Don't Know What to Do with 9 Month Old with Allergies

I have a 15 month old who just this week reached 17 pounds. He is on Zyrtec. It's prescribed by his doctor and seems to help a lot.

Hello M.. I have a now almost 2 year old who was practically born with allergies. We use Dr. Edward Braye of Regional Pediatrics in mid county. He is great with little kids. He had put my daughter on some allergy medicine for a while but then she had to have tubes put in her ears and they took her adnoids out and now she doesn't really get that sick anymore. She still has allergies but I am able to control them just by using that nasal spray. Hope this helps

Hi M.,
My 9 month old son has allergies as well. He has had them since he was about 5-6 months and my doctor told us to give him Dimetab (children's not infants)...it works really well. My son would get so bad that he could not sleep at night or for naps. At first it would make him sleepy but he would only sleep a good 30 mins during the day and he would sleep all night. It never threw my son off his routine. It actually helped. If you want, send me your email address and I can scan and fax you the chart the doctor gave me for the Dimetab. Hes a really great Pediatrician. I can also send you his name and number, just in case you are still in the market for a new pediatrician. Hope this helps. Good Luck. S.

M.,
First of all many medicines are currently on a recall list, so be careful if you're looking for a medicine to help. I'm not a fan of decongestants because it makes my kids stay awake through naps/sleep times and then crash later and gets our whole routine off. I would like to recommend a few things though. One thing that helps is elevating his head while he sleeps so that he's sleeping on an incline. You can do this by placing a couple of phone books under the legs of one side of the crib. This basically helps drain the mucous while they sleep and he won't wake because he can't breath or is stuffed up. Second, we LOVE the stuff that you place in the outlet that clears the passages while they sleep. I think its Sudafed or Vicks, but its a little plug in and you slip a medicated disk inside and it provides a vapor that keeps them from clogging up. Other than that, during the day we just keep using the "Little Noses" saline and a booger getter to suck the snot out of the snot! I'd also (if he's not already) add a sippy cup or bottle of water to the mix. Oh, and the gunk has a tendency to drain into the belly, so watch for tummy aches and change in eating. Oh, and allergy problems are tooooooo common in this part of the world, so find a doc. soon as the doctor can provide you with a precription for his age that will treat the symptoms. Best of luck! :)A.

Hi, M.,

Have you had your son allergy tested? My kids are allergic to molds and used to have food allergies. There is a good book called "Your Food Allergic Child". I don't know if you breast feed, but that is helpful (only you can't eat anything your child can't eat because the proteins can get in the milk). Also, I found that homeopathics worked well with my daughter, but not mys sons, go figure. There is a remedy specifically for colds and allergies, I forget the name, it was something like C&E or C&D, I can't remember. There are even remedies for colic and teething. The other thing about allergies is that true immune allergies show up in testing, but NOT sensitivities, which can still cause symptoms like runny nose, stomach ache, rashes, etc. so you still want to practice avoidance. Dairy, peanuts, nuts, eggs, fish, corn and wheat tend to be common allergens. Rice, potatoes, beans (except soy), meat, chicken, vegetables and fruits (except berries and citrus) tend to be okay.

I hope this helps.

A.

Find him a doctor. Better now than later when it is time for a check up. He is very light weight. Taking him to a doctor or clininc would be best suggestion.
M.

I have found that a humidifier at night while he is sleeping and warm showers will help a lot.

the best thing that worked for me with my children. was that i used a vicks vapor bath. if you dont want to use any type of meds with the recall. that works great and the bubbles makes the bath fun for the baby also. there is a vicks baby cream also that will help at night. i used it on their feet and put socks on after. that helps alot. my daughter had allergies so bad she got asthma and these helps alot. there is a saline solution you can use for there nose that is harmless but it helps clean the dry mucus out of there nose to breathe better also. if you want you can try the pediacare decongestant. i used it the infant one. but all this is harmless the baby doesnt have to ingest anything and they sleep so much better. hope this helps..

Try some saline drops.

My daughter has had allergys also. We se Dr.Vigo.Vigo, Paul G MD - Allergy & Asthma Consultants - ###-###-#### he is great with kids. my daughter is on a nebulizer and singular at night.

I had a friend whose son was on the max breathing treatments for two years before they found out he was allergic to household cleaners. I would have him checked out! If youfind out he is, let me know and I will refer you to the company so you can have non toxic products in your home!

Try the "Little Noses" drops for his nose. Wait a few seconds after putting them in, then use a bulb syringe to suck out the mucus. You can also try a cool mist humidifier in his room at night. We used a Hunter brand one with our son. It's a little more expensive, but works very well. Some humidifiers don't work properly and your floors and furniture get wet. As far as him being little, try not to worry. I have a three year-old girl that only weighs 28 lbs. The doc says she is fine. She doesn't look emaciated; she's just very lean. She eats well, but she is extremely active. She only weighed 20 lbs at a year. Hope this helps.

One more fan of saline solution here. It's all-natural and our pediatrician said you can use it as often as necessary. He did say, though, not to use an aspirator if you can. Not always possible, but just hold the head still for a minute until you can tell the saline did its job. Again, not always possible, but there you go ;)

If your little one is a mover and shaker during sleep, it might not help to elevate one side of the crib but it doesn't hurt to try once and see if it helps. My oldest was wiggly and elevating had the opposite effect it was supposed to because he'd end up with his feet elevated instead of his head :D

Hopefully things work out. If you want a recommendation for a doctor, look up Dr. Prochnow who is off 183 and Braker (I posted his info in another thread). He and his staff were really nice.

It would be best to contact his former doctor and ask what he or she would recommend. Or, some hospitals have a program that offers a nurse's hotline (available to those who have had their babies at that hospital and only until the child is 1 year old) that you can call and ask questions, you might check with the hospital you delivered at and see if they have something like this. Also, if you have insurance, some companies are now offering a nurse's hotline so, you might check that as well. My pediatrician has told me that if my child has a stuffy nose, you can put saline solution up his or her nose and use an aspirator to clear out the mucus (if you can see it).
I hope this helps!

This is not really a good deal, but this is what we had to do with our youngest. We had to do away with stuffed animals (for awhile, not forever), no fuzzy blankets, no blankets to be drug around like a security blanket, no carpeting, curtains, mini blinds, uphostery, indoor pets etc. Now that she is older, she has her stuffed animals, and blankets, but still no carpeting, upholstery, curtains, indoor pets etc. When she was a baby, she was placed on NasalCrom by prescription, which worked really well. She had just turned a year old when we had to start that medicine. Claritin Syrup was another good medicine, but again, that was by prescription. We were also taught by her doctor that humidifiers only help to breed more allergens in the house. Over time, we also learned to keep the house a little on the cold side.....not freezing, but cool. We have a fan in her room that blows right on her so that she can have cool air around her face. For some reason, being too warm brings on allergy symptoms. Have you taken your son to an asthma/allergy specialist? We took our little girl to one, and he was wonderful and quick in bringing her relief.

Have a Great Day!
L. Santiago

My son was diagnosed with a lot of food and environmental allergies and asthma at 2. First, we put the dog outside, and even though he wasn't allergic to dogs, it really helped. I second the no carpets/curtains/stuffed animals idea. (Except there are some that are washable/asthma friendly.) He was on a nebulizer with xopenex for a couple of weeks, and Rx Zyrtec for a month or so. Once we eliminated the food allergens, and got him over the worst cold symptoms (2-3 months) he hasn't needed any medications at all. He has even started to tolerate (tiny) amounts of one of the foods he was allergic to.

One of my friends uses an all-natural saline/homeopathic nasal spray for her little ones, which really helps. it's supposed to coat the inside of their nose. also, a bath or really good hand & face washing after playing outside, touching animals or new environment can help.

My pediatrician preferred vaporizer to humidifier b/c he said it's almost impossible to keep a humidifier from growing mold. just make sure to keep the vaporizer well out of reach and turn it off first thing in the morning, they get quite hot.

Are you breastfeeding? you can put a few drops of breastmilk in his nose, which will help to fight the allergies. i know, sounds weird, but it really works--my lactation consultant told me about it.

Also, Dr. Sears website sells a fish oil supplement, which can really help boost their immune system. askdrsears.com

Good luck to you.

Hey, this is actually C.'s husband, Josh. Hope this isn't a "no boys allowed" zone.

You can give a 9-month-old Benadryl, but be careful with the dosage. What C. and I did with our son was buy the children's Benadryl and a syringe dropper, and then asked the pharmacist if dosage was based on weight or age. He said that weight is what you should go by, and then told us what to do. I can't remember exactly, so you'll want to ask him/her yourself to be sure. But Benadryl in small amounts won't hurt your son -- but it WILL make him tired.

Hope this helps.

Hi, I am a sahm of 3 and found out when I moved here from IL. that 60% of people here have some form of allergies. I found a great pediatrician called ABCD Pediatrics in the stone oak area, but they will be opening a office in Schertz ###-###-#### they have about 5 different doctors in that office so you have your pick. I found that when my kids get stuffy a cool mist humidifier really improved them the next day and sleep better at night. I hope that helps

I know what if feels like to be in a new city with a young child...But you really need to find a Dr for him. I use the group Tot's and Teens and they are wonderful and they will get you in quick. I hope your son feels better soon..

There really isn't anything you can give a 9 month old. Just use the aspirator (or snot sucker in our house) and a humidifier. I find sitting in a steamy bathroom with babe can also help ease things.