5Mo Old with Stuffy Nose

Updated on June 02, 2008
S.B. asks from Manassas, VA
27 answers

My son has had a stuffy nose the past few days and I just don't know what else to do for him. I've elevated his mattress, have a humidifer going and keep sucking out his nose with a bulb. Nothing seems to be working. Is there anything out there I can give him for this?

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C.P.

answers from Washington DC on

I like to go into the bathroom after the hot shower has been running. Let the shower run for about 10 minutes while you sit in the bathroom with the door closed. The bathroom will steam up and help his nose run relieving some of the congestion. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.B.

answers from Washington DC on

My ped. told me that the suction bulb actually makes the congestion worse because it makes the tissues in the lining of the nose swell up. She recommends just the saline. FYI!

1 mom found this helpful

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F.P.

answers from Washington DC on

Stacy everyone seems to have given you the answer I was going to suggest. But I also want to let you know that if your son is teething a runny nose is one of the symptoms. Just thought I'd share that. Saline usually helps as well as lettng him come into the bathroom with you while you shower. If he doesn't seem to get any relief from that and he is teething the runny nose will subside in about 2 weeks or so.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.B.

answers from Washington DC on

I was told not to overuse the bulb. I use saline a few times a day but I only use suction once in the a.m. and once at night. I was told that if your child is eating/drinking and sleeping ok, it may be bothering you more than your child. Hope this helps.

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J.H.

answers from Richmond on

I think saline helps- has helped my infant (at about 3 mos I gave it to him) and helps me also. You can make your own (consult your doctor) or try little noses saline. The bottle I got says you can use it as drops for babies and spray for older kids... yet the bottle doesn't do drops well- too much comes out. So you can use another dropper or I got a needle-free syringe from my pharmacist- for free, just asked her for something and she gave me that- works great--- you can even drop it just below ihis nostril and sort of push it in with your fingers- he tolerated that better. good luck!

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A.W.

answers from Lynchburg on

Hello i used little noses last week i took my son to the doctor and thats what he recomended. It spays a fine mist of salen solution and the use the sucker and it will get out all the lose stuff out. It made a huge diffrence the first time. I found that after a i gave him a warm bath then used the spray it worked even better the warm water losened it up the the spray helped even more.

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S.P.

answers from Norfolk on

Have you tried to use baby Vicks VaporRub. I tried that with my daughter. Would put a little bit under her nose.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.A.

answers from Charlottesville on

You might try to flush his nose with saline. They have it for infants in the cold medicine isle. It helps for a little while.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.D.

answers from Washington DC on

My childs' pediatrician told me to use is "Ocean" nasal spray. It is saline nose spray. Hope he is feeling better soon.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.S.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi S. B,
My daughter went through the same thing, you can also try saline nasal spray, I believe it it made by Lil' tummies. hope this helps
J. S.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.H.

answers from Washington DC on

Saline drops work wonders...Little Noses is a brand for kids, but any nasal saline works fine. My pediatrician said if you use saline then you really don't need a bulb...the saline causes the child to either sneeze it out or it softens enough to swallow. And you can use it as often as needed. We use it almost daily, especially in the high pollen weeks. Hope this helps.
~K.

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M.Z.

answers from Washington DC on

bring him into the bathroom, turn on the showere so steam fills the room and sit with him (out of the shower of course!) for 10 minute intervals and use a bulb syringe.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.M.

answers from Washington DC on

When my daughter was too young for meds, the MD suggested saline drops made for infants/young children. The effect isn't prolonged, but it does give relief. Drug stores carry them.
Good luck.
A.

1 mom found this helpful
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E.W.

answers from Norfolk on

An old fashioned remedy. Boil water in a kettle and then put a hand towel over his head and let him breathe in the steam from the boiling water. (not too close you do not want him to burn himself).

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J.K.

answers from Washington DC on

I would ask your doctor, but our pediatrician suggested Little Noses (a saline nose spray) which helped!

1 mom found this helpful
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N.H.

answers from Washington DC on

Rub Vicks Vapo Rub on the soles of his feet, cover his feet and let him sleep that way.

N. H, Grandma

1 mom found this helpful
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L.P.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi Stacy,

This is more of a prevention than a cure, but it is something I have really found value in and you might want to consider: That is changing the products that you use in your house. There are a lot of chemicals in everything from cleaning products to laundry detergents to shampoos which are known to cause irritation to the respiratory tract (nose, throat and lungs). Lysol contains ethyl alcohol, Clorox contains pesticides and chlorine just for example besides the many products which use formaldehyde as a preservative and even if these things aren't the cause of the stuffy nose, they are certainly going to make it worse.
I started using all natural products a year ago for environmental reasons and I have seen an unbelievable difference in the health of my family. I have three kids and not one of them has had a cold or an ear infection this year. Also my eldest daughter and my husband used to have constant stuffy noses from allergies and this year they haven't. The products that I am using are not miracle cures, but just not having harsh chemicals in my house has had a huge impact on our health which I could never have imagined. It is also cheaper and easier to get these kinds of products than people realize. If you are interested and would like some help then just send me a message.
L. P

1 mom found this helpful
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V.M.

answers from Norfolk on

You may want to try a saline spray - I know there is one brand sold specifically for little ones - as a matter of fact I think that may be the name of it. It is just saline so you do not have to worry about it beind medicated.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.C.

answers from Norfolk on

Have you tried saline drops or breast milk in the nose? They both can work to loosen up the snot so he can sneeze it out and breathe easier. Also going in the bathroom and turning on the shower and just enjoying the steam.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.G.

answers from Norfolk on

I have an 8mo. old boy...but when he was about 6mos till present, hes been going thru the same thing, the weather is crazy here. It takes about 2weeks everytime for his nose to clear up. So time should just be the best. A bulb suction with the saline mist will help him to breath better, but we all know children HATE this! :) But a cool mist humidifer helps, maybe add a sm. amount of vicks vapo steam to the water. Another good technique, is when your taking a shower (or not), take him in the bathroom with you and let the steam drain his nose, this really works. Also my son got prescribed an over the counter medecine (I think he was 6mos at that time) called Little noses Nasal Decongistant, not to use more than 3days. But I wouldnt really recommend it unless very severe. I mean for such a young child im just not to big on the meds. I'd rather him overcome it naturally. But each parent is different. Hope this gives you just a little insight.

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A.R.

answers from Richmond on

You ncan give a 5 month old childrens decongestants if you ask a pharmicist or pediatrician for the correct dosage and johnson and johnson vapor cream works really well helps at also.

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A.S.

answers from Washington DC on

Vicks makes a warm mist humidifier that you can put liquid in called Vaposteam. That stuff is amazing for clearing up stuffy noses in little ones!

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H.R.

answers from Denver on

Have you tried saline drops? My 1 month old has been stuffed for 2 weeks now and as you we have tried everything. unfortunatly there isn't anythingmore they can do. So I drop 3-4 drops in his nose every few hours as well as use the bulb a few minutes after using drops.

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M.H.

answers from Washington DC on

did you contact his doctor? it may be he is allergic to the milk

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D.K.

answers from Washington DC on

Ask your pharmacist for Neo-synephrine drops. The hospital gave them to me for my son when he was only three months old. Suction out his nose then give him the drops. They will dry up his little sinuses in no time flat. But follow the directions, you can only use them for three days in a row then you have to take a little break or risk rebound stuffiness.

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R.M.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi. There is a product on the market called little ones and they make a product for stuffy noses. It works well and its non-medicated so its safe for babies. They sell it at Giant, Target and Babies R Us. Hope this helps.

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