17 Month Old W/ a cold...any Suggestions to Help Him Feel Better?

Hey J.,
My son is 10 mo. and gets very congested when teething. We use the Vicks Baby Rub (did'nt know to put it on the feet!) and a vaporizer, and the Vapo-Plug. He sleeps better when he's sick than not!!! The Vicks plug refills are stronger smelling than the Sudacare or Pediacare brands, but I found they are all the same size and fit into the Sudacare plug unit I initially bought. I prefer the Vicks because they are stronger, and he's been sleeping well. Good luck

There is a baby vicks rub out there. I think I bought mine at Target or Walgreen's. Also my pediatrician recommended the yellow children's Triaminic - for stuffy noses. It works great! :) Also we use a humidifier in the room while the kids are battling a cold.

Vick's has an infant/child one which isn't as "smelly" as the regular one. I use that on my children. Also, I had gotten an email sometime ago that said to put the Vick's on the bottom of their feet and then put socks on that. I don't know why it works, but it does. Also, put a cool mist humidifier in his room, that will help, too.

Vicks baby Rub worked great when my son got a nasty head cold about a week ago. Also, the vaporizer seemed to help to. Make sure he drinks plenty of fluids as that will help keep the mucus flowing.

I hope he feels better soon!
R.

Put a humidifier in his room. If it's one that gets hot, make sure you place it in a safe place. Tylenol will help with the general aches and pains. There is a natural cough syrup called Olba's. You can find it at co-ops and natural food stores. It's just honey and some herbal extracts. My husband and I swear by it, but we haven't yet given it to our 9 month old son.

My son was really stuffed up, and yesterday, I used medical grade salt and one of those "nose bulbs" to flush a few drops of water up my son's nose. He didn't like it, but he coughed and just a ton of snot came out. (Sorry to be gross!) He has not been stuffed up or had a runny nose since.

They make Vick's for baby...check the pharmacy. How high is his pillow? Do you have a humidifier in his bedroom? These are some things I'd suggest considering. I hope he feels better soon!

Jamie - i highly recommend chiropractic care. It's amazing how much children need to be adjusted. Child birth is really hard on our bodies. If you're in the south metro area, I can recommend a couple of really good chiropractors who could make a difference for you and your son.

D.

my 16 month old is sick right now as well. Vicks makes a BabyRub that works great. My doctor has me give her Tylenol and then 2 hours later motrin (if fever present), little noses decongestion drops, and suctioning the nose with a bulb every hour. Use saline drops to loosen the mucus for suctioning. Little noses makes those as well.

Try the baby vicks. Also you can buy some saline nasal spray and spray it in his nose. It will help loosen things up.

Vicks does make a baby chest rub (I found it at Target I think) - I'm not certain what the difference is other than it seems to have a somewhat lighter scent (I personally like it:) You can also safely use saline nasal spray (it's just salt water) and there are kids versions at Target as well. I gave my daughter 1 spray in each nostril twice a day when she was stuffy and I really believe it helped, especially if I could give it to her after trying to get some of the snot out of her nose with the bulb syringe thing. Good luck to you - hope he feels better soon!

Hi J.,
You can definitely put Vick's Vapor rub on your little guy. Vick's makes one designed for baby called BabyRub. Also, have him in the bathroom while you or your husband are in the shower (the steam will help loosen his congestion). I hope this helps.

D.; married for 9 yrs and mom of 3 beautiful children ages 5yr old boy, 2 1/2 yr old boy and an 8 mo old girl.

I hate the smell of Vick's but it works great so I put it on my feet... and my son's when we need it. Just rub it on the arch area and put socks on. It sounds crazy but it works quickly! I'd use the regular stuff on your little one. Good luck!

My 11 month old also has a cold and just developed a cough. We've been using baby vicks and saline drops. We also put a humidifier in her room at night and it seems to help with the cough. If you don't have a humidifier, sitting in the bathroom with a hot shower running works good too for a cough.

FYI -- you can buy a "baby vick's" product that is made is all natural ingrediants. Not as powerful as regular but something that we find helps a little.

Also, we are not big on medicins for little ones, but our Dr. told us to go ahead and give our son some Children's benadryl to help him sleep when he was crazy stuffed up (this was between 18 - 22 mo old). The Dr. told us how much to give and it did help.

I'd suggest talking to your Dr. about methods to use at home.

Saline nasal spray and a bulb aspirator to suck out snot (yep, it's gross, but it works). Humidifier in room. Vapor rub on feet, and possibly chest. I give my daughter water mixed with the tiniest bit of juice and a packet of Emergen-C (a powder of vitamin C) to drink from over the course of the day - she's 17 months. Finally, I use a homeopathic decongestant (got it from Mississippi Market) tablet just before bedtime, to help her breathe well enough to fall asleep. Oh, and if he starts pulling on his ears like he might be getting an earache, you might try some drops of garlic/mullein oil (also from Mississippi Market) to put in his ears.

Vick's is o.k. and they have a formula meant for Children. We have also used the plug-in Soothing Vapors---kind of like a plug-in room freshener but with Vick's in it. A room humidifier might also do the trick along with the saline for the nose. Good luck....Nee

Saline nose spray is a God send. Also, Vicks makes a Baby Vicks that works wonderfully. Put the Baby Vicks on his back, chest and feet with socks on. Also, a vaporizor is going to help him greatly

Yes, you can use vicks I have with my son and it helped him out. Also you can use saline spray in his nose this really helps to clean out his nose they might not like it but it does help clean out the nostrils for them to breath better.

yes, use vicks...you dont have to put it on his skin, you can put it on his pajamas if you are concerned about it...also, buy some vapor bath...it is like bubble bath, but smells like mint/eucaliptus..it is wonderful and really helps clear up your sinuses. also try little noses...it is a saline solution that helps loosen the snot and junk and then use the nose bulb to suck it all up. they hate this, but it helps so much!

We put vicks on both our children when they get stuffy. Ever since our baby was about 3 months old.

Just make sure to put some kind of clothing on him so he is not able to get any vicks on his hands (and then in his mouth.) Our son had sensitive skin so I rubbed the vicks on his onesie and then put pj's over that. Use the regular stuff. We tried the baby stuff and there is not much difference other than the price and the regular seems to work better.

Also, take him to a chiropractor. That ALWAYS speeds up congestion healing in our kids. Find one that takes extra training in child adjustments.

The cool mist humidifiers help wonders too.

PS> I would not use many of the "bath" products. If you check out the ingridients on the back of the bottle, they have many unsafe and toxic chemicals in them...

I would NOT use any tylenol or cold medications either. No need to medicate a child who doesn't need it. That way, when he really does need it, his body will react right away to it because he will NOT have built up any immunity to it.

When our little one is stuffed up we put the Vick's Vapor Rub on her feet, so she gets some of the effect without it being overwhelming.

I put Vick's on my son when he was younger than that. I actually out it on the inside of his sleeper shirt so he wouldn't eat it. Once he's asleep you can also put a tiny dab under his nose- this worked well for us.

Vicks has a chest rub with lavender in it. You can put it under their shirts or even on their feet to help them breathe better. There are saline drops for his nose and defintely the humidifier. Also, elevate his crib, so he's not gagging on the drainage. There is one cough medicine I give my daughter if her cough gets bad called Delsum? My Dr. said it was ok every once in awhile, it has no alcohol & is a single ingredient cough syrup... God bless and go to bed early for awhile to keep up your energy. (my daughter is 18 mo).

We use Baby Vicks, which is safe for any infants/ toddler over the age of 3 months. I just felt safer using it instead of guessing how much adult vicks I could give.

Try the Sudafed Vapor Plugs. It's a plug-in with a little pad that gives off the vicks scent. It has worked SO well when out little one has a cough and cold, and it's less messy than putting the vapor rub on baby!

Give him a nice warm bath with Johnson's Soothing Vapor Bath before he goes to bed. You will be able to get his nose cleared which will help him get to sleep. I also use a cold mist humidifier in my kids rooms. It helps keep their noses moist. The humidifier also helps keep their coughs productive. Besides that, make sure he is getting plenty of liquids to drink everyday.
Good luck!