Cold or Sinus Infection

On me, the doc said if the mucus is yellow or green, it's an infection. I don't know if little ones are the same.

D. Kimbriel
Grandma to 2 beautiful boys

They need a poem for mucus color like they have about the color of snakes... (you know the red touches yellow poem).

Yellow or green mucus = infection

Clear mucus = allergy

Fever means she's got something even if it's clear.

I always felt for children under 3 one should at least always call the nurse at the doctor's office. It is too easy to give them the wrong thing over the counter and cause more problems than not. Fevers, lethargy, loss of appetite, inconsolable are all automatic doc visits. Snotty nose is probably a cold, but you must be careful with little ones drugging at all. You don't want to develop drug resistance and doctors say most things clear themselves anyway. If the snott nose is dark yellow, green or gray, not clear mucus, it is definately a sinus infection. That must be treated or can develop past that into bronchitis.

Hi M., my pedi says as long as they are improving then no worries. If it seems they are getting worse then bring them in. My 11 month old son got a cold around Thanksgiving, and he was not completely over it until almost Christmas. He is fine now.
You know your child best, if it will make you feel better to have peace of mind, then take her in to be seen by the doctor. Better safe than sorry. On the other hand, if she is still acting normally, playing, eating well, and sleeping well, then you might wait a week and see how things go. Best of luck, I hope she feels better soon.

You need to take her to the Doctor, also you should not be giving her Benadryl along with allergy medicine!!!!! They are both antihistamines and dry her up so the think mucus will not thin out and drain. Never give alergy medicine and Benydryl unless your Dr says so and I don't think they would. She probably needs an decogestant for the stuffiness.

I would take her to the doctor and make sure they test her for RSV. It's RSV season, and doctors see it a lot. All four of my kids had RSV and 3 of them were hospitalized with it. It is very dangerous in little ones. RSV presents itself as a common cold in adults, but can be extremely dangerous in infants & toddlers. Don't let the doctor blow you off either, tell them you want her tested for RSV, don't let them say "i think she's just got a sinus infection." Be sure. I remember it being just a nose swab test. Painless.

A. F.

Hi M.,
A suggestion...have you tried keeping the sinus/nasal cavity washed out with saline nose drops? I have found with the children I have taken care of with allergy issues that a constant cleaning out with saline helps. Good Luch and God Bless.

M.

M.,
I would be more careful what you are giving her. The mix of drugs scares me a little. Can you call the nurse in pediatricians office just to ask what to give her? Or the on call doc/nurse since it is the weekend? My doctor was always okay with that to save me a visit. If she wakes up with a green thick nose I wouldn't worry. If it is green and thick all day long and she has sinus pain or fever, then she may have an infection. My doc told me years ago that a cold can last up to about 10 days. After that start thinking sinus, but you know your child the best.

M., I would take her to the doctor. Went through the same thing with my little one. Turns out it was RSV. Doctor says it's epidemic this year. Better safe than sorry.
T.

The Benadryl is probably having the opposite effect you need...it is drying the mucus and making it difficult to expel. Since little ones have such a hard time blowing their noses anyway, you have to thin that mucus. Check with your pharmacist for a recommendation on an expectorant your child can take, or even visit the Minute Clinic inside several local CVS. They are staffed by RN practitioners who can write scripts and you just pay your office visit co-pay. If you don't have insurance, the visits are really affordable. Having a professional examine a child after the problem has gone on for a week would be the best way to know what's going on.

I would take her to the doctor. It will take a doctor 5 minutes to see if there is an infection so its definitely worth it. My sons just got over a sinus infection and you will need a prescription to get rid of it.
Definitely stop giving Benedryl. Its not for colds...its for allergies and your probably making your daughter feel worse since it makes kids sleepy. I usually only give it at night if my kids are so congested that they cant sleep. And as other posters said dont give it with any other medicines. Benedryl is pretty potent and because of that it can be dangerous when combined with other medicines.
Hope your little one feels better.

A cold will last 10 to 14 days and there is nothing you can give them. If the snot runs a mustard yellow or green or if the nasal cavities look really red, I would call/go to your doctor. The BEST cure for snotty nose is saline. I'm sure at 14 months your daughter can't blow her nose, but use the saline and the bulb syringe and you should see a difference. A decongestant during the day will help her drain - you definitely want to get it out of her head not stop it from running. I would suggest Mucinex or Rescon GG. My youngest has reoccurring sinus infections with a viral infections & asthma. Saline is the absolute best at controlling and cleaning out the sinuses. I only use a antihistamine at night so he can sleep.

Good luck!

Does the mucous smell (gross, I know, but indicates possible infection)! Has she been waking at night and more irritable in general than usual? My son is really hard to tell when he is really sick, not just allergies, and these are my two clues. My DD is such a drama queen that I have no prob knowing with her!

These are not things to help you find out, but some great avdice in general.
Though Drs. dont like to tell you to give cold/cough meds to little ones anymore, PLAIN mucinex (or the same active ingredient in generic form) is PERFECTLY FINE for babies (said so by my pediatrician)! I've used it seasonal for 3 years now (I have 3 yrs old and a 20 mos old) AND IT WORKS SOOOO GOOD TO LOSTEN THAT JUNK! JUST MAKE SURE IT IS PLAIN MUCINEX, not a combo mucinex, and give it to her religiously: THIS WILL HELP SOOOO MUCH WITH THE CONGESTION.....you won't even believe. Also, use a humidifier or, at the very least, fill your bathroom with steam and sit in there with your DD for as long as you can stand it at least once a day, preferrable before bed when congestion gets its worse. The warm, moist air will help break up some of that junk!

GOOD LUCK!
T.

we were just at the doctor today for our son's 9 month check up. The doc said there are several viruses going around right now. The runny nose can be teething. My son has been pulling his ear for a few days and we thought it was teeth cause we've drug him to the doc a million times thinking he had an ear infection but didn't. So this time we thought it was his teeth and sure enough he has an ear infection. Crazy! I'd say if the symptoms persist through the weekend and into next week, it wouldn't hurt to get her checked out since there are some viruses going around. It's weird when they don't run a fever, but some kids hardly ever run fevers, even when they're really sick. Also, it could be allergies. My son has seasonal allergies in the spring.
Good luck

This is RSV season, and if your daughter goes to daycare, or is around any other children she could have gotten this very common virus. You will have to ask your doctor to test for it though.
Good Luck
A.

It is hard to tell what it is when you can't communicate with them very well. Our pedi said the 2 things to watch for are a very high fever or fast breathing. The fast breathing means a child is having trouble breathing and they need a doctor asap. Personally, I would add to that, if mild fever lasts longer than a few days or if symptoms last beyond a week, I would take them to the doctor. Hope your daughter is feeling better soon.