Conference moira::parenting_v3

    Unfortunately there isn't too much anyone can do for colds. There are
    products that will help dry up that stuffy, runny nose (Pediacare
    Infant, etc). The paracedenol (sp? as well) will only help with fevers.
    
    Something that does help to keep the nose running versus clogging up at
    night is to put a thick book (phonebook works great) under the head of
    his mattress. When he sleeps it will allow gravity to keep he nose
    running rather then build up. It really only works if you don't have a
    wiggly kid who is all over the crib. 
    
    Remember, so long as his nose is blocked it will be difficult to suck
    bottles, breast feed or use a pacifier. Keep him comfortably warm but 
    not hot because he'll end up sweating and then get chills. At night a
    vaporizer may help to keep his mouth moist because he will have to
    breathe through it. I have always loved products like Vicks Vapor rub
    or vaporizing liquid. He'll probably be thirsty in the mornings.
    
    If the cold isn't getting progressively better, you might want to see
    your pedi, if you already haven't.

>    Infant, etc). The paracedenol (sp? as well) will only help with fevers.

Just for the record, Paracetamol, is the BP (British registered Pharmaceutical) 
name for Acetaminophen USP (US registered Pharmaceutical) known mainly by the
brand name Tylenol.

Paracetamol will relieve some of the discomforts that come with a cold as
well as reduce fever ... headaches from blocked sinuses ... muscular aches
and pains ... so if a small dose helps to settle a kiddie with a cold, by
all means use it, but if it has no effect, then discontinue.  This comment
is NOT intended as prescribing to others, and it is only what works for us.
Advice like this always comes with the caveat ... consult your own Doctor.

Stuart

    >I swear, I think when our babies get colds, they bother us much
    >more than they bother them. :-)

    Right on, Lori . . . when Kat was a baby, her doctor recommended
    brandy -- for me . . . 
    
    --bonnie

Again for reference, since I believe the base noter is in the UK from the
mention of Paracetamol ....

Triaminic is not available there as such.  North American cough and cold
syrups tend to be mixtures of 1 or 2 antihistamines to dry up the mucous
membranes, a decongestant, and an expectorant such as guafenasin or some
combination of the above.  Some have an added cough supressant such as
DM (Dextramethorphen Hydrobromide) or DH (dunno what that is) or codeine
(Which may not be available in some areas with or without a prescription).

Even the Triaminic family recipes vary between the US and Canada.

In the UK, the cough syrups (linctuses) vary between the all chemical
concoction as above to semi-natural types containing a litany of things
you'd never consider putting in your mouth .... like friar's balsam,
oil of this, gum of that.  One popular cough medicine is "Lemon, Honey
and Glycerine Linctus" ... purely a balm for a sore throat!

Probably the closest thing to Triaminic would be Pediatric or Children's
Benylin or Boot's Children's Catarrh Linctus.

Stuart

(British and N. Am. medicine sometimes seem worlds apart ... )

    Just saw something on TV yesterday on "What Every Baby Knows" program.
    Dr. T Berry Brazelton suggested to help unplug the ear canal from the
    inside - put nose drops in one nostril and immediately turn the child's
    head to that side. It will help the medication flow into the opening of
    the ear canal from the sinus cavity, instead of down the back of the
    throat.  Then do the other side.  The child should be reclined all the
    way, on his/her back, deposit the nose drops, then quickly turn the
    head.
    To get fluids into a child who refuses, use a turkey baster!  He said
    to have two people do it, one to hold the child's hands over his.her
    head, one to control the lower body and inject the liquids.  He said a
    child has two choices, choke or swallow, and will only make the wrong
    decision once!   I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with that "choke or
    swallow" thought, but if the child is bordering on dehydration it's
    worth a shot.
    

    To unstuff a nose in a baby use salt water!  In US you can buy
    saltwater nose spray/drops in the drug stores.  There is nothing else
    in them.  However, you can concoct your own.  A SMALL amt of salt in
    boiled cooled off water.  It works - really!

    A real popular remedy for congestion used by parents downunder is to
    put 2-3 drops of euclyptus oil on a handkerchief and put it near the
    baby's head at night -- and during the day have it pinned on the baby's
    back.
    
    Note -- if you do use Vick vapor rub be sure to rub petroleum jelly
    on the baby's chest first -- else the vapor rub can burn the baby's
    skin.
    
    Good luck.
    Liz

    I'd be REAL CAREFUL about the Turkey Baster trick, now I like a respect
    Dr. Brazelton, but this sounds like either HE's giving bad advise or
    it's been taken out of context and misinterpreted!  Aspiration
    pneumonia is what you get if you get the least amount of fluid in the
    lungs, this could be FATAL!  If the child is that close to dehydration,
    s/he belongs in an emergency room hooked up to an IV!  I can't believe
    someone would advise you to have two adults gang up agains this small
    child to get fluid into them.  There's enough good tasting things out
    there for the child to take willingly, think about Ginger ale,
    popsicles or juice sticks, jello, apple juice and so on.
     
    Good Grief let's forget this advise REAL QUICK!!
    Lyn
    

We've been fighting a cold (or allergies, the pedi isn't sure which) in 
Michael for several days now.  Our experience with the nasal aspirator has 
been that he cries so much while we're doing it that he makes more mucus 
than we remove, leaving him with a net *gain* in the nasal congestion.  
We've abandoned that instrument of torture...

Steve

    re .10, Steve
    Michael is older now, isn't he? 9-10 months or so? I found the same
    thing with the nasal aspirator - very useful in the early infant days,
    pure torture later on.  I found that Ryan's nose cleared much better
    just from sitting in a tub of warm water for his evening bath.

    
    I second Lynn's suggestion for clearing an older baby's nose at bath
    time.   The nasal aspirator was okay when they are too young to realize
    that he had the right to object :-).   Now, forget it.  My son isn't
    too keen on having his nose wiped with a kleenex either.  It does seem
    to help to moisten the kleenex with lanolin or vaseline.  Sometimes,  
    I just lube his nostril up with lotion and leave it for a 1/2 hour or
    so - softens the crusties - yuk!   However, it is easiest by far to 
    clear the nose at bath time.  
    
    Carol
    

    My son, who will be two months old on Thursday, also has a nasty cold. 
    I took him to the emergency room the other night and the doctor told me
    to make the salt water solution (1/2 tsp. salt to 7 tbsp. water) and
    put a couple of drops in each nostril.  Everyone I've told about this
    said that it works like a charm, well I don't think it's working that
    great.  I've also tried aspirating, and he screams bloody murder
    everytime.  I feel like I'm torturing the poor child.  I've also tried
    putting vicks on his chest, using a vaporizor with vicks in the
    well and elevating his head with a pillow while he's sleeping.  He
    won't drink anything but apple juice and water.  A few people (the
    doctor included) told me to try not to give him any formula for a couple 
    of days because that causes a lot of mucus.  The thing is, the doctor
    didn't tell me to give him any vitamin supplements or any tylenol or
    anything like that.  The poor kid is miserable and so am I because I
    haven't been able to sleep.  To make matters worse, every kid at his
    daycare (there's only 4 and they're all under a year old) have colds.
    
    Lori B.

    Definitely keep his head elevated. I'd skip the aspirator, especially
    if it's not doing anything.  Try a humidifier, close to the crib, after
    he's gone to sleep.  Keep him dressed loosely and not too many covers.
    And definitely give him tylenol.  Juice and liquids are really the best
    thing, they keep the mucus flowing. His appetite will probably pick up
    when he feels better.
    
    

    So it's o.k. to give a two month old Baby Tylenol, even if the doctor
    didn't suggest it?
    
    Lori B.

    Yes, it is okay to give a two-month old tylenol provided the dosage
    and frequency of administration is proper.   You may need to consult
    your pedi's office to find the proper dosage for your baby's weight.
    It seems to take about 1/2 hour for the pain-relieving effects to 
    kick in, for what its worth.   After that point, you should be able
    to determine if it is helping.  
    
    cj/

    
    I was giving my son tylenol since he was 4mo. old during his colds and
    teething.  ONLY fill it up to the 1/2 line though.  
    
    
    -Nadine
    

    I don't think I'm going to give it to him.  If the doctor wanted him to
    take it, I believe he would have told me to give it to him.  He has his
    two month check-up on Thursday, so I'll discuss it with the
    pediatrician at that time (hopefully his cold will be gone by than).
    
    Thanks again,
    Lori B.

    I've been giving my son Pedia-Care decongestant drops, on the advice of
    the pedi.  They work great!  His sinuses were so plugged, but I gave
    him the appropriate dose and his nose hasn't stopped running yet.  I
    know wiping those little noses can be bothersome, and it's very
    irritating to his skin, so I put vaseline under his nose and just take
    a swipe whenvever he isn't looking.  The pedi said they don't recommend
    giving children under the age of 3 anything with Dextromethorphan
    (DM)[please, a little consideration on the spelling!] because it's a
    cough supressant, and they don't want to supress a cough due to the
    danger of pneumonia.  I've also used a saline drop product called
    NASAL. It's easier than trying to mix it up yourself, and the dropper
    is easier to use.  Also try Ocean drops. 
    

    Well the sitter just called.  Seem Shane is sicker than we originally
    thought.  Not only is he coughing up a lot of phlegm, he's also
    projectile vomitting.  I'm concerned because he hasn't really had anything 
    but juice and water since Sunday (he did have an eight ounce bottle of
    formula on Sunday and about 2 ounces Monday and yesterday).  He also
    hasn't passed any stools since Monday.  He's urinating quite a lot
    though.  He can't go more than 2 hours without a diaper change when
    before he got sick I only had to change him just before he ate (about
    every 4 hours or so).  Is this normal?  I called the pediatrician and I 
    have to bring him in at 2:30 this afternoon (I can't believe they didn't 
    want to see him right away).
    
    Lori B.

    Lori,
    
    How was the baby?  I'm sure by now the cold is gone.
    
    Samantha got her first cold at 2 weeks old.  It was the worst 5 days of
    my life.  Being my first child and her being so young I was up all the
    time just looking at her.  Watching her breathe.  Listening to how
    difficult it was for her to get air due to her blocked nose.
    
    Samantha got very use to having the nasal aspirator, Ocean Drops,
    Infant tylenol and cool mist humidifier.
    
    To this day when Samantha gets a cold it always comes in the form of
    the Croupe (sp).  She is now 22 months old and will sit up and ask to
    have her nose "snorkled".  She will sometimes insist on helping with
    the aspirator, but we are able to clear her nose.
    
    She just came down with her first cold of the season and sure enough
    she has the Croupe.  We are giving her Tylenol and hoping that it won't
    go to her ears this time.
    
    Her Pedi mentioned that there are some children that a cold will
    immediately go into their ears.  It hasn't yet.
    
    I want to thank some of you for your responses around the use of Vick's
    Vapo Rub.  My mother used it on us kids all the time, but I heard
    somewhere (I don't remember where) that it opened the passages too wide
    and could cause the problems to worsen.
    
    Regards,
    Cheryl 

    Sorry I never put in another reply to this note.  I took Shane to the
    doctor's and thank goodness it was only a cold (my sitter exagerated a
    bit about the vomiting, he was spitting up in volume).
    
    Anyway, he got better and now has his second cold (and he's only 3
    months old).  This time it's a lot different than the first time.  He
    has a little bit of a sniffle and a runny nose and he's breathing a
    whole lot better than last time.  I think he may be teathing too.  He's
    sticking his whole fist in his mouth and he's chewing (not sucking) on
    it and anything else he can stick in his mouth.
    
    I guess I just worried a bit more than I should have.  Afterall, I am a
    first time mom.
    
    Lori B.