"Seeking Cold Remedies for Babies Under Two Years Old"

I think you need a better pediatrician. My doc prescribed a med for cough (which worked for every symptom) for each of my kids , now almost 3 and alomst 1. I had my doubts, but it worked! Oh- Mucinex works really well over the counter. It doesn't tyaste very good and I hide it in cups of juice.

Try vick medicated rub... on chest and a tiny touch under their nose before they go to bed...
Also use some saline drops in his nose, then suction out with a "bulb thingie".
That helped my baby with his most recent cold.

Unfortunately the meds just mask the symptoms instead of actually solving the problem. Have you tried a cold mist humidifier? To help clear the mucus put a little bit of salt into the water and let it run while they sleep. The salt and water acts the same way as a saline nasal wash, but is much more kid friendly. My grandmother was just telling me this weekend that she was doing this for herself and that she has not been congested since she added the salt to her humidifier. Also the vapor rub on the feet is a great suggestion too. I tried it before doing it on my daughter and it works. Hope this helps!

I feel your frustration. From one who's been there especially w/a former asthmatic child I can share my cures that have worked for more than 15 years. For your little baby, you can run the humidifier at night as they sleep. Also, when they are that small, running the shower and letting it steam up just enough to get the drainage going can also be beneficial. That strong mixture would definitely be too strong for them especially the ginger, however, we still use a smidgen (is that still not a word, LOL)of Sioux honey following by the juice from half a lemon in a cup with just enough water to make it easy for them to swallow - but make sure you put a little sugar in it. Do that twice a day for 3 days and you're there dear. And those orange juices in the baby aisle are perfect for your infant. You can dilute your regular orange juice slightly for your toddler. Give them this dose of vitamin c daily, and they'll be cold-free during the winter months like mine are. They need to drink non-chlorinated water also to keep them from getting too dry at night. Happy Valentine's Day.

Hey Y.! I also like natural remedies because i don't want my kids drugged! When my baby was sick, I got the Baby Simply Saline solution and put it in her nose like 3-4 times a day and suctioned everything out. She hated it, but she could breathe SO much better. I also got the Vicks vaporizor and had that going non-stop in her room and also a humidifier would also go all the time. After he vapor bath at night i would lather her chest up with Vicks baby rub and that also seemed to help. When my son was a baby i would brew some peppermint tea and put honey in it so that would kind of break up some...of course he was over a year! I hope this helps! If not, tell your pediatrician that you need something to help at night so they don't cough all night.

Hey Y.,

You have got a lot of really good things from other people!! I have a 1 year old that has had something or another since about 2 months. We tired many different things. The thing is that you actaully want them to have a runny nose anda productive cough. SOmetimes, I swear my child will cough up a lung but I know that it is productive so I am not concerned. I hesitate with a neubulizer (I am an asthmatic and still hesitate for myself even in the worst case scenrio). The neubulizer is a short fix for a problem that is going to return unless you chose to use it for the rest of your life!

The humidifier on cool and cold nights does wonders!! We do not use it when it is warm. We are sure to give him lots fo fluids to keep it loosened - he even asks for more fluids when he is stuffy now. The shower also works especially if you do it repeatedly in a day!!

When it gets bad/ sounds bad we reduce his dairy products until it clears (usually in 2 days). Dairy products are one of the sinlge most contributing factors to overproduction of mucus.This is a true fact for I did not believe it until I personally reduced my own in take.

Lastly, beware of the blue bulb. It does work with saline drops but over usage can actually great other problems that will not appear until later in life (we are talking lots of problems and $$$).

I am not a mother but a friend of mine is a mother of a 22 month old. She said that she just got some dissolvable tablets at the health food store for her little girl and also her husband and she said they worked wonders. The brand is Hyland's and she said they have all different kinds. Some are for ear infections, some are for cough, etc. She gave her daughter the ones for the ear infections and in a matter of minutes her whole demeanor changed. She gave the cough ones to her husband who has had a constant cough for at least a week and within 5 minutes he was not coughing and did not cough once during the night and he has been up every night coughing his head off. You might want to hit up a health food store and look for those. They are all natural stuff too so you are not putting all that medicine in their little bodies. I hope this helps! Let me know!!!

Have you tried a cool mist humidifier? That worked great for me when my babies were little.

My mom suggested that I put Vick's Vapor Rub on the bottom of the feet then put socks on before bed. I tried it with my 14 mo old and it helped. Sounds wierd but... She was over her cold in about half the time. And my kids get all phegmy to.

Y.,
I have already sent you a private message, but I feel this needs to be addressed here in this public forum: DO NOT GIVE HONEY TO A CHILD UNDER THE AGE OF ONE, as it can cause botulism. Several people have included honey in their responses, as I did. However, they failed to qualify the advice with a disclaimer, and while all of us here, now may know not to give our young infants honey, someone coming along next month looking for advice, may not.

Hi, it may be allergies. I have 5 children and all of them have the curse of allergies thanks to me.lol
anyhoo, ask the dr to call you in liquid zyrtec, i believe even the 5 mo old can take it-- ask the dr to check his drug book for age cosideratiion. in the mean time gets some saline nasal spray and hold them down! lol-- it's such a pain in the bootie i know.
take care and good luck
A.

Y.,

First, be very cautious to use "natural" remedies. These do not have the quality control that prescription drugs have so that 50 mg is not always 50 mg and there is not a "known proper dose" especially for children and babies. You could do more harm than good with "natural" remedies.

Second, saline spray and a nasal suction bulb. Use it frequently and suction out as much junk as you can.

Third, if the doctor gave them a nebulizer, USE IT. When they cough, they are getting rid of some of the junk in their lungs. And, as for crying when you do it, the more they cry, the more medication they actually take in.

Also use the humidifier and make sure they drink plenty of fluids as this will help break up the mucous. Steamy showers work well, too. Benadryl will also help to dry up the mucous (check with your pediatrician for the proper dose as it will not be on the box for that young a baby/toddler - and be sure to use a medicine syringe [available at pharmacy] to measure it instead of a spoon or dropper).

If they have continuous problems with this, you may want to take them to a pediatric ENT (ear, nose, and throat) doctor. Allergies could also be a problem, so an allergist might be in order.

One thing to watch for: if you see their nostrils flaring, the skin around their ribs pulling in when they breath, or any "dusky" or "bluish" color to their skin or fingernails or toenails, take them to an ER or a pediatric urgent care center right away. Nostrils flaring, retractions (where the skin pulls in around their ribs), or having a "dusky" or "bluish" coloration are signs of respiratory distress (they are having difficulty breathing).

A little background on our family: we have been foster parents of medically-fragile children for the past 6 years. We have had 2 heart patients and 2 very premature babies with severe lung issues.

Sending hugs and prayers,
E.

Dear Y.:
The mucus may be due to a virus, or maybe they are allergic to something in the house? In my experience (4 kids), they usually clear up in a couple of days. Have you tried washing everything in the house? I would use the clorox bleach spray to wipe down all the toys and stuff. Also, I gave them lots of vitamin C - lots of oj and cranberry juice. I also would irrigate their sinuses each night before bed with the saline spray.Lots of stuff would pour out and clear thier heads. This worked for me. Also, I don't think it really hurts them as long as they are acting normal and eating.
I hope I didn't insult you, you may have already tried these things. I wish you the best of luck!!!

HI Y., I HAVE A HOME BASED BUSINESS, I AM PARTNERED WITH A WELLNESS COMPANY, PLEASE TRY THIS WEB SITE AND SEE IF THERE IS ANY HELP THERE, MAYBE THE CHEMICALS IN YOUR HOME ARE CAUSING YOUR BABIES PROBLEMS, IT WON'T HURT TO TAKE A LOOK
http://www.livetotalwellness.com/dianem, only wishing you the best D. M

Hi, I went thur the same thing I have a 2 yr old who stays sick with runny nose or something blooming. We do the Vapor mist all night get the one for Hot water and it put out Hot vapor to help open the air way up. Then I do the saylen saltwater drops or (little noses all thur out the day) Hope this helps.

J. H

I think you will have to wait out the mucus thing, but in the meantime...try Vics Vapor Rub on their feet at night. For some reason this actually stops the coughing. I have five children and it is the only way I get sleep during the cold season. Hope your little ones get better soon. M. S.

I have 3 children, ages 13 months, 4 and 5. I have been through many sleepless nights with them when they are sick and snotty. My personal preference has always to let the cold run its course without medicine, but I have found the following to work really well in breaking up mucous and getting them on the road to recovery. Run a cool mist humidifier in the room all night, use children's saline nose drops every 2 hours or so to loosen the mucous that drains from their sinuses and suck with a bulb syringe (they'll hate it, but it works!), and give lots of water or watered down juice and chicken noodle soup!!! I know it sounds old fashioned, but it has worked for my little ones. Good Luck and God Bless! -Mom of 3, A.

I like saline nose drops. They are inexpensive, non-harmful, and easy to use. Just be sure they each use their own saline drops bottle so you don't get cross contamination.

Hi Y. ~ could allergies maybe be the culprit? I know that milk and cheese are mucous forming and many children have allergies to these items. Treating the symptoms without removing the cause is futile. I really hope you find some answers and some relief for your little ones! Good luck. :)

I hear what you're saying about the mucous being a problem for you but I have to say, you're going to have to go back to the nebulizer. You WANT the phlegm loose so the kids can cough it up. "Dried up" mucous doesn't dry up and go away -- it becomes thick and chokes and is a great breeding ground for infection. The problem is that their bodies are making mucous -- you aren't going to stop the production of mucous. (not without antihistamines and that's a bad idea for your kids in this situation because it'll thicken that mucous even more!!!) I would go back to the doctor and mention that the nebulizer helped the kids to breathe better but that you feel they are coughing too much and would like something for their cough.

Please don't stop the nebulizer! If their doctor wants them on nebulizer treatments, it's probably because he/she heard some wheezing. Left untreated, simple reactive airway disease becomes a bigger problem. Don't medicate the kids contrary to their doctor. I'm afraid you're going to inadvertently make them worse -- not better. I know it's a pain but you're just going to have to ride this out.

It's hard because they're both so small but if you can get your older one to spit out the stuff that comes up when he/she coughs that would be great! In the meantime, just keep in touch with the pediatrician. But don't stop or change treatments without first consulting their doctor!!! (particularly antibiotics!) I can't say it enough! If you ever question the doctor's decision, call and ask questions. Or change doctors. But moms who decide they know better and choose to ignore their kids' doctors end up making their kids worse! Please be in touch with their doctor!!!

Hi Y.,

I would go to www.beeyoutiful.com or www.morethanalive.com and look for Berry Well. This contains elderberries, echinacea, raw apple cider vinegar, etc. You can look for the complete list on the sites. This is supposed to work for loosening the mucus. Also, I would contact those on the site about the 5mo. and tell them what you wrote here. You will want to make sure this is safe for him/her, and if so, what dosage to give.

Also, be careful of dairy products, as these can really irritate the mucus membranes. One response I've read talked about soy. Please be careful here. You will find some info on www.bulkherbstore.com that is alarming about soy. I will NEVER give it to my children for any reason.

HTH

My son has had the same problem. I finally reduced his diary intake. Just be sure to substitute with calcium fortified products or switch to soy milk. He was drinking 3-4 cups of milk a day now he drinks one and he has no congestion at night or during the day.

You must squirt a little saline into each nostril - one at a time and then suck it back out with one of those blue bulb like syringes - that's the safest way without medicating them. will they like it - no but they will be able to breath and you won't hear them breathing - from a pedicatric nurse.

Yvett,

YOU ARE SUCH A GOOD MOTHER! You are trying everything you can to give your children relief. It is worrisome when our children are sick and
need our help. Might I suggest the following...Remember when you were first in the hospital with them and the nurses would suction them out with that blue squeeze ball? They were filled with fluid from being in the womb and the staff was trying clear the fluid out from their noises and throats. But when we came home ...the blue ball dissappeared! FIND it or buy a new one, and even though they will not like the feeling of mucus being sucked out of them it is a very QUICk and EFFECTIVE way of getting the job done.

For the little one just do it, for the older one make it a game with a reward at the end of the suction((Read a Book with them or take a private walk with them or they get to sleep for their nap in your bed!) Also to break up the mucus, take a page from parents of CF children from MOM and Hold them long ways down your arm in a lowering position (Head Down / Hiney UP) Then cup your hand and pat hard on their back near their lungs for about 2 minutes. This breaks up the mucus in the lungs and in the down position it will flow up to the mounth and out. For the older child lay him on his stomach and cup your hand and pat/hit his back. Do this every two hours and espeically before bedtime. THis is if the phlem is in their lungs. If it is in their heads use the ball until the cold has run it's course. YOU CAN NOT MEDICINE AWAY A COLD you can only try to relieve the symptoms. If it is a sinus issue or infection antibotics will cure. If it is an allergy FIND OUT WHAT THEY ARE RESPONDING TOO. Also if they have a head cold then you must have GREAT handwashing and toy washing daily (in the sidhwsher) they will just keep giving it to each other! Oh the joys of Motherhood! I used to keep my small ones out of the stores from Christmas on because I knew it was FLU season and every buggy was a breading ground for 1000's of GERMS! IT was hard but I would wait for my husband ot get home and then after dinner I would make my trips to the store or mall. It was worth it because my son had low immunitiees and would catch everything. I began to realize it was easier to shop late and alone that to take care of sick and crying and misserable children. I am always appalled when I hear OBVIOUSLY SICK children crying in a store and their sweet MOTHER"S just shopping away!
SO try to figure out if it a cold (not treatable with antibiotics) or a sinus infection (treatable with antibotics). Ans thke the steps above to work through the sickness.

As a mother it is your job to care for your little ones and I can tell you are a great mother because you have gone to so many steps to give you little ones relief. Good luch and remember that a Tired Mother is a Miserable Mother---Sleep when your little ones sleep!

Aunt Cindy

The newest information out is that children's cold remedies DO NOT WORK and many companies are now taking them off the market because they are realizing that their image is in harm's way.

Try Junior Strength Mucinex. It's main ingredient is guaifenesin, which really helps loosen up the phlegm and helps little ones to have a more productive cough. I've used the adult version on myself and am a great believer. Also, I have used the junior strength for my 5 yr old and it really seems to help. It does not make the cold go away, but it does allow the child to be able to breathe better and cough the congestion out of the chest.

The only thing you can do is put a humidafier in their room and use a spray saline in their nose. After spraying the saline then suck it by out. That will help for a while but you will have to keep doing it and just wait for the cold to clear out on it's own. There sin't a lot you can do with cold in babies. Also you can try raiseing their heads at night.

Well i have a remedie for the coughing A friend sent to me. Get Vicks Vapor Rub and rub there feet down good with it ,then put there socks on and it will stop there coughing . (i know sounds like it wouldnt work but it does) and as far as with the mucus we use the (warm mist)vicks vapor humidifiers, they work really good for us and our kids .You just have to be aggresive with the sucktioning of there noses i know they dont like it and we as moms dont enjoy seeing or hearing them cry but it really is the only way to get rid of the mucus. i hope it helps

Hello Y.,

I live by the echinacea herb(three times a day). Make the tea and have them sip on it,and / or a ginger root. Cut a numb up in slices and bring to a boil (boil a second time, the same ginger slices - this boil will be more potent, which mean hotter / spicer to taste). Let it cool off, add honey or pure sugar cane. Do this about 3 times a day.

Vick baby vapor rub is very beneficial.

Make a water bath of 100% tea tree oil.
Get a pot that you don't use(from a resale store)add water. Then pour about 30 to 40 drops in a clean and empty baby food jar. Put the jar in the pot of water and let simmer to help clean the air of germs and impurities.

Use rosemary the same way to assist in respiratory problems.

Hope that this is some help to ya.

A couple things scare me here... First is that most cough medicines have been recalled against use for infants under the age of 2. BE CAREFUL with anything you are buying over the counter. I have drops from my pediatrician and I am still afraid to use them!! You just dont know!!

Second thing is that Honey should not be given to infants. The spores in it can cause botulism. Its safe for adults, sure but please ask your pediatrician before using on a 5 month old!!

We have a nebulizer too. The idea behind it is to make them cough more so that the mucus can pass. The medication administered through it restricts the lung passageways so that when little ones cough the phlem is looser and more able to pass instead of sticking. If they don't cough or sneeze it out it's not going away!!

When we get a cold and I think my 6 month old has had one every two weeks from daycare here is what we do. Saline drops and suction bulb as often as possible. We use a cold air humidifier in his room with a suda-aire wall unit. It is not medicated but release a menthol vapor that seems to help with his congestion. I also make him sleep in an elevated position when his is congested. When he was small that was his swing or his bouncer, or his car seat. Now we use his boppy because he is too big for the others. And we use our nebulizer every 4 to 6 hours if he is really congested. You can also heat up a bathroom with warm steam by running your shower and sit in there with your little ones. The steam helps open up the air ways too!

Best wishes and if the congestion doesnt get better you might have them screened for RSV. I know its going around the southern states... we have had that too!!

Y.,

My first child (7 now) had the same issues when she was little. So bad she had ear infections from the mucus. A friend told me about..Rescon GG..you have to ask for it from the pharmacy but you don't need a prescription. It is a little pricey but well worth it. She has not had an ear infection ever again and my 2nd child has never had an ear infection because I started giving it to her at 9 months. What it does is loosen the mucus and helps it drain properly. Just get ready to use lots of Kleenex but it should be gone in about 3 days. As soon as I see a little cold coming on I get Rescon out and start giving 1/2 teaspoon every 6 hours and sometimes it works so fast they never even get the cold. The coughing can be helped using Delsym (over the counter). You should never give medicine that is in combonation(like Tylenol Cold)there are too many chemicals in there that react to each other and you don't get the right results. Medicines that dry up the mucus only make the problem worse and you will most likely continue to have the same problems over and over again. You have to get it out of there by letting it drain.

Rescon GG...ask a pharmacist to order it for you. You will most likely have to wait a couple of days. Taste is not wonderful either (but tolarable)..just to warn you!

Hope this helps!

Pamela

We are going through the same thing with my 22 month old. She is on a nebulizer and trust me, it works. She was finally diagnosted with Asthma. She would get into coughing spells all through the night. We give her benadryl (for the drainage) and her treatments. They do cough on the treatments but that it is a good cough. That is the only way to get rid of it and the treatments help as a expectorant. She takes Albuterol and Pulmnicort. She never drains out her nose, only down her throat. Ask you doctor about her dosage for Benadryl. It drys it up and the treatments help with the cough. With in 2 or so days, the cough is gone because they can breath. If you see the skin sinking in around their ribs or at the base of the throat and they are laying there tryingto sleep (and fast breathing), they need the breathing treatment. They are having trouble breathing. The nebulizer treats that. There is a reason the doctor prescribed the nebulizer. They were most likley wheezing when they came in.

I had six children and everyone of them got this condition from infancy on. I did the same thing with the same good results. I gave them Shaklee's "liqua-lea." [suggested dosage on the bottle] I tried literally every vitamin on the market at the time and nothing compared. I also kept a clean air humidifier going day and night during winter months. Amazing! We never had weeks of colds and flues going around in the winter either, as they grew up. We nipped it in the bud and it did not come back!

I would not suggest those medicines you tried as there could be other issues to deal with besides the mucus. Also, limit the amount of mucus producing foods, i.e. dairy and sugars and white bread products. I also gave them tiny amounts of carrot juice on an empty stomach. My results came through in a day. Hope that works

Y., I know that you don't like medicating your children, however, I found that the nebulizer really did work best. My daughter had the same problem when she was a little older. She actually had asthma. It does loosen the phlegme and makes them cough it up, which is sometimes the best thing to do. You can give them cough medicines with an expectorant which will do the same thing:loosenthe phlegme and when they do cough it will bring it up.

I don't know if you've heard of this before but it seemed have help my kids and my neighbor's kids... rub some vick on the bottom of their feet and put a sock on it for bed time. It helps with the coughing. As for drying up all that flem... try benadryl. I know it's for allergies and itching or whatever but it does dry up a runny nose. Other than that... chicken noodle soup helps allot... for my kids!

My baby is 1 year,i went to Africa just recently and my baby was coughing so much,my sister-in-law went and bought him cod liver oil within 3 day his cough and everything that was associated with the cold was gone.Since i came back to America i am not able to find the brand or the flavor here,that i got there.I am trying plain cod liver oil to see if i get the same reaction i am hoping it works.

Have you tried the j&j vapor baths? I use it with my girls. It really seems to help and they like the bubbles. Also you need to suction them out w/the bulb and saline drops. They will most likely not like it but it will defintely help! I have twin girls that are 2.5 now and when they were 5months old one got rsv and i had to do this alot. Oh, i almost forgot use a humidifer at night. Hope this helps and good luck!

I have 4 children and I've found that this helps. Mix a quarter cup of warm water and half a teaspoon of salt. Get a dropper and put a couple of drops of this solution in their noses. It's ok if they end up swallowing a little, it won't hurt them. Take a nose sucker (whatever there called) and suck out as much mucus as possible. I did this 3 times a day for 2 days and it really helped to dry up the mucus. If the salt is irrating to their noses, rub a little vaseline under there nose. Hope this helps.

Y.,
I have Tried Lemon, Honey, and warm peppermint tea with my kids and it helps break the congestion. I can see how the garlic and ginger may be too much for that age group. Also, a warm air humidifier in their rooms at night with either vicks vapor rub or tea tree oil in the top cup of the humidifier will help to open the nostrils and help them breath better! My prayer is that this will help your children. I know what it's like to have a child unable to adequately breath. It's as if you are the one not able to breath and it becomes difficult to see them that way!

P. M.

Hi Y., You can try the saline and salt stuff but it will not fix the problem. It could be a number of things causeing the mucus buildup. I use rememdies from Mia's Health foods on Vineville Ave here in Macon. It could be from any kind of cleaner you use to clean with. It could be the laundry soap. It could be a cold. Hard to tell. I only use environmentally freindly products and have since my 4 year old was 1. He had severe ear infections until he was about 15 months. I removed all the bleach cleaner and dishwasher soap and laundry soap from the house. He was all better in a few months. Jsut remember what your doctor told you to stay away from while your were pregnant until your kids are about 3 years old. And that includes bleach. Remember. It causes severe upper respiratory problems. Check out this website. www.saferforyourhome.com. There is tons of information there about certain chemicals. Hope this helps.

If the dr gave them a nebulizer its in their chest no their heads. the neb does nothing for the head. you need to give them something that will help them cough the stuff up. if the nebulizer dosnt help, giving it to them at the right times and if they are screaming and crying when you do it it dosn't help, I have a 3 yr old with asthma and we have one. What did the dr say they had? Fi you can't get them to take the breathing treatments all the way till the machine starts making a hissing sound then take call the dr, there is also a great new cough syurp out there its a RX its got an antihistimine in it and is helps the mucus get coughed up.

in the mean time.if you've got a humidifier try running that at night. and getting some vicks vapor baby rub for their chests then a warm damp compress ( wash cloth dampened and put in the micro for 10-15 sec then wait till it cools down just enough to put it on their chest w/o burning) that can help loosen up that crud. That's a trick I use for my son's night time asthma.

Both of my kids have inhalers of albuteral for when their allergies get bad and they have the night coughing.

I haven't read all the responses, so sorry if this is a repeat! I get the Vicks vapor plug-in and put that in their room along with the humidifier. It does wonders! Any time before I lay them down to bed I do the saline nose drops, let those sit for just a minute, then bulb syringe them out. I found an ear syring that's white and a LOT shorter. I like this better, because I can't accidentaly poke in there too far. Plus it's a litte softer. But whatever you're comfortable with! Something I like to do during the morning when they are all stuffed, or again right before bed I'll stand in a warm shower with them, and put one of those Vicks tablets in (they are made to just drop on the shower floor and the water dissolves it), which between the warmth and the vapor cleares them up and usually even puts them to sleep in there. It's like magic! Once I started doing all this, all three of mine sleep through the night as if they weren't sick. Around here colds are worse than the flu. I think the trick is to keep doing All of it, and they help eachother out. With the vapor plugs, make sure it's close to them if they are in a large room, and use a new cartridge every time. If you do this with the humidifier it should be more effective. Good luck! I know it's so hard when the little ones can't breathe.

You have probably heard it or even tried it but both of my daughters react VERY well to vicks vapor rub(in a less conventional use). They get the colds with the mucus a few times a year and always end up with the croup and have to be on the neb treatments. The coughs are extremely persistant and the only thing that helps them to sleep is the vicks. I rub it on their chests and (the real trick) the bottoms of their feet. Cover their vicks coated feet with socks or footed PJs. I'm not sure why it works, but it does. An ER doc said his wife read it in an email and he tried it on his child and it worked so well that he was passing it on to his patients. I hope it works for your babies. Good luck. I hope you can get some sleep. ;)

Y.,
I am now a parent of grown children. My middle son had a lot of problems with congestion and ear infections when he was that age. One solution I found that worked for us was substituting some of his milk consumption for about 3 days. Instead of milk, I would give him Pedialite or something similar. This would control the level of congestion and would help him clear up faster. Ask your pediatrician if he or she agrees.

As the other woman said...saline, saline, saline. All over the world people use salt water to clean out their nasal passages. A recent study showed children whose parents use saline sprays or drops in their kids noses, have shorter colds.
I start using saline sprays as soon as either of my kids sounds stuffy. I just started this about a month ago, and the results have been amazing!
Also, they've pulled alot of cold medicines for kids off the shelf because they aren't being used correctly and are not shown to be worth the trouble.
Good luck.

When you took them to the DR did he/she test for RSV? If not, then I'd take them back for one. It is that time of the year for it. If they have been tested and it's negative then try using syline spray up their nose and then use a bulb (boogger sucker) to suck it all out. They won't like at all and the best position I've found to do this in is to lay the child on the floor with their head between your legs at your croutch area. This keeps their head from moving around too much. And put their arms under your legs (don't put too much pressure on the arms) this helps keep them from turning side to side. Talk ever so lovingly as you spray some sayline up each nostril, wait a few seconds and then suck it all out. My son used to hate having it done but after he had a mild case of RSV he realized he could breath afterwards and now will bring me a boogger sucker if he feels a booger up his nose!!

Good luck!! And I hope they feel better soon!
~S.

Have you had your home checked for mold and mildew? Do you have pets in the home? Does anyone smoke in the home? I ask because it could be allergies affecting them. If not, check to see what temperature you have your thermostat set to. If you keep your home heated higher than 68 degrees farenheit, you should probably have a humidifier running all day, not just at night. Also, the reason they are coughing more at night is because when you lie down, your lung capacity is decreased and you can't breathe as well (even when you're healthy). One thing I used to do with my own daughter was to place a pillow UNDER one end of her crib mattress (NEVER EVER in the crib!!!) If you can safely elevate the upper body by about six inches, it makes breathing a lot easier. And use saline, it works!!! Good luck!

Hey Y.,

This is going to sound really strange but try warm sugar water. It works, I don't know why it works but my mom told me she used it on me and my sister when we were babies and would literally strangle on our own mucous and I used it on my little boy when he was a baby. My pediatrician had told her to do that.

One VERY important piece of advice, NO HONEY!! It can cause a severe allergic reaction in your 5 month old. Be careful with vapor plugs at such a young age also. Have you used a cool mist humidifier at night? Any animals in the house?

Good luck!

C.

Y.,

I am all for natural remedies (I usually argue with the dr. about it) however please be careful not using the nebulizer, there is a reason they give it. That mucus can turn into pnumonia if not treated. If it was breaking it up and "helping" making them cough that's what you want, it's the only way to get them better.

Some relief remidies:
Vicks Vapor rub on their feet, then but socks on for bedtime.
Humidifier next to the crib or bed at night.
To help encourage the mucus to breakup, we pat pretty hard on their backs, yes I know this sounds bad but it's like little chops, the kind like an instructor tells you to do as a get to know your neighbor in a seminar (hope that make since, were not beating our children)

I hope this helps, I am the worst judge of a cough and everytime I take them in due to cough they say OH! the child has pnumonia, and I'm like tell them that their running all over the house like animals and look very healthy.

Just be careful not to let it go too long without going back to the dr,

Good Luck