Colds

Put some vicks vabor rub on her feet before she goes to bed. I was just told to do this a while back, and now will do it every time!

My 16 month old little girl had the same problem with a cold just a few weeks ago. She was fine until she laid down to go to sleep and then she would cough all night long. I put some baby vicks on the bottom of her feet and then put her socks on and somehow that stopped the coughing. A friend of mine told me to try this and I did and was amazed at how it worked.

Hi N..
Try taking her off milk products and eggs for just a few days.
They make mucus and can cause build up in the throut.
Also look into things that she eats or drinks that she might be having an allergy reaction to. Some kids have food allergies that they can grow out of but in the mean time, need to omit from the diet. Can use Soy, Rice, Goat milk instead of Cow. Lots of good info on line about food allergies.
Also can give her some Echincea Drops and Vit. C. To build her back up.
J. B

N., my son had this a few months ago, it was horrible> he had the cough for over a month. Our ped. also said his lungs were clear, and he was fine, but they gave him antibiotics, twice and he didnt get better, FINALLY I was so fed up that I called and said how riicoulous it was to keep dosing my kid with all these meds that were obviously not helping, so he ending up on an inhaler taking ventair, his cough cleared up instantly! I am starting to belive that the doctors may not be able to really hear maybe the slightest infections with those stethiscopes they wear around their necks. My son would be sitting on me and I could feel something gurgling in his chest, I KNEW being his mother that his beathing was off- so just go with your gut. I really think the breathing treatments help much more than oral medicines, that arent even good for our kids anyways.... Hope this helps...

Have you tried using a vaporizer. It sounds like your child is congested and this might help break up the congestion in her chest, which in turn will hopefully calm her cough. I know now they have a plug in vaporizer that you can use. If you are giving your child cough medicine, ofen times it will make them cough more - this is to break up the congestion.

You might check & make sure her room isn't too drafty or even too dry/ hot. Try using a humidifier & put some of that Vics stuff in it, you can find it in the baby aisle or home health & or body. I wish you the best, be BLESSED!

It is always upsetting when you can not figure out what is wrong with a child, I have been there and I really sympathize with you. My son did that when he was a small child and it was broncial phnemonia. But if that is not the problem then there is a problem going around with rsv as well as 3 or 4 others and the kids are the weakest to it. Just don't let down on that doctor, keep up on everything cause the are not catching it all on time. Good luck and I hope she gets better soon.

Try putting a cold mist humidifier in her room. The air in the winter time is so dry, and a humidifier will help put moisture back in the air. My daughter had coughs quite a bit, especially at night. We also put a folded up blanket under her mattress where her head goes. That helps keep the drainage from irritating her throat.

Since it's been going on for so long, I would take her to the doctor if you haven't already. The common cold usually only lasts a week or so. Could it be a sinus infection? What does her cough sound like? Maybe croup? They pulled the OTC decongestant and other cold meds from the shelves for babies, but you can get a prescription from your doctor if your daughter needs it.

If you haven't already, try running a humidifier/vaporizer, saline drops, tylenol or motrin if you think she's in pain or has a fever, baby vicks vapor rub.

I hope she feels better soon.

I just read something from a friend who tried this and said it works like magic. Rub vicks vapor rub on your baby's feet and put socks on them. Should keep him/her from coughing for 4 hours. I haven't tried it. I only have a 7 month old (but will probably try tonight since she's getting a cough).
Also, if you have a nebulizer and some saline solution, that will help break it up. That's worked for me before. Other than that, the usual... keep him/her propped up and a vaporizer on at night. Good luck!

Do you give her liquid vitamins? I would definitley get her some liquid vitamins and start her on them. Her immune system is probably really run down. Also, liquid vitamin c for little ones is good. Try looking on vitacost.com. They have great prices!

It might not be a cold. If asthma runs in your family or if your daughter has had RSV she may have reactive airway disease/asthma. My middle son now 9 had this when he was around 18 months old. He was on breathing treatments for a while but has since out grown it. His symptoms where waking up frequently and night coughing (no wheezing) Hope this helps.

Does she have any issues with wheezing?? My asthmatic son will often wake in the night coughing when his asthma is flared. When he was that little he sometimes just coughed but I didn't catch him wheezing. I would give him a breathing treatment with albuterol (for asthmatics), and he would stop coughing and sleep. Coughing frequently is his first symptom that his asthma is going to flare and now I start treating him more aggressively to begin with and he doesn't get very bad.
Use a cool mist vaporizer in his room at night especially that helps anyone with a cold. Talk to your Doctor before giving any Over the counter meds as the trend is to not be running to 'medicate' children when they first have colds.
A month seems a long time to have a 'Cold', perhaps you might want to have him checked for indoor allergies. Allergic reactions to in house Allergens can mimic 'cold' symptoms. I think I would check into seeing an allergist or another Pediatrician just for a second opinion.
Bottom line is that Physicians are great but MOMs know their children best, if your gut is telling you something is 'not quite right' then YOU are probably right. You are entitled to a second opinion and Insurance companies will usually cover another physician who is not your PCP if it is just a consult for a second opinion. Any worries about it can be answered by the # located on your Insurance Card.

My 25 month old has been the same way. We started out with what we thought was a cold. Ours ended up being bronchitis and borderline pneumonia. I would suggest taking your little one to the doctor. If it's just a cold then they can maybe give you some prescription cough medicine. Let's hope it's just a cold but if for some reason it turns out to be anything else, it's always wise to check with a doctor. Hope things turn out okay.

My daughter has also been fighting a terrible cough. i was very concerned about it being in her chest and took her to the doctor. they prescribed the liquid form of albuterol. she takes it before bed and it is used to calm her lungs. A few other things that have been working for me is putting the humidifier right next to her bed while she is sleeping and closing the doors to the bathroom while I am in the shower she is inhaling the steam. It helps break everything up. Their baths just don't cut it because you cannot make the water hot enough!

Does she have a clear runny nose? Sounds like allergies to me. She's coughing maybe from the post nasal drainage going down the back of her throat. Ask the doctor about allergy meds if this is the case. Hope this helps.

Yes you can help her but no over the counter medication.You can use Baby saline nose spray,use a humidifier in her room cool or warm mist and there is baby vicks to rub on her chest to help her breath and also Johnson's baby vapor bath I fill my tub up just enough with my kid's with warm water it help's.If it get's any worse with fever call the Dr. back RSV is going around and you want to catch it before it progresses.

Vicks on the bottom of her feet and put socks on, or her footed sleeper. Sounds crazy but it totally works.

To help sleep, a half tsp of delsym might allow sleep. Did they check ears ? You might want a second opinion. Also a cool air humidifier helps. Spray the nose with Saline. Good Luck!

I am a chiropractor and also do a lot with nutrition. It sounds like her immune system needs a kick. Be sure she is drinking some water. Stay away from sugar...even juice. Fresh fruit or applesauce with no sugar added is ok. Canned fruit is ok if it is in "own juices" and not packed with corn syrup. Try rice milk or soy milk and stay away from dairy for a couple of days and see if that helps. Milk is a mucous producer. She might also need a children's nutritional supplement to boost her immune system. If you would like a recommendation of a good one to get, I can advise you.
If any other questions you can email me directly at
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Hi, it sounds like her immunity is low. Does she eat many raw fruits and vegetables? They need to be raw (you can blend them up) so the enzymes are still alive and so they still have their nutrition. When I stopped nursing my daughter she started getting colds frequently despite good eating habits. A few things kicked the colds for good: cutting out dairy at any sign of a cold. It's very mucous forming, and with a cold the body is trying to get rid of all the excess mucous. Also, a children's supplement, preferably whole food and cold processed. Now that my daughter is 2 I give her lemon flavored cod liver oil every day. She loves it...it's a treat in her mind! I can't remember her ever being even slightly sick since we started doing these things. Oh, also there is a Wellness Herbal Kids Immune Support available at whole foods. It tastes good and really helps too. Best wishes!

Boy, the cold is a real pain. My 18 month old daughter has had the cold off and on her whole life. Not much helps. Several things that we did to help is air purifier in her room, a salt lamp(look up salt benefits, it has many) and vicks on her feet(with socks on). Good luck!!!

Has she had the same cold (continuous symptoms) for over a month or has it gone away and she just caught another cold? If she has had the same cold and her symptoms have gotten worse since she first caught it, it may have turned into an infection. She may need some antibiotics. My daughter was first given Duratan to help her with her cold symptoms (sinus and chest congestion, coughing, runny nose). It helped, but she was still coughing and ended up getting an infection, so they gave her some Zithromax which cleared it up. Good luck!

If it's lasted longer than a month, then it's not a normal cold..the doctors should have checked to be sure it's not something else..or given her medicine of some sort to fight the bacteria..

there is 2 kinds of flu going around - one being with fevers, aches, etc. and the other with a lot of coughing. did your doctor run labs. i just posted an article regarding the Influenza A and B that my doctor told me that i have. I have A. Keep on your doctor, go to an allergist until you get to the bottom of the issue. They are putting people on a antibiotic with both types to keep the bacteria down in the system so that it does not go until the lungs and you get pneumonia. Good luck

This time last year, my daughter had a cold that lasted over a month, we tried breathing treatments at night and she never quite got over the cough through the night, and constant runny nose during the day. I finally took her to the Dr, preparing myself to hear that it was just a cold -- my pediatrician tested her blood since it is unusual to not get over the cold by then. Turns out she was anemic, and she just growing too fast and depleting her iron supply. When you have an iron deficiency, your immune system is not as strong as it should be and can't fight off even the slightest cold. We had to give her iron drops for a while, then stage 2 formula, which we will continue until she is 2 and she is the only one in our house that HASN'T caught a cold this season! If your daughter has not been tested, I would suggest it, if nothing else, to rule it out. It's a cheap, noninvasive test that can be done at most Dr's offices. Hope this helps. I also have a cool mist humidifier in both my daughters' rooms to help keep the air moist. Dry air does not help the cough.

Maybe she has allergies. My daughters both had allergies.
Does she sleep with stuffed animals?
If the air is dry in her room where she sleeps, you can get a vaporizer...they are not very expensive and work.

When my kids have coughing fits at night, I rub Vicks Vapor Rub on their feet and put their socks on before bed. I don't know how, but it works for us. It might not cure the cold but at least they get a good night's rest and aren't miserable all night coughing.

doesn't sound like a cold... or asthma if his lungs are fine. I think it's allergies.

Don't forget the cool vapor humidifier in the room. I'm a grandma and still use it in my own room, when I have a cold. My college aged daughter said it helped so much, that she took it to college and runs it in her room. She's getting married, and registered for one! :o)

N.,

Your pediatrician may have already told you this, but mine always tells me to put a pillow underneath my boy's mattress to elevate his head. It does help a little with the coughing. Also, if you have a cool mist humidifier put that in her room. The two combined does seem to help a bit. Unfortunately, there just isn't a whole lot else you can do. I was told not even to give my 20 month old little boy any cough medicine. Once, when my boy was up all night coughing, my pediatrician did say that he could have children's mucinex. I believe it was a teaspoon, but you should definatley check with your pediatrician before giving her the medicine.

Hope this helps!

L.

Yes take her to the doctor and get a prescription for Tamiflu- it really does work. She will feel better in just a couple of days. J. R - RPh