suggestions for dealing with the first cold

These poor babies. The girls had each had one ear infection in their 8 months of life. Now, we've been in day care all of three weeks and they've already had three different illnesses...all overlapping. Karina had an ear infection and then they both caught Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease at day care and now they've both got colds. I don't know how to help them feel better. We've been giving Baby Motrin which seems to help some. I have saline drops and have suctioned out their noses. Jeepers. You would think the world was coming to an end when you have to do that. What else can I do to help them? They aren't eating well or sleeping well. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

Go into the bathroom and turn on the shower for a steam 'bath'. It may help with their breathing, clear their noses out. :hug: I hope it get better soon! It's no fun having one sick kid let alone two!

 

Do you have a humidifier in their room? Also, you could put a phone book under the head of their crib mattress to keep their heads elevated a little. (If they sleep with their heads at one end of the crib, mine don't.)

 

We did exactly what Jackie said above when our guys got a cold (from me of all people). We put a little Vicks Vapor rub in the tub, and ran it full of steaming hot water, and set them strapped in their car seats in the room. It worked wonders since they can't take decongestants.

 

QUOTE(aimeethomp @ Sep 16 2008, 06:53 PM) [snapback]983160[/snapback]
Do you have a humidifier in their room? Also, you could put a phone book under the head of their crib mattress to keep their heads elevated a little. (If they sleep with their heads at one end of the crib, mine don't.)


I looked at humidifiers, but I couldn't figure out which kind to buy.

 

We're just getting over our first cold. We raised their mattresses up a little, ran the humidifier (we have the Vicks Humidifier), suctioned their noses and used saline drops. I hate doing the saline drops, but I really think it helps.

Also, lots of hugs and snuggling!
I hope they feel better soon. I'll be you and DH are exhausted. Mine had a really hard time sleeping, poor things.
Beth

 

We use a Vapor plug-ins, I think made by Pedia-care. It esentially releases the menthol vapor for 8 hrs which helps them breathe better. I think there's one that Vicks makes as well.

Hope your little ones feels better soon.

 

We have a warm mist humidifier. It is great. We are just getting over our first colds also.

 

I found the vapor plug-ins to be a little too strong. But I swear by a warm mist humidifier with a little Eucalyptus oil in it. I also love the pediacare vapor rub. I learned on one of the forums to rub it on their chests and feet - dont ask, but it works!! Good luck!

 

We have a regular cool mist humidifier. We keep it on in their room when they are sick. I totally feel for you. When my girls were in daycare, I think it was a month before they actually were there all 5 days in a week. The first week they got fevers, the second week a cold, which turned into an ear infection for Meara, then they both got rosealla (sp?), etc etc etc. I was at the pedi constantly. Everyone told me that while its rough now they won't get sick when they start kindergarten.

 

Hi, Beth--we have basically had a constant litany of colds since we started daycare also. We have a cool mist humidifier; but I have to say that I think it actually made DS's congestion worse. We ran it every night for a long while with no improvement; and then DH suggested just leaving it off for a night, and he was better in the morning (not perfect, but better). This is not to say that humidifiers are always bad--I know they work for some folks, you might just try experimenting a little bit.

The steamy bathroom works the best for us. One of mine gets so congested in his sinuses that the bulb syringe/saline strategy doesn't really yield any results. The steam is the only thing that gets things moving. Haven't tried the Vick's yet; but we're battling daycare cold #842 right now (sigh). So I plan to pick some up and see if that speeds things along. He ended up with a horrible sinus infection and ear infection last cold--I think because he was so blocked for so long that all kinds of nasties were able to grow in his sinuses.

Hugs to you and good luck!

 

I think the problem with humidifiers is that you have to keep it really clean (or use those things you put in and change every month to keep it clean) or you get mold and it just makes things worse...

We just recently put one in our bedroom because I have congestion issues at night... it really makes it better for me. We bought the wrong kind at first though, a cool mist one but with invisible mist, which really doesn't do much except keep the room more humid. Now we have the filterless vicks cool mist humidifier.