My 5 month old is sick for the first time. He has a head cold - lots of mucus, snot and congestion. He has a little bit of a cough, but I think that is because of the mucus running down the back of his throat. He has a little bit of a temperature but is not burning up and is generally subdued (very unusual for him!). The stuffy nose is meaning that he can't feed properly (breastfed) and he is having trouble sleeping cause he keeps waking himself up unable to breath easily through his nose.
I am currently using Fess, but have a few questions:
1) Should I be worried, or can I just assume it is a standard head cold that will get better over time
2) Can I use vicks (the jar says not to use on kids under 2 without Doctors advice)
3) Can you suggest anything else to help my little boy - he is sooo uncomfortable
Firstly, I cold is a virus, which means that there is nothing you can give your son to make it go away. With viruses, all we can do is treat the symptoms.
vicks is not recommended for babies because of the strength of the ingredients. There is baby form of it call Eukey Bearrub which is very good. Use this with a nasal spray called Fess, and you will find the symptoms will be less severe and the duration of the cold will also be less.
All a doctor will do is give him a quick look over and tell you it is a virus and that he can't do anything about blah blah blah....and send you to the chemist! lol. So, unless the fever is high or you think he is getting worse, keep your money in your pocket and just let him ride it out.
Try elevating the matress, fold a towel and put it under the top of his matress just so it has an angel of about 20 degrees. Also try Vicks baby balsam.
It's awful when they have a cold that young, my 6 mth girl had a cold when she was about 3 mths and our dr said to elevate the matress. It helped her breath at night as well as the vicks.
Vicks comes in a baby friendly version called baaby balsum. this is a milder .A vapouriser in his room can help his breathing when he sleeps. These can be bought or hired but are usually expensive. A cheaper alterative is to run the hot tap in the shower and steam up the room. Make sure thesteam is not to hot tho. Sit in the steamy room with him for a while. This helps break up the mucus.
All babies and kids get sick, this actually helps build their immune system. Try not to worry. If he doesn't get better in a few days or gets worse, coughing more, then see a doctor.
baby balsm is great for babies. its a mild form of vicks and has laveneder in it to help sleep. i have to go and buy a new vaporiser but having one of them is great too. you can get them for $49 at the chemist. get a good one that has a 10+ hour function.
definatly put the baby balsm on feet, back and chest. you loose heat from your feet so they need to be covered and the vicks just adds due to there being a pressure point type point on the feet.
keep fluids up and if still sick in a few days take to see doc. never think a thing is too small with kids to see a doc.
My little man is sick at the moment too. He has had croup thou, but now that is clearing up and he has what looks like a nasty cold.
I am currently using a vaporiser in his bedroom and also putting a pot of water on the fireplace to boil for a bit of extra moisture. Dont use adult vicks. Get down to a chemist and get some baby balsm (baby vicks) or yuki bear. Rub that on his chest, back and souls of his feet. If he gets too blocked up, sit in a steamy bathroom with him for 20 mins.
When Austin had a common cold, i used dimetapp to clear his nose up. I wouldn't suggest using it if he is coughing thou, because the dimetapp will supress it and it will take longer for him to get over it. But if it is just a stuffed up nose, the dimetapp will just help him breathe easier.
Euky rub is apparently for younger ones, does the same thing as vicks.
I've never tried this, but have been told it works - put vicks (or euky rub) on the bottom of his feet & cover with socks. Yer, I know, sounds odd, but I've had quite a few people tell me this one & they all swear by it.
Vaporises are good, too. You could also get some eucalyptus oil & put a little in water in an oil burner. I do this when my kids have colds & it works well. Just don't put too much in for one so young & keep a good eye on the burner as the water will evaporate.
It is probably a good idea to have him checked out by a doctor. I always say you can never be too careful with children, & especially with babies. Hope he gets better soon.
With my little girl we turned a vaporizer on and had that going when she was sleeping and it really cleared her head/nose... also used euky bear rub available at chemist.
Also before i got the euky bear rub i mixed vicks with same amount of vasoline and rubbed it on back, chest and the bit between the eyebrows down to the start of nose. (as vicks is so strong i used a bit more vasoline when i mixed it... just seemed easier on her little nose)
Hope this helps and your bub gets better soon....xx
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