Infant Cold and Congestion

I would get the "Nosefrida". I had to order mine online, but some Whole Foods stores carry it, you can look on their website and it will tell you which ones, and a few other places carry it. Google nosefrida. Its much easier to clear out their nose with it. I wish i had it when my kids were infants. It will seem wierd, but it works better than the bulb syringe. And try to elevate his bed, without him sliding down to the bottom. The humidifier will help too, other than that, if its just a cold, it will take time to clear up.

I hope your little one gets better soon! I have a couple of suggestions. Sit in the bathroom while the hot shower is runnning, for 10 minutes or so. Use saline drops in his nose throughout the day and then use a suction after 5 mintues of using the saline. Have him sleep slightly elevated at night. Put a pillow under the crib mattress. Use a humidifier in his room at night. I wouldn't add vicks bath wash to the humidifier unless that is okay'ed in the directions (I do not think it would be). Usually it is just cold water. And only use a cold mist humidifier. Oh, and try to feed him smaller amounts at a time through the day. All of this came from my pediatrician while my daughter had the same symptoms. Good luck and don't worry, he will get better soon!

Hi B.,

You are doing what you should be -- good for you! My daughter was really congested at 2 wks., and we had lots of nursing issues/went to the dr., etc. The saline drops helped some, and giving the drops and then using a bulb syringe was the only thing we could do. The nurse practitioner told me that babies' nasal passages are just really tiny until they're about 6 mos. old, so any congestion makes it hard to breathe. You can also roll up some receiving blankets and put them under his crib/bassinet mattress so that he's on an angle (helps with drainage). So hang in there and keep up the good work! Babies are surprisingly resilient, and you and your son will soon get past this.

Best,
R.

some good advice I see, my grandaughter had a head chest thing going when she was 5mos old and my daughter took her finally to the doctor and she needed breathing treatment to help , just temperary thou she is almost 2 now and she has to have a treatment when she gets a bad cold. but she did quit breast feeding after that cuz her milk dried up. good luck at the doctors they dont listen the first time on how serious this is, so be ur babys voice mommy and scream for her at the dr. they will also cry more because it helps them breath so be aware of this.

are you using the nasal aspirator to clean out his nose?

put a coupl eof drops of nose drops in.. and then use the nasal aspirator to clean out he mucus.. then heshould be able to nurse..

they dont give cold medicine to tiny babies..

Use the saline drops, then steam up the bathroom and sit in the steamy room with the door closed for 10-15 mins, then use the bulb syringe. Won't heal the cold but will definitely alleviate the congestion. You could do this several times a day.

Try Soothing Vapors.. it's like a Plug-In, but instead of air freshener, it emmits menthol vapors. It really seems to help my little ones sleep better! You can find it at Target, Walgreens, etc. Hope your guy feels better soon!

Suck it out with a bulb syringe. Get a big one - less pressure. That's what the hospitals do. Instill a drop or two of saline drops wait a bit and suck it out again until nose is clean. It will not hurt the baby but some kids do not like it. Baby might not even cry, the stuffed nose is more uncomfortable than a small intervention. I still use this with my soon to be 3 y/o.

I suggest sitting in the bathroom while the shower is frunning (hot water) the steam will help, also use saline drop. I do hope your littleone get better.

Try improving your child's resistance level by giving him Vit C. It helps. In some children congestion increases with Vicks inhalations. Try rubbing warm mustard oil heated with salt on chest and back at night. It helps in de -congesting.

there is nothing that works better than breast milk used as saline in the nose. it thins mucus and also added benefit of killing the bacteria in the passsageway! also stop witht he vicks! that stuff is toxic and can coat the lungs. I would not use that product! Keep up the nursing, best thing for your baby, and willl keep him healthy!!!! I hope he gets better soon!!!!

I hate this! my daughter for some reason always has a stuffy nose! and when I nurse her she is also struggling, and thanks to teeth (she is 15 mo) she bites when she is stuffy! it really does sound like you are doing everything possiable to help out, sadly there is no real way to make it better fast. I know that suction will help too, but my daughter never lets me do it. I feel for you and your LO good luck and hopefully it will pass. Oh, and you should be sure it is okay to give shots when your child is sick: some dr. say it is okay as long as they dont have a fever, but I err on the side of caution who needs extra "germs" when they are already sick. sorry to bring up more worries, just a thought!

breastmilk up his nose, works better then saline, i learned it on accident but found it to be a widely accepted practice in the breastfeeding world :)

Elevate the crib so he is sleeping on the incline. I use a couple of books under the crib legs on the floor under the head side of the crib. Keep in mind breast milk has antibodies so if you are going to rinse his nose with something consider using it instead of saline and such. Someone already suggested an aspirator. Hope everything is better soon!

The only other thing they will tell you to do is to put something under his mattress so that he's on a slight angle vs. laying flat. It is helpful.
There's really not much else you can do. If it's a cold, figure it will last from 7-10 days so start counting down the days!
Good luck!