7M Old with a Cold

Hi D.,
If you have a vaporizor you should start running that during the day and night. That will help his sinuses. They have a vicks vaporizor that has a vicks vapor additive to it and that helps too. My son had the same thing not too long ago and that seemed to help him especially at night time. Also, if it gets too bad, especially at night, and you can't wait for the vaporizor to start working, take your little one in the bathroom and close the door and run the shower as hot as possible and make yourself a steam room. This works great in a pinch! Hope you and your little one feel better soon and hope this helps!

It could be a cold, or it could be allergies. I know people will tell you babies this young don't have them but I have 2 kids that prove that wrong! The fall allergies came in full bore this past week. Either way the treatment for a baby this young is the same. First off, he really needs lots of snuggles and keep him upright as much as you can. Put a cool mist humidifier in his room when he is sleeping, this helps keep the mucus looser. Also, invest in some saline drops and a bulb syringe. This is the number one weapon. Your baby will hate it, but it is well worth it to get the nose cleaned out regularly since they can't blow their nose. I hope this helps, I know that it sucks right now, but he will get better!

Regardless of whether it's a cold or allergies, there are a few things you can do to make him feel better. Get a vaporizer to run in his room during naps and at night. Try propping him up to sleep. My little guy had a cold about the same age and I had him sleep in his swing for a few days and he slept great. If you are breastfeeding, try a few drops of breastmilk in each nostril. It will loosen the mucus and provide antibacterial action to help clear up an infection if it is a cold. A little bit of Tylenol to relieve any aches or pains would probably be nice for him too. I also did more frequent warm baths (2x/day) to help loosen the mucus and ease the congestion.

Good luck!

I also live in Boise, and as you know the allergy season is in full swing right now. My 6 yr old boy is experiencing the same symptoms right now. He has always had allergies, but they usually flare up when the weather changes. So, It won't hurt to put a vaporizer near the door of your baby's room if you are not comfortable putting it in the room. The Vick's will help him sleep. I was told by the doc when my daughter was an infant that I could put Vick's rub on a tissue and keep it near her bed or under the sheet so you wouldn't be putting it on the baby's skin but baby would get the vapor smell to ease the discomfort. You have done all the right things and of course your pediatrician will give you more info. Just keep him as comfortable as possible and make sure he is either nursing or taking his bottle well. Keep him hydrated just in case it is more than just allergies. Also, make sure you check his temperature every hour or so just to make sure he isn't developing a high fever. Also, you can call St. Luke's Ask a Nurse to ask any questions you are concerned about until you hear from your doc. You can find the number in the book or online I'm sure. I just don't have it on hand right now. I know it is scary when you are a first time mom and your baby gets sick. It's still scary when my kids come down with something. Hang in there and just hold him a lot and cuddle him. He really needs Mommy right now.

With all of the cough medicine issues going on right now, it could be scary to give such a young baby an over the counter product. I know it sounds weird but get some vick's vapor rub, coat the bottom of his feet with it, then put some socks on. For some reason we absorbe through our feet better than anywhere. It will definately help with the coughing, help him breathe better but his nose may still run. I learned about this last fall and we had the best sleeping winter of colds we have ever had. I used it on my baby to my twelve year old and even used it myself when I was sick. It really does work!!