My almost 10 month old son has yet ANOTHER round of congestion/runny nose. I would say about 60-70% of the time since he was born he's had this congestion/runny nose thing. He's been sick more often than well! The doc said it was normal for babies to have colds/allergies this often, and it tapers down after they turn 2 yrs of age. She said it was impossible to even tell if it was upper respitory infection (cold) or allergy, but probably was a cold, cause he doesn't have itchy watery eyes. He doesn't go to daycare, we don't even go out much, except to grocery store and church. I would like to know if any of y'all have had babies with this congestion this often. His pattern is congestion/runny nose for 2 weeks, than better for maybe a few days, than congestion again! my first son didn't get this nearly has often, but my neighbor said her son was like this. Doc said just to give saline drops and use nasal aspirator to suction out stuff. It's hard to watch him so congested so often, but don't know how to prevent it. We don't smoke, no pets, and no thick carpet-we have very thin carpet that we vacuum often. any advice appreciated on preventive tips and what could be causing all this. Are some babies just more prone to colds than others? thanks for your help.
I would get a second opinion from another doctor. True, babies can get a lot of colds and that could be the reason for all the frequent congestion and runny nose, but allergies are not "normal" for babies. If he has allergies, you need to find out so you can try to avoid the allergan if possible. I can tell you are skeptical about what your pedi has said, so get another opinion to put your mind at ease. You might be able to help your little guy out.
Good luck.
Ask your pediatrician if your baby might have Reactive Airway Disease (RAD). My daughter's doctor diagnosed her with RAD when she was an infant and what you are describing is what my daughter was experiencing as well. My son was similar, although not as bad, but his doctor never said anything about RAD. I had to take my son to my daughter's doctor one day when his doctor wasn't available and he diagnosed my son with RAD as well. My son seemed to always have a runny nose, but more than that, he had a greater susceptibility to Croup, which my daughter never had. My kids' doctors would sometimes give them something for the congestion and sometimes just say use the saline, etc.
I do not believe there's a cure or specific treatment. I think it just means they are very prone to colds, congestion, etc. I've also been given the impression that you have to listen closely for wheezing as it could be a predecessor to asthma. I was not told that exactly, but they would always ask me if I heard wheezing whenever I would call to ask questions when my kids were sick, and when I would tell after hours doctors about their RAD, they would ask about asthma and wheezing as well.
I could be completely off base with this, but if not, then you'll at least have a diagnosis for what's going on with your son. I will add that it did get better with time for my kids. My daughter still has seasonal allergies, but both she and her brother did grow out of the constant cold and congestion stage.
Blessings,
Nicole
It could be a dairy allergy. My youngest had this problem, so I switched to soy formula and put him on Goat's milk, Rice and Almond milk as he got older. If it's pollen allergies, there are different supplements you could give him that could help. Bioflavinoids are great to people with allergies.
I give my kids a yummy fizzy drink called OPC-3, which has bioflavinoids and lots of natural anti-oxidants. I also take the product and haven't been really sick since taking it (and I work at a school around children). You can find out more here:
http://www.marketamerica.com/clifford/product-10335/mightamins-spectrum-isotonix-opc3.htm
The best deal is the 90 day supply, it works out to not quite $25/mo.
Best wishes for you and your baby boy.
I'd get a second opinion, maybe from an ENT. My pediatrician was always more of the "no big deal" it's just congestion too and I was tired of it. With my son the congestion would ALWAYS lead to an ear infection and sinus infection. The ENT was wonderful and now he is rarely congested.
Deb, My daughter is now 33 years old, but when she was about six months old she started having a lot of trouble with congestion and runny nose, which then turned into inner ear infections. Her doctor ran allergy tests on her and she was allergic to several normal things, like milk, strawberries and green beans. I made sure she didn't get any of those and it helped with the allergies, but we continued to have trouble with the ear infections. Finally, at 19 months, she had tubes put in her ears and it was like someone turned off a light switch. She never had another ear infection (as a child) and the colds/allergy problems almost ceased. The tubes in her ears were under developed, which was apparently causing the constant congestion, etc. I hope this helps and I pray for the best for your little guy. God bless! Susan
The only thing I have to add is to bathe him every night and wash his sheets if he naps after playing out side. It made a huge difference with my son. Good luck.
How old is your other son? Does he go places where he could bring germs home to baby? I would make sure he washes his hands each time he comes home from school, church, etc. and wash the baby's hands with a wipe, too.
Have you tried eliminating dairy? My daughter was like this and it got worse when we started switching her to whole milk at about 11 months -- she got a sinus infection after just a few days on whole milk. This is actually a common allergy. We switched her to goat's milk (Meyenberg brand, comes by the quart) until she was 2, then to soy milk. Soy doesn't have any fat in it, which is why we waited until she was 2 to use it. Hasn't had a runny nose -- except maybe an annual little sniffle -- since that sinus infection and she's now almost 6!
My daughter is 6 and she had this problem when she was a baby but she was around other children in music class,
Gymboree, etc. It's probably just something he will grow out of, but you might think about the cleaning products you are using and any other chemicals you could be using around the house, even laundry detergent. If you are using traditional products you might try switching to something from Whole Foods or even Target has some cleaning products that don't have Formaldehyde, chlorine bleach and some of the other chemicals that are not supposed to be good for you. Not an expert but I avoid as many chemicals as I can. Just a thought.
I watch a little girl who goes through the same thing. Her Mom is at her witts ends. She just got off medicine last week and she is already congestted and has runny nose again. Her Pedi tells her that it is completely normal. They even went to the allergist and she has not an allergy one. She will be 2 in March. Good luck with dealing with this.
Morning Deb,
I just carried my son to the doctor to get his yearly shots and he couldn't do them due to the fact he had the same thing you described. He said that most children in their first few years will get more than a dozen of these. All you can really do is spray their little noses with saline nasal spray to keep the germs flushed out of their noses and for the cough he told me to use tussin dm for the cough. As long as they are not runny over a 100 degree fever they will be ok and told me to give him Tylenol for a low grade fever. If it gets to bad, call your doctor. Another thing he told me is that IF the congestion or virus is viral there is really nothing you can do it has to take its course but if it was bacterial he could give him some antibiotics for it.
Good luck,
Teri
We have a similar problem. We try the saline and nasal aspirator, but he seems to hate it! Our doc suggested that we stay in a small bathroom with a hot shower to help clear his lungs.
I also use the Vics Baby on his feet after a bath for sleeptime. With the recent Vics announcement, I asked our doc and he said it was still fine to use.
Another thing I did was sleep on the sofa with him, propped up on a pillow for a few nights. It too seemed to help.
Hi Deb, Where I live it is extremely dry so using a cool mist humidifier has helped a lot with congestion and runny noses. Using this along with the saline nose drops is something I do all the time. This doesn't cure it, but makes it more tolerable for baby and parents. My experience is that your doctor is so right, and as long as there isn't an accompaning ear infection or sinus infection, with time and growth, he will not get the cold as often! Hang in there...It is a challenge with babies!
Susan
My youngest had this problem. 1 try ENTSOL. Its a medical grade saline and works better than anything. Its expensive about $25 a bottle but well worth it. It could be just plain outdoor allergies that has nothing to do with daycare or your home. Have you tried singular or something preventative? I would talk to your doctor as well. Any chance he was a early? It could make a difference. He has slowly grown out of the problem, however it has never really gone away. We used preventative breathing treatments - we also found that he had a deviated septum that made it hard for him to drain - which is why we use the saline daily even if there is not problem.
I wish you luck! I fought for a long time trying to prevent it - you can't. steamy showers a bedtime help to to clear out the head.
i keep my 10 month old on 1/2 tsp of children's zyrtec every night. it keeps the congestion down for most of the time. Good luck
How do you dress your child for sleep/outdoor/indoors in cold/cool weather? I would get a second/third opinion. Might try washing his clothing/linens in Ivory soap. If possible, open your house to get fresh air. Also, when you take your child to the grocery store or any place where he is seated in a basket, place a cloth type seat in the seating area. Or wipe down with bacteria wipes the places where his hands will be touching the rails or whatever... Good luck.
You can try cleaning the airducts in your house. Thats the only other thing that I can think of. When my oldest was a baby he also was sick all the time, but he was in daycare so that doesn't help you any. Oh! Do you wipe down the carts at the stores w an antibacterial wipe? That could help as well. If you have one of the cart protecters make sure you wash it regularly. Wash or spray his toys down to disinfect to prevent reinfection.Hope this helps.
My doctor let me give my 4 mo old benadryl. I gave her 1/4 tsp for allergies. It did the trick. Ask your doctor about it.
Does the yuck happen to coincide with new teeth coming in? It took me until my son's 17th tooth came in to figure out that he got a "cold" each time a tooth came in. It was just as you're describing. Weird, but true. Seemed like he was sick all the time!