I know you aren't "supposed" to give kids under 4 y/o any meds now but is there anything I can give my 2 year old to stop this constant stream of SNOT coming out of her nose??? It is mostly clear, once in awhile a little yellow but flowing like the river nile for 4 days now driving me crazy. She feels fine and is playing like normal, no fever, just a slight cough (prob from all the snot draining)... I know it is a cold and not allergies because my older two have it also and they all got it within 1-2 days of each other, only they blow their noses on their own. Already doing the humidifier... can I give her a little benadryl? Anything?? He nose is getting so raw from wiping away the snotties. Thanks!
Hi Jamie you cab give kids under 4 medicine, at 2 I gave my kids dimeatap and pediacare for colds. J.
Updated
Hi Jamie you cab give kids under 4 medicine, at 2 I gave my kids dimeatap and pediacare for colds. J.
Like has been mentioned below, nasal saline (from a neti pot, or I prefer the kind that comes in a spray bottle like Simply Saline because it is easier with little ones) can help keep the nose clean to reduce the likelihood of a sinus infection. I also have heard that benadryl dries things up but that prevents the body's natural protection system (gobs of gross snot) from working. So, I do the nasal saline, humidifier and clear liquids to keep their noses running to avoid worse problems.
I put lanolin on my kids' noses (and mine) when they've got bad runny noses. I had some leftover from when I was nursing and gave it a try. It doesn't sting like the Vicks or petroleum jelly my mom used to put under my nose and it provides a nice barrier to avoid getting chapped. Hope everyone's feeling better soon.
Suck it out with a nasal asperator.
hyland makes a homopathic cold "medicine" that we give our 4 year old. It works well and it doesn't have the risks that other medicines have.
Your child is snotty because their body is being efficient at pushing the stuff out. If you can stick it out, just for the next few days, please consider it.
A cautionary tale: A few months ago, our son was coughing a lot at night because he was sniffing and couldn't blow his nose. We gave him a bit of benadryl before bed to decongest him, so we could all sleep. Long story short, the benadryl dried him out too much, and he came down with a sinus infection that caused a fever and required antibiotics for him to heal. It took him a while to recover. Now we are using a homeopathic tincture called "Kick -It Sinus" from Wish Garden herbs and he's doing better. (I used it earlier and fought off a cold very quickly.) If you can avoid doing the benadryl, please do. It could possibly seriously prolong the cold, as it did with us.
And soft tissues make a difference. Consider the lotion ones.:)
Hi Jamie.
My LO also goes through this from oct-april each year. (He is 2 1/2). Some thoughts:
1. Kleenex has a tissue with aloe and vitamin e that is great for preventing red noses.
2. I also put a bit of aquaphor on his nose to keep it from getting red.
3. as for teh cause of the red nose, my dr. says that this is normal and not to do anything. i would ask your dr. before using any meds.
hth. gl. jilly
We use homeopathic similisan cold and mucas relief (for kids) with our two year old. It is all natural, and really helps a lot when she has a cold... but it doesn't have stimulants or anything in it that she could O.D. on like Tylenol or Aspirin.
With kids this age you don't want it "stuck" in there... Other than that, blow her nose frequently, and maybe give her a warm bath with a gentle "face rub" to help get her sinuses flowing freely. My two year old likes to blow her nose on her own, (i hold the tissue or cloth- she blows). I found that a damp washcloth to blow into makes her less raw than regular tissues OR lotion tissues.
Other than that, give her plenty of rest and comfort foods!
Good Luck!
-M.
Here is a link to the similisan site:
http://www.similasanusa.com/kids-cold-mucus-relief
A cold typically lasts 7-10 days. If she still has snot after 10 days, get her checked for a sinus infection. Otherwise, there's nothing you can safely give a 4 yo. Humidifier and push liquids.
Have you tried teaching him to blow? that helps some. Give him his own kleenex so he can wipe it himself, my little granddaughter does it herself, it's so cute. boys are kinda weird, like they dont even care that snot is running into their mouths (I think its a male thing, lol), girls are usually more precocious and dont like to have a dirty face. He wont be two forever, that's the part you hafta keep telling yourself. One day there will be no more snot bubbles :)
Instead of a humidifier try a Vicks Vaporizer. We use ours whenever we get a cold-attack in the house - seems to help. Also, I use wet wipes on the youngest nose since he does not quite have the whole "blow" concept down yet (he is 18 months).
Good luck. A cold this time of year seems so hard to shake...
~C.
Use a Neti-pot! You can get one anywhere - Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens. It will be weird for her at first, but it will really help.
