5 1/2 Month Old with Stuffy Nose

I have a 4.5 month old that has been battling the stuffy nose/cough thing for a month or so. When its at its worst we let him sleep buckled into a vibrating chair in his crib so he was elevated the entire night. We also used a HOT vapor humidifier. Because we don't do the medication thing I took the cold/flu aromatherapy blend from California kids (Whole Foods or Wild Oats) and put that in the top of the vaporizer. Gave him a bath in water with the same oil added and mixed the oil with sweet almond oil to rub on his chest and face. I found that this worked pretty well. I have also used Eucalyptus oil and a small amount of tea tree oil.

cut milk (and cheese) out of his diet (and yours if you are nursing). goat's milk is more nutritious and does not produce phlegm. grape juice helps cut through this stuff, also if you have a jar of horseradish you can just hold that where he can smell it, that cuts it real quick.

Go out and buy some of the Johnson's soothing vapor bath and give your child a steamy warm bath with lots of this in it to start out. Make sure you've got his nose completely cleared (as well as you can) with a bulb syringe. My son always hated that part worst. Use Vick's baby vaporub on his chest, his back, and just a tiny bit under his nose, where he can smell it. A warm humidifier is great, and those vapor plug-ins for the walls seem to help, too. I noticed another response in the list about putting Vicks on the feet -- this has worked for me for coughs, but not breathing. If he is coughing, put some on his feet and cover with soft socks. Anyway that you can elevate him a bit for sleeping will also help. I always worried about all those horror stories with kids suffocating on their pillows, so I put a pillow under the mattress on the end where his head was. As an absolute last resort, I used to use the infant cold medications, but I don't like to medicate if I can avoid it.

My 6 Month old son has the same thing for about the last week and a half now. What I do is at night I use a nose bulb to suck out his snot, give hime a bit of infant tylenol and rub his chest with baby vicks rub. Then in his roon I use a HOT vaporizor. The doctor told us to ONLY use a hot one because cold ones can promote mold and make colds last longer or to get worse. Then in his crib he sleeps on a wedge to elevate his head and he sleeps right on through from 8pm to 5:30am. Then he comes into to nurse and cuddle with us. Anyhow this has been working great for us hopefully it can help you too.

The saline drops work best if you need him to breath through his nose for eating. Put them in a few minutes before a bottle and use a bulb syringe to clear the mucus before feeding him. It doesn't last too long. I think the best thing I ever found was a crib wedge. It's a little wedge that you put underneath the crib sheet and it keeps the baby's head elevated all night helping with the post-nasal drip. If he wakes up at night, try the saline drops again so that hopefully he can get back to sleep quickly.

I know it's rough when babies have colds, so just hang in there. Sounds like you're doing everything you can to make him comfortable.

I haven't tried it myself, but I have heard of using baby Vicks Vaporub on the baby's feet. Otherwise, I just use the bulb syringe. We do it in the morning, too, as that means we have to clean the nose less often.

My son also had a tough time with a constant stuffy nose and he hated the bulb sucker. We found a battery powered version by BeBe Sounds that you only have to put up to their nose once and push the button. It plays nursury rhymes and he doesn't seem to mind it too much. Replacing the batteries often will help ensure the suction is good and you're getting the most bang for your buck so to speak. Good luck!

You can get a product at the drug store that I call the 'snot sucker'. It has a squeeze bulb with a small plastic piece on the other end. You squeeze the bulb, put the plastic end to the baby's nose (just in the nostril), let the bulb go, and it suctions out the snot. My son hated it as he got older, but until they can blow their nose, it's a way to get some of that stuff out! Ask the pharmacist where they are if the are not in the baby section. Be sure to clean it with hot water after using!

Let him sleep in his swing if it works. Maybe he is experiencing allegies, mention at his 6mo. appt. Also little noses makes a stuffy nose drop you can check out.

Are you using any OTC medicine? Dimetap makes one safe for the little ones I would just call your Dr and ask for correct dosage, otherwise you are doing about all you can. Hope he feels better soon!

I would try a warm mist humidifier insead of the cool one--the cool one actually sends particles into the air because of the way it creates the mist. Your son may be irritated by the particles in the air--they are like dust. You can get a warm mist one very cheaply--I think ours was 20$.