What do you do for your little ones when they have colds?

Ok...I wouldn't be asking this questions, had I not seen all the news lately about cold meds. Also about Laura's post about the baby boy who died in the ER and he had a cold! I am terrified about my babies being SICK! They both are running noses like crazy...a fever off and on here and there, but not constant. It seems to break and come back. DS has a terrible cough, that keeps everyone up at night. The pedi says it is just a cold and it has to work it's course. But I just wanted to know if there were somethings you guys might do with your babies to help with colds.

I seen those Sudacare Vapor plugs, and I bought some...just leary about using them. Anyone have experience with them?

 

Ok...I wouldn't be asking this questions, had I not seen all the news lately about cold meds. Also about Laura's post about the baby boy who died in the ER and he had a cold! I am terrified about my babies being SICK! They both are running noses like crazy...a fever off and on here and there, but not constant. It seems to break and come back. DS has a terrible cough, that keeps everyone up at night. The pedi says it is just a cold and it has to work it's course. But I just wanted to know if there were somethings you guys might do with your babies to help with colds.

I seen those Sudacare Vapor plugs, and I bought some...just leary about using them. Anyone have experience with them?

 

I start pounding my guys with PolyVisol vitamins and keep them well dosed with whatever medication does the trick with their symptoms so they are comfortable. I try to give them something that will help them sleep because sleep is the best remedy for a cold. I also try to help keep them well stocked on fluids all day-always having a baba of juice or milk or water available to them at all times. Just try to remember getting a cold may seem icky at the moment but in the long run your babies are building their immune system and will hopefully be better able to fights things off later in life.

 

I pretty much do nothing unless the fever is really high then I will give some ibuprofen. I have bought the vapor plugs but it bothers me that they only make them to last 8 hours, most children I know sleep longer than 8 hours at night.

 

At 18 months, my boys have never had any OTC cold meds. If they get a cold, I use the saline drops, suction their noses and use a cool mist humidifer in their room. I have given Jackson prescription cough meds only at night to help him sleep and at drs. instructions. I let him cough during the day to keep things moving (also on drs. orders).

I talked to the pharmacist once about OTC cold meds. I was worried about them not sleeping when taking it though. The pharmacist even recommended the saline drops and suction. No OTC.

HTH
Mendy

 

We use whatever meds I have on hand for them. I never buy Tylenol anymore, its failed us alot . I buy Advil alot. Most docs recommend 2 brands and rotate per doses. When it says 4-6 hours at 5 give the other brand then vice versa(somehow I think overdosing is more then probable). A doc told my SIL most OTC are underdosed thats why they say give at least and hour under the times listed even if it says 4 hours.
Alot of colds are in there future.

 

We use cool mist vaporizer, which you can actually put special Vicks medicine in. If they are running a fever I might give Tylenol or Motrin through the day, but I try to only give meds at naptime, and I usually use something that will help them sleep. If they're really bad at bedtime, I will also give a dose then. I also use the saline drops and suction, and I try to check their temp at least once a day to make sure nothing serious is developing.

 

I pump up the vaporizers at night. I'm not too worried about the safety...one of my girls is in a crib tent and the other never gets out of her crib. I have used the sudacare plug ins. I think they work, but they are also pricey, and I have found using the vaporubs just as good. If the coughing keeps them up at night, I do use some cough suppressant at night.

 

I asked the pedi the other day about the OTC med scare in toddlers and she said that it specifically referred to the pseudoephedrine ingredient in medicines. She recommeneded Benadryl or Dimetapp and that is what I have been using. She feels that if I don't get the mucous dried out it will just turn into an infection. I only use OTC stuff sparingly but it works when I do use it. Also, Tylenol and Motrin. I use Vicks vapo run on their chests as well. HTH.

 

We don't use any OTC cold medicines. We use plain Tylenol a lot (a lot!) but nothing for stuffiness, coughing, etc. I tried cough suppressant once (before the new study came out -- although that isn't the same drug, anyway) and it did nothing. So we just have a humidifier in their room every night (whether sick or not), and if they're sick I try to get extra fluids into them and use the saline drops if it gets really bad.

 

i ALWAYS use the saline spray whenever there is the slightest bit of stuffiness. I use Tylenol with fevers or with crankiness that i can't figure out. I use a cool mist humidifier when they are stuffy, and benadryl at night only for the first few nights of the cold to help them sleep better and hopefully prevent them from waking up in the middle of the night all miserable and stuffy.

 

$5 saline for babies. it's an aerosol can and alot easier to use than any other saline. It really helps move that mucus out of the sinuses.

 

Slaton has a cold now and our pedi told us to give him Triaminic Cold and Allergy or Dimetapp Cold and Allergy along with Mucinex DM for his cough and congestion. We also use the cool mist humidifier while they are sleeping.

 

For what it's worth, I work in a pharmacy and the best otc cold med I've seen so far for the little ones is Dimetapp DM along with saline spray to thin out thick nasal mucus and a humidifier (either cool mist OR warm)....anything to add moisture to an otherwise dry room. Even if you can't suction out the nose (due to older ones being such fighters), keeping the mucus thinned out helps it drain on its own rather than staying up in the nasal passage where it can provide a breeding ground for bacteria causing sinus or ear infections. Nothing is fool proof though so don't ever be surprised if all your efforts are in vain and you still end up with an infection. These little kids are only so resiliant to germs. Funny I saw this article because I ended up taking mine to the urgent care yesterday evening and both had ear infections (one much worse than the other), the Emily's literally came on in the blink of an eye. She was fine and then BAM...woke up yesterday morning with fever, gave her a dose of Motrin with the intention of taking them to the doc today but Daddy had to pick them up from "school" around 3:00 because Emily's fever was back. They both looked pretty ill, so it was time. Amber had been, regardless of our efforts, steadily getting worse over the course of the week. Good luck to us all!

 

I usually give them 2 tsp of a cough and cold medicine, 1 tsp of Motrin or Tylenol (alternating the 2 if fever), and I also found some "Cold Relief Pops" at Wal-Mart that help with colds but look like suckers. I let then suck on them until they get too small, but usually they give them up anyways. They usually make them sleepy. I also give them plenty of Pedialyte. Usually it lasts for 2 or 3 days and they get over it. My girls like to be cuddled when they don't feel good, so that's what I do.

 

My girls are 3 and 1/2 and never get meds for colds except the vapo-plugs (I use the benelyn plug-ins). They work wonders for us! It helps them breathe over night and they get a good night's sleep their colds don't escalate. We also have a juicer and do fresh fruits and veggies and add blueberries to make yummy smoothies so they get lots of vitamin C to ward off bugs. It has worked very well so far this year. I'm knocking on wood!!