Sleeping Problems and Congestion

I haven't read any responses...so this may be redundant. Rub a thick layer of Vick's Vapor Rub on the bottoms of the feet and cover with socks. This works wonders!!!!

Hi D., are you breast feeding? if not what formula are you feeding with? Look at his diet, this is creating the problem. Feel free to write off list and we can chat about possibilities.
K.

try the Bioron products..they're homeopathic...Wholefoods carries them also CVS but they're harder to find at CVS..try Chestal for his cough..and they have cold pills..1/2 does for him..also get Gentle Vapors plug in ..(CVS) and buy a refill...if you're using a humidifier or vaporizer u have to clean them w/ white vinegar...humidifier every day clean it..vaporizer once a week..they spread bacteria which could make things worse..that's why i like Gentle Vapors plug in..
also XClear..excellent nasal spray..i just spray under my son's nose ..not in it. ..also vicks rub on the chest ...i think that's it..good luck hope this helps

I don't want to sound rude, but if he's been on the medicine for 3 months and it hasn't helped it's time to get proactive about your son's health care and take him back to the doctor. If the doctor doesn't seem concerned, get a second opinion. My daughter struggled with Colic for 6 months and the first doctor she had just kept saying "Oh it's normal, it'll resolve." I finally got angry and took her to MY doctor and within 5 minutes she said "She has colic, here's what you can do to help." Sometimes you have to get mad in order to keep your kids healthy.

D.,

My son is on a Qvar and Albuterol for allergy induced ashtma that has emerged this season as a very annoying cough over and over again. You must administer the albuterol as directed by the Pedi or it won't work. Do you use it with a chamber or in pill or liquid? We have a great chamber (name escapes me) but, it's the best way to give it in an inhaled form. My son used to fuss, but now he does it on his own.

Also, humidifier in the bedroom running 24/7 is how we keep the air moist. You may also want to invest in an air purifier if you don't already have one.

Vicks makes an infant formula of their rub that helps a lot for this kind of thing. They also make a humidifier that has a place to put strips or drops that help with congestion.

As for the sleep, make sure you are also clearing the nasal passages. Either with a bulb syringe or nosefrida. Mucus can linger and cause build up that eventually leads to the yucky cough. You don't have to co-sleep, but you may want to put your baby some place else while sick. A travel crib or pack and play in your room or some where you can be close by to hear if he neeeds something.

Good Luck, and I hope your little one gets better.

Pulsatilla whiny cold, belladonna for evening time, aconite with sneezing, etc- get a homeopath!

Caution, Albuterol is a steroid. I was issued a nebulizer and albuterol with #2, I used the saline and not the albuterol (like taking a hot shower, the steam) and he cleared, but I also on bad nights place them in their car seat (infant) it keeps them propped and contained, tent the crib with sheets and use a humidifier. Warm mint tea is good, it is soothing to the tummy and helps open up air ways.(decaffeinated too) Saline in the nose or crazy but breast milk (if available) in the nose...clears up congestion quick. I understand the head cold thing, I have 14 month old that is constantly sick, the oldest 4 are in school and she seems to get EVERYTHING under the sun. But do double check with your dr to rule out all the extras. This should help. ( I have also placed them in car seat and in our bed with us..(at the foot in the middle with high enough foot board) they are propped, close and not bothering the other kids.Good Luck, this too shall pass ;)

Just thought I'd relay that my DD had what I thought was a chronic cold for about 4 months when she was 6 months old. It ended up that she had severe GERD and the reflux was irritating her sinuses and throat. Once we put her on prevacid, she was a new baby within 2 weeks. Good luck..it's no fun when your baby doesn't feel good.

Hi Delores,

I'm guessing someone probably mentioned a humidifier. Also, my son is now 3 and he was diagnosed with asthma when he was about 18 months old. His symptoms are coughing and some wheezing...not the traditional "asthma".

His pediatrician suggested using the inhaler twice a day (he is on QVAR) and also taking allergy medication because the post nasal drip from the allergies was triggering a cough.

I used both for a couple of weeks and gave him the inhaler twice a day for those couple of weeks and it pretty much cleared up. Now we just use it as needed, but I hesitate to use the allergy medicine and I use it sparingly.

The humidifier also seems to help and I put eucalyptus oil in the well to help.

There are homeopathic remedies as well and we use those whenever possible. There are some remedies specifically for allergies and cough, but I'm not sure about the asthma.

If you are interested, I would be happy to recommend a holistic doctor who is an M.D. He is not a pediatrician, but was an emergency medicine specialist for years before he started practicing holistic modalities.

Blessings to you and your family,
R.

P.S. I just read the previous responses and I want to let you know that the response regarding the cold air alarmed me because cold air actually makes my son's and my asthma WORSE. Especially cold, foggy weather...it triggers asthma for me and has for most of my life. I know every person is different and I'm glad that helped in her case...if you decide to try it, I hope it helps your child, too.

All the best.

Baby vicks on the bottom of his feet with socks on. A warm air humidifier in his room at night (don't close the door all the way - leave it open about 6 inches). Rinse his nose about 15 minutes before bed with Baby Simply Saline and then use the booger sucker to get all the congestion out. It sounds also like he may have a Croup type cough (kinda wraspy, seal barking sound). If he starts having a coughing fit wrap him in a warm blanket and take him out in the cold air. The cold air helps shrink the bronchial passages so he can breathe again (this is suggested by my ped - not just some crazy thing). If it's not cold enough at night put him in front of the freezer with it open so he can get the cold air. If all else fails just let him sleep on your chest while your on the couch. At least he's comforted and sleeping and your getting some sleep rather than none.

2 cents;
do try using warmer clothing, Check your house excess humidity, mold and mildew. I encourage vick's vapo rub on chest at morning and bed time.
do away with lint producing clothing. and my great grandmas remedy (you may laugh at this but it works)
before bedtime spit on your warm hand rub the spit on the arches of both feet. put the baby's socks right back on cover him good. repeat if necessary. discontinue if it did not work by the third day. sounds nasty but works on everybody specially when your throath hurts.
I hope it works for you. good luck!

it sounds like he has infant asthma. my daughter was 8 months old when she got a cold that never went away. she coughed horribly all night like your son. after 1 month of medication for a cold she got put on albuterol (inhaller). then in febuary she got her nebulizer. this helped sooooo much! it got more of the medicine into her lungs (better then the inhaller and spacer!). the asthma meds she takes is pulmicort (as a prevenative) and albuterol (but only when shes sick or in distress). how many times have you taken your son back to dr since he was seen the first time? i was at my daughters dr like everyother week. also a BIG FYI!!! -- my daughter has never wheezed!!! and she has asthma!! this is crucial to know that asthma is not just wheezing but persistant coughing too especially with babies. try a cool mist humidafire and elivate the head of his bed. also DONT use vicks or anything like that because it can aggrivate and attack. take your baby back to the dr a cold shouldnt last this long like that. i would push for a neblulizer and maybe a different med. you also didnt mention how often you give your son the albuterol. my daughter would get it 4 times a day while she was sick then i would ween her off it over a couple weeks when her symptoms were gone she also got the pulmicort (dose .25 and sometime .50 via her nebulizer). good luck with your baby.

I work for a pediatrician and usually my advice is keeping the nose clear with saline and bulb suction especially before lying down, elevate the crib mattress by placing towel/blanket underneath mattress, and using a cool mist humidifier. If its been more than 2-3 weeks and your baby has not improved then I would see your doctor for a followup appt. If there is any wheezing or rattling heard than I would see your doctor asap. You want to make sure the cold has not settled in the chest causing pnemonia. You don't need to use any meds for a baby that young and that includes vicks or chest rubs. Only if your doctor recommends it. All colds are different and can be aggrevated by anything. Its best to use only what your doctor gives or recommends. Also I know co sleeping can be habit forming but I do think you should take the advice to put your baby in the same room as you. I'm sure you will get more sleep that way and so will your other child. Two sleep deprived children is worse. If your doctor continues to say that it will just go away and its not improving then you might want to see someone else. If it seems to improve then it could be a lingering cough. Sometimes they linger over a month. Good luck!

Warm air humidifier would be worth a try. My son coughs a fair bit during the night and it really helps. The air can be so dry this time of year with heaters running, etc.

You might want to get him in to a pediatric allergist. We take our son to Scripps Carmel Valley.

Have you tried Vicks Vaporub on the feet? I know it sounds odd, but this really works for the cough. You can get infant Vaporub, put it all over the bottom of his feet, then put some socks on. It is an amazing cough remedy, and he'll sleep really well with it.

I would also consider taking him off milk until he's all better. Milk products generate a lot of mucus and even in a non-allergic person can aggravate a cold.

B.

Good Morning D.,

In considering great health 2 things should always be consdiered: 1. Allergies, 2. Deficiencies. 2 Excellent books for this are as follows:

1. Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Balch, and 2. Say Goodbye to Illness by Dr. Devi Nambudripad. both books can be found on Amazon.com

In book #1, you will learn what you need on a daily basis to be healthy.

In book #2, you will learn all about allergies and the successful treatment and elimination of them.

Secondly, I highly recommend that you log onto site NAET.com. NAET.com is a group of allergists around the world who ELIMINATE allergies. I have been seeing an NAET allergist since the fall and my elimination process is going well. I am one of those cases that you would consider to be severe so it may take me another year before all of my allergies are completely eliminated. If you log onto NAET.com, type in your zip code, you will be able to find NAET allergists in your area. Depending on the NAET allergists, the initial allergy test is free or they do it for a nominal fee.

If you want to ask questions, I can answer them, my email is ____@____.com well.

Hi D....sorry to hear of these issues. May I suggest the following....warm bath right before bedtime, put baby vicks all over his chest and use a warm humidifier in bedroom. Place it on floor next to crib. This helped my son when he was congested. It's safe and the vicks won't hurt him...make sure it's the baby vicks though. Do it for a couple weeks and see if it helps. I don't believe a baby that young should have a cough for that long. If it doesn't clear soon, I'd seek another oppinion. Best of Luck! :-)
E.

Have you considered that your son might be allergic to milk?
I know this may seem far fetched, but it might be something to discuss with your doctor. Our second child (who is now 38 years old) was very sick at about 5 months of age. He had always been somewhat congested. At 5 months he became very sick and was in the hospital for 3 days. We continued to have problems with his congestion until he was a year old. We tried raising his mattress in his crib and I also spent many nights with no sleep because I had to hold him to help him feel better. Finally, I asked the pediatrician if it was possible that our son was allergic to milk. Once I took him off of milk products and he was on soy formula, his congestion cleared and he was finally healthy. He continued to be kept away from milk products and only when he would choose to have ice-cream (at other homes) would he have a problem with congestion or loose bowels. Good luck with your precious babies. We are now on our grandkids (5 and one more on the way).

Hello - I don't have a solution, but maybe something to ease things. We use a warm mist humidifier (about 30.00 at Target).... it has a small area to put liquid vicks in it, so once the humidifier starts emmitting warm air it also heats up the vicks. It really seems to help my daughter when she has a cough at night. Sometimes, when she is really coughing, we will put some baby vicks on her chest as well. Good luck!