how to treat 3.5month babys cold & flu?

Question

my 3.5month son is sneezing, has blocked nose, and coughs as well, like dry cough. it was really difficult at night, he was having difficulty in breathing.i dunno whether to cover him, coz he sweats a lot too, especially feeding time, besides the weather is hot.hes such a nice baby, i wont even knw if he has fever or some other discomfort.

Answer 1

unfortunately there's not much you can do except give him tylenol and/or motrin (yes you can give them together) saline nasal drops to loosen what's in his nose and use a humidifier at night. If he feels warm take his temperarure, if it's over 100.3 call his doctor. Different doctors have different theories on what to do with a fever. If he's really having difficulty breathing, like wheezing, nasal flaring, if you can see his ribs when he's breathing then call your doctor now. Hope he feels better!

Answer 2

Since the weathe is hot, dont overdress him. A light cotton outfit should be enough. May be some light blanket. Change him whenever he sweats.

Now this is out of experience, when my baby had cold this is what I did regularly,

1. Apply and gently massaged baby vicks vapor rub on his chest ,back and neck. It helped him a lot to breathe easily.

2.When I hear loud breathing because of a blocked nose, I would use Ocrean Spray saline drops. Put a couple of drops into each nostril, wait for a minute and suck it out using a bulb syringe.

3. Keep him propped up or inclined.

4. Give him breaks while feeding to help him catch his breath.

5. Dont leave windows open at night if they are directly in the same direction where the baby is.

6. Always disinfect your hands before touching the baby.

7. Take him to a doctor soon and demand a chest x-ray to check out if his lungs are clear and there is no pneumonia. While the doctor might hear your baby's breathing and say his lungs are clear, I woud still insist an x-ray because sometimes lungs sound clear where as an x-ray shows the pneumonia. Dont take any changes.

8. Also try infant tylenol if baby has slight temperature.

Hope the little one feels better soon! Sending loads of get well wishes to the little one! It must be so hard on him and ofcourse you but I am sure he is going to fine soon! Take care!

Answer 3

If your baby is running a temperature, you should give him the infant version of tylenol and/or motrin. you can use one and/or the other but if you use the same kind, only once every 4 hours, but i always found it more effective to use both. this way you can give it every two hours and the fever will probably go away quicker. first dose tylenol, second dose motrin, third dose tylenol... you get the picture. If he is sweating its probably because of a fever. keep him comfortable but dont cover him. try to keep him elevated as much as possible but not for a long period of time. he still needs to stretch out every so often. Saline drops are good for a stuffy nose, this helps to clear out the mucous easier. however you still need to use a humidifier, this helps to not only clear the nose, but chest congestion as well. and if you dont have one, do what someone said earlier about the steamy bathroom. there are also baby versions of vapor treatment. there are lotions and even a "Vicks Baby Rub" but make sure you clean the area where you placed the vapor treatment before taking him outside. For the baby to have trouble breathing is one thing, but if he is wheezing, i would suggest a trip to his pediatrician... Its a good idea to keep him as clean and as comfortable as possible... Less pain equals quicker recovery. I wish your little one a speedy recovery..

Answer 4

I found using a humidifier in the baby's room very helpful for nighttime coughing. Also, you might try some Mentholatum - a dab of it just under the nostrils will help clear out his congestion (or rub some on his bare chest).

There are saline nose drops you can get (like at Walgreens or other drug stores) which can help with congestion too, but he's too young for most over-the-counter children's cold remedies.

If you have a rubber nose bulb, you can try expressing the mucus out of his nose yourself, but it can be kind of challenging if he is squirmy - you certainly don't want to stick it in too far.

Take him to the doc for a check if you're concerned about his overall temperature, or if the cough turns wet and phlegmy.

Answer 5

For the stuffy nose, use saline drops and the suction thingy. Don't suction if you can't see anything there, it will just irritate their nose and make it swollen and more stuffy. Run a humidifier in his room, that will help too. Don't cover him, it's a suffocation hazard. If you think he might have a fever, take his temperature.

Our dr told us that we can use infant Tylenol, infant Motrin, etc if there's a fever, but that the AAP is now recommending no over-the-counter cold meds for babies under 2. Take him to the dr if you think that he's sick. I hope he's feeling better soon!!

Answer 6

well, if he is sweating and if his back feels really hot more than usual, you should take his temperature. you can give him baby Tylenol 0.4ml only every 4 hours. i did this when my daughter became sick.

if his nose is stuffy, you can take him into the bathroom, close the door and turn on the shower to really really HOT. sit on the toilet and wait for the bathroom to get really steamy. this steam helps clear out the baby's nose and helps him breathe better. try feeding him a bottle this way, since he's able to breathe out of his nose then, maybe he will be able to drink from a bottle. this also works really well.

and if you are worried about keeping him hydrated feed him an ounce of pedialyte every 15 minutes.

i hope this helps.

Answer 7

they do make infant decongestent for babys called pedia care cough and cold a bulb syringe allways worked well with my childeren and keep in mind that it could turn into r.s.v if your not real carefull and for that the baby must be hospitalized and kept in a cool mist tent if you dont know 100 percent sure its a cold or the flu then take it to hospital and ask for them to check for the r.sv it is a common cold to adults but dangerous for infant my son had it and they had to give him a virus to get rid of the r.s.v good luck and let us know how it turns out make sure you take temp every hour,and watch his tummy if his tummy sucks in like a roll position when he breaths he is haveing difficult breathing and should really have a breathing treatment ,

Answer 8

Hugs to you and your wee one. It is always tough when they are sick. My suggestions would be to plop him in his infant car seat to sleep so that he is not flat on his back and can drain a bit more easily. Also, try a bath. Pick up some "Vapor Lotion" It is made by Johnson and Johnson and it is the equal to an adult Vick's Vapor Rub. They also have Vapor Bath that is good.
Hope he is well soon!

Answer 9

vaporizer or humidifier at the crib side
salt water nose drops and a bulb syringe to suck out the nose
half strength formula (if ok with paeditrician)
propped up on lots of pillows or put in car seat and prop up

Answer 10

Cough is caused by a number of ailments.
It can be treated by over the counter medicines
or home remedies. More information available
at http://ailments.in/cough.html