First Cold! - Crownpoint,NM

You need to use saline drops for his nose and the bulb syringe that you got from the hospital that should loosen and moisten his little nose ..

Try little Noses saline drops and the awful bulb syringe and steaming in the bathroom might help. Its so hard when they are so little. Hang in there!!

With my kids I always used a bulb serenge (sp?) You can pick them up at Walgreens or Walmart or maybe anywhere near the RX section...I hope your baby is feeling better really soon!

My oldest daughter had a cold around that same age... so sad.

I always used the bulb syringe with Little Noses Saline Spray/Drops.

Then on top of that we had a cool mist vaporizer going with vicks....

You do not want to use a warm mist as it drys out their poor nasal passages and makes them more uncomfortable.

HTH

OH MY GOSH....Vicks Vapor Rub has a night light plug-in that fills the whole room with the smelly vapors. It works wonderfully!!!! A few days of that and my infant twins are clear as day! It's a great idea b/c you don't have to rub the greasy stuff on baby's chest.

There is not a whole lot you can give that young of a baby. The best thing to do is keep the nose clear using saline spray and a bulb syringe. If you are not comfortable using the bulb syringe, they have battery operated ones at stores such as walmart or babies r us that are extremely easy to use. Lots of saline will help loosen the mucus and help it to drain out. Elevate the crib matress. Or have him sleep in a bouncy seat or car seat. Cool mist humidifier as close to the crib and you can get it. Adjust it so that you can see the cloud of mist. Sometimes closing your self and him in the bathroom with a hot shower running will help. If none of this helps or he continues with these symptoms, I would suggest seeing your pediatrician. Try not to take him out in crowds. Flu season is starting and if he already has a cold it will be harder for him to fight off other bugs. Take care. Good luck. I know it is hard seeing your little one sick.

You have been given a lot of excellent advice, using saline drops (if you are breastfeeding a drop of breastmilk will also so the trick) and bulb syringes and elevating his head while sleeping. One post suggested giving your tiny baby LOTS of water...please do not do this! Infants should not have any water at all! It fills their tummy with out any nutrition which may interfere with feedings. Infants should not be exposed to citrus either, so NO LEMON JUICE!! Water can also adversly effect his electolytes. To keep him hydrated nurse him often if you are breastfeeding or offer formula often. Your pediatrician is always on call, so if you are concerned call his office for medical advice. If you baby gets a fever over 100 degrees call right away. Good luck with the cold and enjoy your precious baby!
Jenny

i highly recommend a great medicinal kids tea for colds grocery markets carry or health food stores carry.
it's made by traditional medicinals and has a picture of a cartoon polar bear.
all of their kids products are great (sore throat, cough, etc.)

I too used the bulb syringe, but realized that it actually aggravated swelling in the nostrils.

Here's what I believe to be the BEST way to ensure your baby/toddler can breathe through their nose during colds or allergies.

Little Noses saline drops is the first step. Don't squeeze, just drip ONE tiny drop into each nostril. Wait a couple of seconds, and then use a q-tip (just the very tip, so that you don't go too far in) to remove the mucus. Place it partially inside the nostril and then gently twist it... the tiny "fibers" will grab the mucus.

I still use this method on my (just turned) 3 year old, during those times when blowing her nose doesn't do the trick.

Good luck!

If all else fails, go to CVS and get the Little Noses Decongestent Drops - can only use these for two days as apparently they can become adicting. It helps dry up the mucus if the nose is constantly running, preventing it from going in the lungs or ears and causing infection. Also Babies R Us still sells the VaporBath. My daughter's nose will run non-stop after a bath in that stuff, but it cleans it out quite well.

Hello!
You can also place a folded towel under(!!) his crib mattress to elevate the head area a little to help him with the breathing and draining.
In regards to the q-tip cleanout, I found that some are too slick and won't pick up the mucus, but if you place a little square of facial tissue over it, it has more "grip". Just make sure the piece is not too small and could be left behind.
Other than that and all the advice below, there is not much to do but wait it out.

Hope he feels better soon!
D.

When my daughter was an infant and got a cold, I would use the nose suction to get all of the yucky stuff out. She didn't like it, but I tried to do it when I was nursing her and then she didn't seem to mind. You could also try some saline drops....they really break up the icky stuff and help it to drain out. Good luck!

Usually a runny - and then stuffy - nose isn't a "cold" - it's an inflammatory reaction the body has to molds and other environmental pollutants in the air. Although if he has recently been vaccinated he has just been given a toxic dose that is in a heavy metal base. Either way, his body is reacting in an attempt to detoxify itself. The best thing you can do is make sure he is drinking a LOT of water but he won't want to because he probably can't breathe when he's drinking. Use warm saline to rinse his nose - gently irrigate the nostrils - he will cough and splutter (and cry) - and that is good because his body is doing what it should to rid itself of all that toxic gunk. Do it often or until it's clear. He needs to flush all that from his whole system or it will continue to cause health issues. A little squeeze of fresh lemon juice in the water you give him to drink will help his body flush the kidneys, etc. plus it will give him traces of vitamin C which is an anti-oxidant and immune system booster. Although you have probably been advised to vaccinate your child by your doctors it actually is more risky than they like you to know. The heavy metals used in the serum are so toxic to the body system because they are very difficult to remove and once they become deeply rooted they provide a breeding and colonizing terrain for yeasts, fungus, and parasites. My opinion is that it is best not to give him any pharmaceuticals - try to keep it from becoming an infection "requiring" antibiotics by clearing and supporting his system. The more you do to naturally strengthen his immune system - and the less you rely on any form of medication - the better off he will be his whole life. You have a wonderful opportunity to raise a child resistant to the common toxins readily dispensed to the people of this country if only you educate yourself on what is truly and naturally good for a growing body. If you are interested in more information on natural, whole-food choices for health feel free to contact me.

Great advice so far! The only thing I would add is to let him sleep in his infant seat. This helps him to keep his nose draining - just like when adults sleep with a few pillows under them to prop them up. Good luck!

Hi W., the saline spray/drops work really good to clear stuffy noses. If you go to the drug strore "Little Noses" is the one I've used a bunch and its as non medicated product, no side effects, no alcohol, and you can use it as often as needed. Other than that, I would just shower him with love and ride it out. Good Luck!

I agree with Kimberly. However if your little one is squirmy, put in the drop of saline and then let him "drain" on his own by laying him on your chest. You don't want to poke them with the cotton swab if he's moving around too much. Expect him to fuss a little which is where the cuddle time helps two fold. Hope this helps and that your little one feels better!

H.

The best advice my doctor gave me was to sit in the bathroom with your baby, with the hot shower running. I'd stay in there for about 20-30 minutes. The steam would break up my sons mucus and help him breath so much better. I'd even do it in the middle of the night when he'd have the most trouble breathing. It's the only thing that really worked for me. Good luck!

My son got real sick and I had to sit in steamy bathrooms ie hot shower running while we read books and played for an hour at a time, 3xs a day. Although this was uncomfortabale at times this helped drain the nose and chest.

Oh- I hate to hear about little babies with bad colds, and I know how hard it is for mom and dad. My daughter had RSV at 2 weeks old and we were always worried about her colds after that. I agree with the others moms to use the saline drops. Unfortunately, there really isn't much you can do for the baby except try to give lots of love,cuddles and assist breathing as much as possible. I always sleep my girls in their car seat when they have colds or I put a ton of blankets under one end of the crib mattress to prop it up at an angle. Sometimes my youngest, Hannah, would slide down to the bottom of the mattress so I used a sleep positioner to keep her in place. Other than that, just watch the baby for signs that you need to go to the doctor (uncontrollable crying, stops eating, not urinating etc...) Good luck- you can do it!

what I did with my son was to use the saline nose drops and a bulb syringe twice a day to help clean it out, and then a cool mist humidifier at night in the room he was sleeping in. They sell baby nose drops that are not as harsh. Don't use any nose drops that you have used because he can catch more germs that way. He needs his own nose drop container. If it doesn't give him any relief I would suggest taking him to the doctor.