What to give a 12 1/2 month old when hey have a cold?

Answer 1

I hate to sound "standard" but this is a question for the pediatrician. They are the ones that will be able to tell you the correct dosage, if it's safe for your child with their medical history, etc. However...I will give you some suggestions as to what helped my daughter (she's in daycare so she's had MANY).

She likes Dimetapp. That seemed to make her happy and she loved the taste. She's also taken an Advil medication for colds. That helped, but Dimetapp seemed to work the best.

Non-medication wise, if he is stuffy, I would run a hot shower and let the room steam up. Then, take him in there and let him play (not in the showe) so the steam can loosen any mucus. He may start coughing, etc, but that can be good b/c it's loosening mucus. If you have a cool mist humidifier, you could always sit in front of it to help loosen mucus and prevent such dry coughs...and let him sleep in his room with it. Let him drink plenty of fluids to get to feeling better and eat soft foods since those tend to be "feel good" foods. You could also try popsicles for sore throats. A nice lotion massage from you would feel nice to them and cuddling with a book or favorite animal. When my daughter is sick (and when it's possible) I let her do what she wants...as in play time. We just run around the house where she wants to and it's an all day thing for her.

At night, you could prop him up to make breathing a bit easier and do whatever you can to keep him comfortable. One last thing is to give him Tylenol or Ibuprofen for pain if he's VERY uncomfortable, but again, talk to his pediatrician. He will be able to tell you exactly what to take and what you can mix (Dimetapp and Tylenol?) and also give you accurate dosages for his weight.

Answer 2

We discovered with our children that OTC cold remedies are essentially useless for really treating the symptoms. Most provide relief to the parents by sedating the child.

For congestion, a steamy bathroom helped more than anything to get some relief for middle of the night coughing and congestion. Acetaminephine (Tylenol) was the only relatively safe thing for fever although a low fever is probably best left alone. A high fever warrants a call to the pediatrician, if no relief can be achieved within an hour or so. Children spike high fevers; however, you can usually bring it down with a bit of acetaminephine. DO NOT give aspirin or ibuprofen to children under 12 with a fever.

At night, a nose spray or nose drops appropriate for age worked best. It actually relieved the nasal congestion and allowed the child to have normal sleep, which in turn seemed to help them recover faster. I adopted this same approach for my own colds and can honestly say I feel better faster just because I slept normally.

At breakfast, we introduced our children when they were preschoolers to cups of breakfast tea (served with milk and sugar) or warm cocoa. These drinks helped them with the morning congestion and sore throat symptoms. There is no cure for colds, but treating symptoms works. Do not give honey under age 2 as immature digestive systems can react badly to enzymes introduced by bees.

Answer 3

My 13month old is just at the tail end of a bad cold. We ended up having to put her on amoxicilin, but before we did that I was giving her the infant cold medicine with our pediatrician's knowledge.

Watch the cold closely, if it doesn't clear up n a week from the over the counter stuff, call the pediatrician. Also call dr immediately if the congestion moves into baby's chest.

You can also use baby vicks and the menthol vapor baths.

Answer 4

My pediatrician said not to give my 13 month old any cough syrup unless she is coughing hard enough to int erupt her sleep. Then I gave her 'Delsym', for a 20 lb child you give 1 ml. and it lasts 12 hrs. But if I were you, I would get a recommendation f/ your own pediatrician, this is just a suggestion f/ me, f/ my daughter's doc.

Answer 5

Medications for an infants and toddlers are not the same.You should ALWAYS ask your MD! Never give your baby a medication that was prescribed for a sibling or a friend's child.Many doses are calculated for safety using weight and age and previous Hx,and sensitivity. SW RNP

Answer 6

My son is 15 months old and i give him Tylenol Cold and Cough and it works great!

Answer 7

I would reccommend Triaminic Cold and Flu, but I am not specialized in pediatrics. I would advise talking to your doctor. I hope that I could be of assistance!

Answer 8

Infant Triaminic Cold and Cough tabs are awesome!! They are made for babies and work wonderfully without making a mess.

Answer 9

You can call your doctor or pharmacy to see what they recommend. I used the Little Colds infant drops formula for mine when they were that little and it seemed to work well.

Answer 10

Doctors will not give them nothing because they are to young. but you can give them Tylenol.. that's about ALL.. if its a cold or Flu there bodies will fight it off..