5 Month Old Has a Cold

My doctor and pharmacist said the same thing about OTC meds, so did the nurses line at the clinic and the other doctor at the clinic. Babies don't respond to them, I guess, untill they are about a year old.

Hi CT
My son , who is now 18 months old, seemed to have aconstant runny or stuffy nose. The only thing that worked for us was using the saline spray and then we followed it with the little nose sucker. ( I know there is a better name for it, but I just can't remember it right now!)The saline loosened it up and then we sucked it out, it worked great. Good luck!
J. in Mpls

When my baby had a cold when she was young, I gave her Tylenol and then of course you'll have to use the Aspirator to clear her nose out. I had no problem and neither did my doctor to give her over the counter drugs.

I think, it's been along time like 5yrs.ago but they have medicine called little noses or something similiar. I know my daughter had a bad cold at about 6mos. and I know I went to the drug store and got her something. I would go to Walgreens and ask the pharmasist. Also if your pediatrician doesn't believe in over the counter's maybe your pediatrician will be hestitant to give out antibiotics when needed too, maybe try a different pediatrician. We have always gone to Park Nicollet Clinc and have always had a ton of suggestions with all of my daughter's colds/viruses ear infections over time. I know I can call a nurse line on the back of my insurance card or I can call a nurse line at my clinic and in the middle of the night when my daughter's been ill or running a high fever it's been a lifesaver for me and calmed me down and gave out excellant advise. I'm not sure about your daughter's age and if she should use vick's vapor rub but when my daughter was small I would put it on her back and put a shirt over, so she couldn't touch it and eat it when it's applied on her back and it worked like a charm.

We used the vapor plugs and those worked really well. We also gave him a dose of Triaminic Kids for at night and that helped him to sleep better. Good luck!

We tried a few things. The Vicks Vaporizer worked very well. You put a little medicine in a tray on top of the vaporizer, and run it like a steamer in the baby's room. (available at Target or WalMArt) Also, try elevating the crib mattress by rolling a small blanket and placing it under the mattress. This will help the nasal passages drain at night. I never tried any cold medicine.

Hi - I'm no pediatrician, but here's what I've done that's seemed to ease the cold symptoms (particularly, stuffy or runny noses). Prop up the head of the bed slightly with some books and use a cool air vaporizer/humidifier at night in the room (and I sometimes would keep it on during the day in the same room as us). When I did use OTC drugs, which was rare, I'd use Tylenol infant drops and Ibuprofen (once my girls were over 6 months). Tylenol really isn't that strong...my pediatrician said it was more to soothe aches than help relieve cold symptoms. I'm not a huge fan of the drugs, but if it's going to help ease their pain a bit I'm all for 'em. Good luck! A. (mom of Kaley 2 1/2 and Macey 14 months).