Allergies or Cold?

I have 15 month old twins and when they were in daycare they kept a cold. Two days after their last day the symptoms stopped! I don't think it was a coinsidence!!

My 3 year old has had a cold almost non stop since he was about 6 months. I just get used to it. As long as it's not affecting his sleeping or eating habits, I use a sudacare plug in his room at night and wipe his nose constantly. My pediatrician said it's because of daycare and kids put everything in their mouths. He said by the time he starts school he should be very healthy and not miss school so I'm doing the right thing. And I very rarely give decongestants since they don't really work. Good luck!

There is a summer cold that has been making the rounds. My daughter goes to a babysitter rather than daycare and she is on her second cold in the past month. (None of the other babies are sick, Dad brought it home!)
When she was in daycare, she was constantly sick. There were no breaks. They do not sterlize very good in daycares and it doesn't matter how good the daycare is, there are too many kids to keep the environment completely sanitary. Because of that and the bad experience at the daycare she went to, along with other horror stories of diffferent daycares, I am so against them!

Hi D.,
I do think it sounds like allergies. When my son was that age, he was the same way - always had a cold and stuffy. It seemed to progress as he got older and he would always have a scratchy voice and a congested wet chest. It got to the point where he couldn't breathe well when he would lay down at night and bedtime was a nightmare all night through. Finally, his Dr. removed his tonsils and adnoids because he was repeatedly getting sick and infections at 17 months. Cold symptoms still persisted and with more investigating, on my own, (no help from our dr) I found out it was a dairy allergy! Milk and other dairy (even if you are nursing and you are eating dairy yourself) can cause all of this. I had this reaffirmed when my daughter, Amelia, was born and went down the same path with dairy allergies, but much more severely. Food allergies can definitely cause symptoms as minor as a cold to stomach cramps to bleeding and behavior issues. Try switching her diet around to eliminate dairy for awhile or yours (if you are nursing). Be careful of soy, though, which is what you may switch to. 25% of kids who are allergic to dairy are also allergic to soy. My daughter was, also. I drank alot of enriched rice milk with her and that is what both of my kids still drink. If it's not food allergies, there are also environmental allergies to consider. And, don't solely rely on allergy tests. With kids as young as your daughter, they are not always accurate. Hope you find the solution, soon. Feel free to email me anytime. We've had a lot of experience in this department ;)
K.
____@____.com

Deja Vu - I went round and round with what I thought was daycareitis. It wasn't. My son has been on Singulair off and on since November and when it's really bad Zyrtec on top of that. The Singulair is great, it's a powder you sprinkle on top of whatever they are eating. The Zyrtec is a liquid, but it makes my son so sleepy I try to limit how often I give it.

Talk to your doctor again. I hate having my son on medicine, but he feels so much better now!

Good Luck!!

I'm not a doctor but this sounds more like allergies to me. Do you have any animals? A fan in her room?

She could have had back-to-back colds (or maybe just never fully recovered from the first one) but I would check with the doctor again and see if this could be allergies.

With her age you probably can't do much in terms of medicine if it is allergies but you could start to really monitor her in terms of things she comes in to contact with and her reaction to them. That way you will have a better idea of the true reason.

My peds doctor has given me the rule of thumb that if the nose mucus stays relatively clear and you don't have a fever it is almost always allergies....

Hope she is better soon.

I have a 12 week old that is having the same problem. Stuffy nose on and off, a little coughing from congestion and no fever. She seems very happy, but not 100%. She doesn't go to daycare and is pretty much home with me most of the time. When we went to her 2 month visit he said he wanted to see her back in a month to check on it??? But he didn't seem too concerned. I will let you know if I find out anything more then.

If she were not in daycare, I would say allergies seem very likely. My husband has serious allergies and I expect both my children will as well. My daughter and son currently have a snotty nose and a slight cough, the onset one week after Meg started back in preschool. For pretty much the entire year of preschool last year, meg had some sort of runny nose and cough. It would clear up for a week and then return. It's possible she just has allergies, however for her first 2.5 years, she was not in any daycare or preschool and never had a cold. Not one time. Over the summer, while not in preschool, once her cold cleared up at the beginning of the summer she was not sick at all for the rest of the summer. until last week when school started.

If you are managing her symptoms without drugs, I would probably continue to do so unless she is seriously uncomfortable. I think the testing for allergies sucks and I don't know if there are safe meds for infants for allergies either.

My daughter is the same way. She is 3 1/2 and we have been fighting a runny nose and cough on and off for almost a year! The doctor says it allergies, but nothing seems to relieve her symptoms, so if you find a solution please let me know!

This really sounds like allergies. My 2 daughters both have allergies and this is exactly how it starts.
I'd call your doctor and see if she can be tested for allergies. They usually wait until they are older, but if it is non-stop maybe..
Good Luck

It could be allergies,My son now three had a bad time with a stuffy nose when he was about 3months old.We found out that he had an allergy to my sisters candles.
We didn't go to her house for about a week and he didn't have a stuffy nose.We went to her house when she got back from her trip,and that night he had a stuffy nose.She had been burnning a candle.We took him to the doctor.We had allergy test done on him and they found he was allergic to the different smells of the candles.
I don't know if this helps.You might want to talk to your babys doctor about doing test.

Hi D., poor baby. My son isn't in daycare yet but I hear my friends talking about their children getting sick all the time from being in daycare. That must really be a pain for both of you. It could be just bad luck, did the pediatrician examine her to make sure or just tell you over the phone? Maybe allergies too, or maybe mold in your house?? I know one of my friends said his son kept getting colds it seemed but it ended up being mold in the house and they had to get it taken care of. I wish you the best of luck!!!

Hey and for Missy!! I give my son Pedia Care, the Decongestant. It works wonders in a few days. It's not prescription and the Dr. told me sometimes if you keep letting the stuffy nose go it will get worse and lead to a sinus infection cause you're not getting rid of all the mucus. Just depends on the Dr. I guess. I had a hard time finding that medicine here in Alabama so I had a friend mail it to me from New Jersey. Good Luck finding it and with your baby!

I'd say allergies. I've been a long-time allergy sufferer myself, and usually when mine start acting up, my son's do too. That's not a coincidence. His ped has him on singulair once a day to help with the symptoms. Not sure if your child is old enough to take something like Singulair, but there's something appropriate for her age. I would check with another doctor in your group and see if you get the same answer.

I'm in the same situation. My daughter is 5 1/2 months old & it seems like she has had a runny nose & cough for over a week now. Like yours, her nose is always clear. We are also using the humidifier & inclined the mattress in her bed. My pediatrician said to give 1/4 tsp Orange Triaminic at morning & night. That seems to help during the day. Hope it works out for you!

hi D.. my name is N.. it sounds as if it might be allergies or maybe even sinuses. my 2 children do the same thing around this time of year. you might want to try tylenol sinus medicine-if you are comfortable with that. good luck with that. i hope i have helped you.

D. ~

First I wanted to say I love the name Amelia ~~ Just beautiful!!

Just a few suggestions for you ----

Use a cool mist humidier -- be sure at night it is not misting on or close to your child

remove all stuffed animals or bulky items that are cloth that can and have collected dist,

invest in a room size air filter system --- w/ the HEPA filter-- Change the filter at least every 3 mths. ( they will say good for a year ---this is not a true statement )

Then if you are still dealing w/ CLEAR drainage then it is allergies and you should probably attempt a prescription from an allergy doctor. Most doctors will not do the true allergy testing until children are 4 yrs old but a GP or Pediatrician will start them on a good medicine to help till that age.

Good luck ~! Let us know how it goes the next few weeks

LHW

Sounds exactly like what my son went through- finally found a soy allergy after so many trips to my pediatrician telling me he just kept getting colds. She's probably not eating a ton of foods at 6 months, so hopefully it will be easy for you to eliminate one at a time and see if it helps. Try dairy and soy first. Almost immediately after getting off soy milk, my son's symptoms went away. Good luck!

I think it must be a cold because I am having the same issue with my 9 month old daughter, Katelyn. Two weeks ago I picked her up from the sitter and the two other toddlers that she keeps all had runny noses. At that point I knew it was inevitable. I also think that their obsession with putting everything in their month doesn't help either. I try to make sure her hands are clean, but that is almost impossible. At bedtime I am treating her with some children's Benadryl and Tylenol. Good Luck-LAC

My pediatrician basically said the same as another person below. The first months of daycare, they'll pick up everything. Their little immune systems just aren't accustomed to so many different viruses and germs. The good news, he said, was that when Sam starts school, he won't have a lot of sick days because his body will already know how to fight a lot of the viruses he got in daycare. I think Sam was a "snot-nosed little boy" for the first 4 months. Then it was pink-eye for about 3. Now that he's almost 3, it's not nearly so bad.

But I would have her checked out for a case of asthma. Being that young they don't called it asthma. They will call it a respiratory disease. Two off my girls have it and so does my step-son. You may notice that it happens when the weather changes from warm to hot. Sun to rain etc. And allergies do play a part. If you are not satisfied with your doctors opinion I would call children's health care of Atlanta and ask for a referral. My girls take singular at night and it helps alot keping it unr control. God Bless.

Hi D.
We moved to Collierville 3 years ago from Florida and my daughter had a cough and sometimes a runny nose. It lasted about 2 years. I took her to Dr Blaiss in Germantown and he gave her an allergy test. It came back showing she was allergic to egg and since then her cough and runny nose has disappear. So you might want to get her check out. Here is there name Allergy& Asthma Care 7205 Wolf River Blvd ste 200 Germantown Tn 38138. I think the phone number is ###-###-####. I hope this helps. Good luck... Dr Blaiss is really nice.
Good luck
D.

My daughter who is now 2 1/2 had the same problem starting around the age of 2. It was allergies. The doctor finally listened to me and put her on Zyrtec, which helped at first, but now I find that Benedryl actuall works better and it's cheaper. I was paying $45/month for her Zyrtec script. The general rule of thumb is that if it's clear and no fever then it's allergies. Also, this has helped a lot. I bought a vaporizer for her room - I also keep her bed at an incline. And I also use the 'Little Noses' decongestant drops at night so she can at least get so sleep w/o a stuffy nose. GA happens to be the allergy capitol of the US, so it's no surprise that your daughter suffers from them. I would also consider switching peds. She/he should know the difference or at least be able to give you some info on allergies. Good luck and if you want to talk anymore about this just shoot me an email at ____@____.com Good luck and hope this helped!

Is she eating any milk products yet?

Hi Amelia,
I had the same issues with my daugher from about 3 mos - 7 mos. old and she was also in full time daycare. (She's now 5!) I loved one of the caretakers in her room but I had lots of problems with other substitues and helpers giving her the wrong paci constantly - even with her name on her own I'd find her with a strange paci at least 2x a week!!! and she was always sick. We did finally remove her from that daycare when she contracted RSV. After getting back to good health, we put her in a home daycare where she was taken care by only one caretaker, not 4, and on more of a personal level and loved very much... and she didn't get the wrong paci no more! After the move, she only had the occassional seasonal cold, not the every-other-week-daycare-itis!!! It is a decision I will never regret. Just a suggestion, but maybe switching daycares will help your situation too. I personally think it was much easier on my daugher when she was younger and didn't have as much attachment yet, then if she was older.
Good luck and I hope she feels better soon!
A.

Try changing her pillow, sanitizing her bed and otherwise getting rid of any dust or other potential allergens in her room. Good luck.
CO

I would say more than likely it's just back to back colds. My family has all had this cold for going on 2 weeks now. I also have a 6 month old and a 4 year old. The 4 yr olds turned into a sinus infection though and he needed antibiotics. My ped told me not to give the baby any medications because she's so young. Just saline drops, suction 3 times a day, incline mattress and cool mist humidifier. So that's what we've been doing but it hasn't gone away yet either. What are you giving her for a decongestant and what dosage are you giving? I am curious since my dr. said not to give her any medications I thought I couldn't. Did your dr. say it was ok?

Hi D.,

You may want to try putting Eucalyptus essential oil in the humidifier and put it close to her. This usually helps my son when he gets stuffy...Vicks makes a Vapo Steam that has this in it.

Usually when a child gets a cold, you should eliminate dairy products, but with a 6 month old I am not sure that you could do that...have you tried giving her Pedialite? We stocked up with that stuff when my son was young. Anything dairy related or sugar-rich can create more mucus and congestion.

You may also want to talk to the doctor to see if there are any vitamins that babies can take...it sounds like she needs an immune system boost, and Vitamin C is a great way to do that, but again I am not sure if a baby can have that. It is worth asking though!

Hope some of this helps~
Court

As a mom of 2 children that have had allergies since they were born I would bet you are looking at allergies, not a cold. The chances of her having a cold, getting well for 2 days and getting another cold at 6 months are pretty slim. More than likely she's not overly mobile yet, she's not to the putting everything in her mouth stage so she is not real likely to be getting germs like that. Not to mention, when you get a virus like a cold you get well because your body fights off the virus. Your body does not stop fighting after 2 days and just say, ok, it's back, oh well. Pediatricians (at least in my experience) are notorious for not wanting to treat allergies in a baby. If you go to a gen. practictioner for your own treatment you might want to let that dr. have a look at Amelia for your own peace of mind. I took my children to my G.P. because we were having constant allergy/asthma issues that my Ped didn't want to treat. My kids are very healthy now, and on meds for allergies.

My 17 month old son does the same thing. In the winter we thought it was colds but at the end of the spring and into the summer when it was still happening I took him back to the doctor and they put him on Zyrtec for Allergies he used one prescription and he is doing fine. He gets a stuffy nose every once in a while but it's now like every couple of months not every couple of days. The doctor also said to keep it cool in the house especially at night. He said it helps with their allergies. I would never have thought that it needed to stay colder but it seems to help.

my son had to be on cingular for allergies so ask about that it may help

Hello D.! I have a 1 year old and she did the exact same thing. I took her to the doctor and he determined hers was allergies. He told me to give her some Robitussin and it should help clear it up a little faster. Hope this helps!!

I have a 7 month old in daycare 5 days per week with the exact same problem, maybe just a little worse. About 3 weeks ago, my daughter was diagnosed with double ear infections. Because she constantly has a cold/virus, the ear infections never completely go away.
Unfortunately for both of us, I believe it to be colds/viruses. With the little ones in daycare, they are exposed to so many different strains of those boogers.
Keep your daycare centers on their toes; talk to the director about what steps they are taking to prevent the passing on germs to the kids.
Best of luck to you!

D.,
Sounds like allergies to me. Clear drainage, means allergies. If the nasal drainage is yellow, it means an infection is present, and greenish drainage means the infection is clearing up. All of my children are allergic to pollen, and when the season comes around, it's tough. Hope I helped a little.
C.

Hi D.,
I truly feel for you. We have been through the same thing. Our son started getting sick like that when he was 9 months old; only he would get high fever 102-104 degrees for days on end. Took him to the doctor weekly for four months. He would have fever, stuffy nose, chest congestion and rash. They tried to tell me we had fleas, then it was contact dermatitis, then it was a virus, each time a different diagnosis for the same on going symptoms. I asked them during the first month if it could be allergies to a certain food or our cats. They insisted babies don't develop allergies until at least the age of 4 or 5. Finally after 4 months and probably the 100th time, I asked again, "Are you sure he couldn't be allergic to the cats?" The response this time was unbelievable. The doctor said, "Oh you have cats? Well, that is probably the problem, you should get rid of your cats asap". We gave up our cats the week before Christmas, went out of town for a week and our son got miraculously better within a few days and did not get sick again for 9 months. He is now 34 months old. Six months ago we moved to Nashville, into a friends house, who had had a number of cats before we'd come, but the cats had not been in the house in over 7 months, the house had not been cleaned since the cats had been removed from the house. Within our first two weeks our son got sick, we were in and out of emergency room several time from March til May. Then he started pre-school in May. He got sick after the first week of school, he had the same symptoms as before. We moved about 6 weeks ago. He is on antibiotics, has been since May 22, doctors can't say for sure what the problem is, they do acknowledge that he now has issues with fluid in his ear. Because dairy products contribute to excess production of flem; 3 weeks ago I took him off dairy milk and put him on soy milk. He seems to be doing much better, but not 100 %. For us it has been trial and error. We are now sure that he is allergic to cats. Now there is the possibility that he has some sensitivity to dairy milk. All I can say is, that the doctors don't have all the answers. It could be somthing medical, or it could be something in your home environment that you may not normally think would bother a child. Also, the fact that she is in day care, can as you said be a huge factor. I have a 20 year old daughter with whom we went through very similar issues when she was a little older and when she was around 8 we had her tested and discovered she was allergic to several indoor and outdoor things. Then her younger sister, had same issues when she got to be around 6 and for about 4 years, they would tell me they didn't see anything wrong with her just because snot was not running out of her nose. Then we changed doctors and they sent us for cat scan of her sinuses. It turned out she had a pin hole of an air pocket to breath through; her sinuses were so infected and the determined that her tonsils were rather enlarged and harbouring bacteria instead of filtering. So she had tonsils and adnoids removed and her sinuses irrigated when she was 10 years old. She stopped getting sick after that. I know it is frustrating and tiresome. Give it lots of thought about all the different circumstance in her environment and if you have to, get 2nd and 3rd medical opinions. It may be something she will grow out of. Good luck to you.

C.
Nashville

Of course ask your ped. before trying anything!

We went through the same thing with my daughter when she was that age. Finally her ped. put her on Zyrtec and that was the cure all. She is now 2 1/2 and we are off of the meds during the summer only.

Her father does not have allergy problems but I do. Madison and I must have allergies to the same thing b/c we get stuffy around the same times (I am on Zyrtec also).

The humidifer never worked for Madison--seemed to make things worse. We also inclined her mattress but it was so bad at first that she often slept in the bouncie in the bed with me b/c she was soooo stuffy.

Ask your ped. what they think. You can start allergie meds. very early (4 months I believe).

HI, MY BOYS STAY THE SAME WAY AND IT IS ALWAYS ALLERGIES FOR THEM. I GIVE THEM CLARITON OVER THE COUNTER. SHE IS SIX MONTHS SO SHE WOULD GET 1/2 TSP EVERY NIGHT. IT IS A GIFT FROM GOD, BECAUSE IT WORK ALMOST OVER NIGHT MAYBE 2 DOSES AND YOU WILL SEE A BIG DIFFERENCE. I GIVE IT TO MY BOYS EVERY NIGHT DURING THE REALLY BAD ALLERGY SEASONS. I HOPE THIS WORKS FOR YOU. S.

I would get a second opinion because it has been going on so long.
Also are her ears ok? could she have an ear infection? sometimes they present cold symptoms before the actual infection sets in.
Hope this helps.
M.

Hi D.,

My son has been in daycare since he was 4 months old, and the 1st year seemed like an endless cold. We were at the pediatrician constantly. The Dr. said it's common since their immunity to viruses is so low. I worried about allergies, too, and in fact people were always trying to give me their unprofessional opinion stating that it's probably the pollen, etc. I don't agree. He's now 2 and continues to pick up colds about 3-4 times a year. I think it's just part of being little. Good luck! I know it's frustrating.
S.

I know this might sound off the wall, but have you condsidered taking her to the chiropractor? Alot of these symptoms that you are describing sound just like what my 2 year old son was going through this past fall. Our friend told us about Dr. Pete, the chiropractor in Farragut. Here's the link:

http://www.exoduschiropractic.com/

They give free first time exams to see if your little one has any problems... Noah (my son) had all the same symptoms you are describing... so I took him there and they tested his spinal alignment.. and it was all jammed up right around the neck area that controls the sinuses. Well, after about a month of adjustments... no more runny nose or coughing or ear infections or anything! It is much better than giving any type or meds, b/c they always come with side effects, and who wants more stuff to deal with, right? So, check them out, they are a Christian based company and they'll treat your little girl right.

In our case, it was adnoids. My son was always stuffed up but no other symptoms. This went on for the first year or so of his life. We were finally referred to a specialist; turns out his adnoids were quite large. We had them removed and no more problem.
K.

Hi D.,
After a few months of cold after cold and an ear infection I decided to take my son of milk. I think we've been to the doctor twice since then for sickness. It started around nine months when he started getting more formula and less breast milk. It was worth it to me to try taking him off dairy products. He can handle a little bit of cheese now and then, but I'm still avoiding milk. Good luck!

D.,
As a life time allergy sufferer I can relate. One of my kids also has inherited this.
As long as the mucus is clear.. there is no infection. I suggest buying a bottle of children's Claritan. They take one teaspoon a day and it will help!!
This is the beginning of the fall allergy season if you have noticed...Cotton is blooming all around the south. I always get sympoms this time of year too.
The claritan should do the trick and It will NOT cause sleepiness or irritability like most medicines.
If the problem persists ( April will be the next time it will start up) you may want to consider taking her to an allergist. I strted allergy shots at the age of 4 and took them for 12 years.-That was the only thing that controlled my severe allergies.
Has yopur child developed any atshmatic symptoms? Wheezing..croupy sounds at night??
If so be sure to tell your doctor asap because she could wake up in the night and no be able to breathe, that is really scary. I have a home nebulizer machinne to administer breathing treatments at home when it happens.
Hopefully this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.--Now run and get the Claritan!!
J. Marcy
Allergy sufferer/asthmatic and mom of 4

I hate to say this, but if she is in daycare, that is where she is getting the stuffy nose and cough. It sounds like she handles them pretty well, which is good. My daughter (16 months) just started going 1/2 day 2X a week and she has had back to back colds as well. It just comes with the territory.

Do you have animals? cat in particular? or do you or your husband smoke?. I found these were the number 1 reasons my kids kept colds. However, it is almost Fall, and I feel like she is having some allergy issues. At 6 months, the docs usually want to keep a check on their ears for tubes, be aware, they love to give the kids tubes in their ears to solve tons of issues that seem to stump them. If you feel allergies could be the culprit, try some benedryl( small dose) at 12 hour intervals, this will keep down the sniffles and runny nose. Good luck. Renee'

I am a mom of 3, soon to be 4. My second child had problems just like what you describe. When I stopped using the cool mist humidifier, his runny nose got better. (Mold??/Mildew??) Then when I moved him downstairs into his brother's room, his symptoms disappeared. (Dust??) My pediatrician and allergist both said that he was too young to have seasonal/environmental allergies like that, but my intuition tells me that he's got my allergies to all of those things. I'm not sure what you can do differently, but it sounds like allergies to me.

I went through the EXACT same thing with my son when he was around 6mo. (he's now 9mo.). He was in daycare 2 days/week at that age and always seemed to have a cold...I kept going to the pediatrician because I thought he had allergies. Well, finally they told me to stop coming! They said that allergies really don't show up in infants that young and what he had was a cold! They also told me that infants in daycare can expect to get 12 colds in their first year. They said infants that stay at home get around 9 colds their first year. My son finally seems to have gotten out of the constant cycle of colds...I think he squeezed the majority of them in his first 8mo.! Anyway, best of luck with your daughter...I bet she will grow out of it!

T.

Check into Mannatech vitamins. My son had the same problem and once I started him on the vitamins he got better. He is two so he is able to chew and I don't know if they have anything liquid. I think it's worth checking out though. Let me know if you are interested and I can get you in touch with a friend of mine who is knowledgable about all the products and can order them for you. I have also heard of people putting liquid echinacea in the bottles.

D.,

I feel your pain. I have a 2 1/2 year old that was like that ALOT also when he was younger - with him it was allergies! They put him on zyrtec and it cleared up w/in a week or so. We do still use a humidifier in his room at night because it just seems to help. Now that's not to say that every now and then he doesnt get stuffy and have the runny nose (like he has right now and everyone I know that has a child is having this right now) - but the zyrtec really seems to help with his problems. Hope this helps.

I have 4 children and their pediatrician had given me zyrtec because of the 2 younger ones doing something similar to your daughter. It works very well for them, Not to mention I have very bad allergies, so maybe that is why their doctor was sure it was that problem for them as well.

I do know that when my 2 younger ones were in Daycare they were always getting some type of cold/cough etc.... visiting the doctor "alot". It drove me crazy!!!

I have been at home now with the kids for over 2 years now and I think they have gotten maybe 1 "cold" per year that they had to go to the pediatrician for.

Mention to the pediatrician about trying allergy meds on your daughter if it doesn't work then, you will know it is a "cold" instead of allergies. Always remember you are the mom and you know your child, if you feel that the doctor may not be looking at all possibilities, let him or her know. Just cuz they are a Doctor does not mean they "know" your child. I having 4 kids from 17-4 yrs of age, I had to learn this myself!!!! Good Luck! I hope you find a solution.

S.

I hope this works.

I have a 2 year old and I have found out that you can not give an infant many medicines. Besides alot of moms just do not want to. Anyways. I take my infant to the chiropractor. I do not know if you have ever been but an infant "adjustment" is nothing like what they do to adults. it is very soft and they normally just massage what is wrong back into place. I hold my daughter allison the whole time and her cold is normally gone within a few days. Just an Idea for you. when looking for a chiropractor ask how much pediatrics experience they have and how long they have been in practice The longer the better. Also make sure they graduated from Palmer or Life. Just a few pointers. that is what I do. Any questions you can Email me at ____@____.com
D.

Hello D.,

I have a 7 1/2 month old little girl. She too seems to be sick very often, especially when she started school and I think it's really just a fact of life that there are germs at daycare and she's going to get sick. She has had a stuffy nose and congestion (sometimes a cough) for about a week and a half, then it will go away for a while (2-3 weeks) and come back. I don't like to give her a lot of medicine if I can help it, but I was sick as well, so I think it might be a little of the fact that the weather is starting to change etc.. It's cooler in the evenings and mornings now. We went to the doctor yesterday and she just gave us some dimeatapp and said sometimes you have to change up the medicine because the child gets used to it and it is not as effective. Well, I hope it works out, but I wouldn't jump on the allergy train just yet unless your family has a history and you have pets or something that might be irritating. Good luck.

My son has allergies, and your little girl's symptoms sound just like my sons. His pediatrician put him on Zyrtec - made all the difference in the world! (And, he's in daycare, so the "it must be another daycare cold" mentality isn't always the right way to think)

I have a 4 year old with asthma and a 3 year old with "seasonal" allergies. Both of my children are in daycare and have been since they were 8 and 10 weeks old. I will say they both seem to catch a lot of different viruses when they were younger. If you think it could be allergies, why not just ask her doctor to give her an allergy medicine to try and see if this helps. I did this with my daughter and it seemed to help her. The best advice I can give is to always trust your instincts.

I'm so glad someone else has this problem too. My little man is coughing with his colds though. I have tried the decongestant that the Ped. gave me, but it seems to do nothing. I'm hopefully taking him back to the Ped. today since I can now feel the gunk rattling in his chest when I pick him up. I'm with you though..I know it's just a cold, but what do you do??

I will be very interested in the responses you get.

D., my son's ped said that it wasn't possible for kids that age to have allergies. However, I beg to differ. My son kept the same symptoms that your daughter had and the doctor kept saying it was just a cold. I gave him a half teaspoon of Childrens's Benadryl and he was fine. Once the pollen was gone his symptoms went away. I even had him tested by a specialist. His allergies seem to be seasonal so I don't have to worry most of the time. Spring and Fall are the worst for my son. A friend of mine has a little boy that was tested by a specialist for allergies at the same age as your daughter and had reactions to grass pollen and mold spores. Trust your instincts. If you think something is going on enough to question it, get a second opinion from another doctor.

HI im Beck, I have a 3 yr old with allergies and your childs symptoms are RIGHT on target. I always wondered why he was always stuffy.

It doesn't sound like either to me. Sounds like she may be teething early. As you know, all kids are different. My little girl started teething at 8 months old. The symptoms are the same as a cold. My little girl, Emily, would get the same way. I would put Orajel on her gums. Also, during the day, try to give her cold teething rings or a cold wash cloth. You could also rub her gums for her, she will love that!! Hope everything goes ok. Good luck!!

Sounds more likek allergies. Ask her dr. if you can give her claritin liquid. My daughter allergies are horrible she has the same symptoms.

Does anyone in your house smoke? If so, please have them go outside. Do you have her on the baby vitamins? If not get her on them, it will help build up her immunity. Try lemon baths also. Lemon is a decongestant. Take a whole fresh lemon and squeeze it in the tub. Then put the whole lemon in there. Just be careful of the seeds. If there is no problem such as the adnoids, then it could be she has no immunity to the colds. As far as your ped goes, insist on some tests if home remedies aren't working. If not then get a second opinion. You can also try an air purifier in her room. There are a lot of good ones on the market or try changing her sheets daily. The germs could be in her sheets too. I know this is a lot to digest but you will get used to it and not be clueless anymore. Good luck, I have raised a lot of babies and they all have different problems. Email me if you want any more suggestions. ____@____.com

Yeah...I'd say it sounds like allergies. Do you have pets?