms! So here's the thing: My 8 month old daughter was running a fever early this past week. It was over 102 at some points. It lasted about a day & a half and the fever is now gone. Just after the fever went away, we got a stuffy nose and have now developed a cough. In addition, her stuffy nose has become a runny nose with "extras" (messy sneezes). We have tried doing the Little Noses to clean her nose out but it doesn't help. Doctors can't/won't recommend ANYTHING for a baby this age to take to help with this. What do the other mothers do? Do you throw caution into the wind and give a smaller dose of something? Is there a home remedy that works? Please help! I am going on a 15 hour car trip with this baby in just over a week and would really like her to feel better for it. Thank you moms (and dads if any respond).
OK. make sure she's hydrated. Even though no vomiting or diahrrea a small fever will dehydrate her. A little pedalyte in a juice bottle works great. I used to do a tiny amount of sea salt in water. ( about 1 tsp. to 1 cup warm water ) let it dissolve and give a couple drops up her nose w/ an eyedropper. That should dry that stuff up, but you may have to repeat a few times per day.
A cold is just that....a cold. The body will repair itself in almost all cases. You just have to be patient. Keep her hands clean (and anyone who touches her) by washing her/your hands constantly. And NEVER give a baby medicine that is not prescribed by a doctor - if anyone tells you to do that, I would be very frightened! I have 3 young children who have had colds during their lives and I almost NEVER give them any medication unless it affects their sleep (and hence, their body's ability to fight something). Overmedicating is unfortunately, what has gotten us into the antibiotic issues we now face.
I also turn on a humidifier in my kids room when they have a cough, etc... to make sure the room does not get dry which can irritate a cough.
And please, please don't medicate your child unless you absolutely have to. But go with your instincts and if it gets worse, go back and see your doctor.
Hi Angie- Unfortunately, I've been dealing with the same thing with my 6 month old! I actually took him to the doctor 3 different times. They kept checking his ears to make sure that he didn't have an ear infection and sending me home. by the 3rd visit in 2 months, I think the doctor realized I was getting frustrated. A week ago, he gave us Ammoxicillan to give to him and he is so much better! He said it was a sinus infection. Now, we are almost completely over it, and it's great! You may just have to go back to the doctor time and time again and be relentless about your concerns. I know, it sounds annoying, but it worked for us. Do you use a humidifier in her room? That was another suggestion our doctor had given. Good luck!
I have 2 year odl twins and a 7 month old baby. I've been through this time and time again. I actually pretty much gave up on taking them to the doctors office for that b/c of what your saying. When the twins get all that, this is what I do and what i have done since they were itty bitty. I prop their beds, I used to use a boppy and put it under the mattress which seems to do the job. Make sure that she lays at the propped end of the bed and at night this will help drainage. I give them a bath with the Johnsons calming relief vapor bath stuff. It's in a green bottle and smells like vicks. When they're ready for bed, i put baby vicks on their feet (and then socks) and on their chests. It helps believe it or not - something about the oils are absorbed through their feet. Anyways, we also use the nose drops and "suck them out" with the "nose kisser" as we call it at our house. Also, we put the vaporizer/humidifier in the room and use the vicks inhalent in it as well. The moisture in the air helps alot too - i could tell the nights that i ddint use it, the boys coughs would get worse. Other than that, the last thing we did was pleanty of liquids to flush out the nasty cold. Juice? Juice and water...water...whatever you do. Good Luck!
I sorry to hear about baby's cold. I love the Sudacare Vapor Plug-ins. I believe the package indications are for children over the age of 3 months. I have used them for both of my children during bed/naptime. It has always really seems to clear them out. Best of luck to you and have fun on your vacation.
I am a 34 year old mother of Samantha (almost 4) and Nick (19 months).
Hi Angie... I have a 17 month daughter. If it is a true cold, it will just take time to run it's course, but I find that the symptoms can be less severe with a few suggestions. I use plain nasal saline and a small nasal aspirator to help get the junk out of her nose a few times a day. I use the Johnson's soothing vapor baby bath before bed. I rub baby vick's on her chest. I also use a cold mist humidifier regularly in her room. On nights that are especially bad, I also add a Vick's waterless vaporizor to add more menthol and eucalyptus to the air. Keep her full of fluids. Good luck...I hope she feels better soon!
We had several of these when my son was that age. The doctor suggested we give him regular infants tylenol for the fever and clean his nose with a salt water mixture. For the salt water mix; use a quarter size amount of salt mixed in about 1.5 cups of warm water. Squeeze the mix into a nasal aspirator and then shoot it up one side of her nose at a time. It will send all the "gunk" running out the other side of her nose. We didn't believe it would work at first and thought it to be cruel but it works wonders and kept our son from a lot of infections. It is best to do it in the bath tub because of the mess.
Can use Motrin to get baby over the hump. And can use a little Afrin in the nose; it will get the yuck going. But for the most part: keep on top of it: it sounds like you're on your way to a secondary infection. My girls were great at this, getting a little something then becoming very ill with something else; once my 18 month old (she was then, anyway) got a horrible cold, dr. wouldn't prescribe anything, we went into the Michigan north woods for a vacation ... and she got a raging sinus/ear infection. We ended up at the emergency room, and it eventually took three rounds of antibiotics to clear it. Nursing helps, too, if you're doing that ...
Do not use over the counter cold medication it is way too strong for a 8 month old. Use baby vicks, directions are on the box. A runny nose is actually good, it is draining out any infection there may be. Baby Tylonol works for comforting her. If you can find hore hound candy disolve some in hot water and make it like a tea. It should help her cough dramatically, let it cool to a exceptable temp and put in her bottle.
Hi Angie,
I feel your pain! As a mom it's so tough to see our children suffering and not be able to fix it. My son had several colds last year - at least one that was pretty bad - and we were in the same boat with his age. Here are some things my pediatrician suggessted: buy saline drops and put 1-2 drops in his nose, wait a minute and then suction all the junk out. Make sure to run a vaporizer at night in her room. Tilt the head of the bed to keep the drainage at a minimum - if you can't tilt the crib mattress you could just strap your daughter in her car seat and have her sleep in that. If she's congested at all the doctor recommended BABY Vick's vapo rub - not the adult. Just rub some on her chest at night to help her sleep better. Hope this helps and good luck!
When My daughter got sick, we gave her saline drops (little noses). She has a humidifer in her room that was constantly on and alot of fluids. Thats about all your can give them. I wouldn't give my daughter cold medicine since they were all recalled. You just have to ride it out, even though its terrible. We gave her tyelnol for the fever and to take the edge off. Best of luck.
michelle
Hi Angie,...I wouldn't be as concerned about the sneezing as I would be the cough. I'd recommend taking her to her peditrician. Before the trip, you need to make sure she doesn't need an antibiotic for a respiratory infection? or ear infection? You are such a good mom to be concerned about how she will feel on the trip.....Deb
Your baby might be teething, I know people say it isn't true, but mine runs a fever and has a runny nose when teeth are coming in! Motrin and Tylenol are made for babies, as long as they are over 6 months you can give them to treat fever, teething pain, etc. Make sure you follow the proper dosage directions. Your Dr. might even ok for you to give Benadryl to help dry up the runny nose, it even helps baby sleep--call the Dr. if you need the dosage amt.
Hello, my son is 8 months old also born in Oct 07 and he had all the same signs your talking about but he was also tugging on his ear a bit and I took him to the doc and he has an ear infection on top of his cold and he was put on Amoxicillin after about 3 days he was feeling much better. Have you noticed her tugging on her ear? I know they'd feel so much better if they just knew how to blow thier noses. Good luck and I hope she get's to feeling better.
Hi Angie
wonder if your littl bundle of joy is taking any kind of vitamins. Be careful what you get over the counter and I would say put her on a GOOD vitamin. If you like droop me a note and I can help you with that issue. There are a lot of viruses out there and you really want to build your childrens immune system before those viruses attack. The doctors are unable to perscribe for them and are unsure what residuale affects they have on our kids. It is preventable. Good Luck
Sue
I had no problem giving my baby a small dose of children's tylenol cold. But just small amounts. We used a humidifier to help my son at that age. Also Vick's Vapor rub for babies, rub it on her chest and on her feet! I found this to really help also.
Hope this helps a little.
My 9 month old just went through the same thing...we just rode it out and it cleared up in a little over a week...he had terrible sneezes...very "productive" and messy...but we just gave him a dropper and a half (1.2 total) of Tylenol.....and gave him vitamins (Gerber infant vitamins - liquid)
Hope she feels better soon!
We used infant cough and cold medicine when our daughter was sick. Just be sure to follow the dosing very carefully. You do not want to overdose her. Usually, for every 6 pounds your daughter weighs, you can giver he an increment of the medicine. Here's a link to babycenter.com in relation to dosing for baby tylenol type medicines: http://www.babycenter.com/0_acetaminophen-dosage-chart_11886.bc
Similar would hold true for the cough and cold medicines.
I am all about Vicks vapor rub. They have it for babies. I know a lot of people and doctors recommend cool mist vaporizers. I, however, think they don't work very well. I like the good old fashioned vaporizers. The kind that makes the room smell like Vicks vapor rub. I also like the plug in kind that plug into the wall like a room freshener.