My daughter is sick, need your help!?

Question

My daughter is 2 and starting with a cold and she sounds really stuffed up from her nose. Theres no night clinics near by and I don't want to drag her to an E.R, any home remedies any one can suggest?

Thanks to everyone who replied. I took a little advice from all of you.

Answer 1

if you have Vick's vaporub, then rub some on her feet, put a sock on them before bedtime, as well as some of the suggestions above.

I wouldn't worry about taking her in to the doc until Monday, unless she takes a turn for the worse. Like a very high fever, complaining about pain in her chest area, shallow breathing.

Answer 2

She should be able to take infant cold medicine, just read the dosage information. Also, using a vapor rub, especially the infant vapor rub, is okay at that age.

Also, use an infant nasal spray (saline). Spray one or two spurts in each nostril and try to get her to sniff. Give it around 30 seconds, then use an aspirator (snot-sucker). You'll want to use the hospital grade ones, with the large bulb and narrow, rubber tip, not the smaller ones with a wide plastic tip.

Run a cool steam vaporizor or humidifier. If you don't have one, take her in the bathroom with a couple toys or blanket or book or something. Close yourselves up inside, put towels along the bottom of the door, and run the shower really hot, letting her breathe in the steam.

If she is running a fever, and it's not over around 101 degrees, alternate doses of tylenol and ibuprofen until it goes away. If it persists, or it goes over 101 degrees, call the doctor's office and leave a message with the answering service to have a nurse call you back, or just take her to the ER.

Make sure she drinks lots of clear liquids like white grape or apple juice, water, or kool-aid.

Please, call the doctor's office in the morning. I know it's Saturday, but a nurse should be able to answer your questions.

Answer 3

First of all, you didn't mention if she has a fever or how high it is. If she doesn't have a fever over 102 then the dr. is just going to laugh at you and send you home. I have medical experts in my family and I hear all kinds of stories. Just give her some tylenol for the fever, put a humidifier in her room, put some vicks baby rub on her chest, give her looots of fluids (no sports drinks or sodas), mostly juice and if she isn't eating at all give her pedialyte, dress her cooly, give her a bath w/ temporate water, put a cool cloth over her head, and give her looots of cuddles and love, she'll be fine. My daughter's been sick 3 times and I've never called the dr. b/c I know what to do. Educate yourself. Look up symptoms online, in parenting books, and parenting magazines (I read all of these things daily). Stay informed and up-to-date always so you're ready for anything that comes your way. Oh, and don't give her cold medicine, it doesn't work in babies and young toddlers. You'll just make her immune to it so when she's older and really needs it, it won't work. Calm down, take a deep breath and go be w/ your baby. When my daughter is sick, I like to hold her sitting straight up w/ a humidifier on a side table in the living room so she can breath. Yes I know I don't get any sleep this way, but its for my daughter. As her nose clears up, she can go back to bed. :) It won't last long. If she's really clogged up steam up the bathroom and stand in there w/ her for a few minutes. Remember those liquids, you don't want her to dehydrate, then you would have to take her to the hospital.

Answer 4

A cold is really no reason to take a kid to a clinic or the ER. A cold has to run it's course and you can only do things to make her more comfortable. Take her temperature and keep track of it. The only time you really need to be concerned is if it gets up (and stays up) past 102 or 103. If she has a fever it might be viral, just take her to her regular doc tomorrow. You can get a fever down by alternating Tylenol and Motrin. (Motrin always works better on my kids) To keep her comfortable, try a warm bath to break up the congestion, a little Vick's on her chest. Give her lots of juice, water and Popsicles to keep her hydrated and feed her some chicken noodle soup. Try to avoid over the counter medications if you can. Recent studies have shown these to be more harmful than helpful. Let her rest and in a couple of days she should be back to normal. Good luck :)

Answer 5

I agree with the vaporizer but I would also put a towel or blanket under her mattress to elevate her a little, so she is not just flat in bed.
I am not sure if she can blow her own nose but if not (as much as she and you are not going to like it) use saline and the "booger sucker" and try and get some of the stuff out of there.
You can also use childrens Benedryl (not sure if I spelled it right) I am not sure on how much you can give her. It depends on her size. I would try a 24 hr pharmacy and ask them.
Just don't freak out! Check her through out the night and make sure that she is ok. You may have to repeat the saline and booger sucker or fill up the vaporizer again, but everything will be ok.

Answer 6

Run the shower as hot as you can and steam up the bathroom and sit with her in there (not in the shower, of course, on the toliet or something), the steam works wonders. Also, mix a little salt with some warm water to make a saline solution then gently drop it with a dropper of some kind into her nose (do this carefully, too much can cause irritation). Give her a cup of warm herbal tea with honey. prop her up on pillows to sleep so the mucus will drain from her head. Rub her nose gently with your fingers on both sides down her face. Aspirate the nose if possible. hope she feels better.

Answer 7

get a humidifier and some vicks vapor rub. Use saline drops in her nose. keep her hydrated, she may not have much of anapetite so give her whatever she will eat. A cold does not need a dr visit, it just wastes your money and time, since they will give you the same advice. Keep an eye on her temp, if she develops a fever over 101 then you should call her dr for advice.

Answer 8

I have used the humidifier and the alchol free saline spray .. Noseys... I also put vick vapor rub in a wash cloth ... and fold it and put it in her night shirt( I do this so she does not get irritated on her chest( has sensitive skin).... I use the Mucinex cold and congestion liquid for children... but she is almost 3 ....

Best of luck, I hope she feels better soon

Answer 9

To make her more comfortable you might puta a cool water humidifier in her room fairly close to where she sleeps. the cool mist will loosen her stuffy nose. Also if you have childrens cold medicine that would make her more comfortable. I used to put a little vix vapor rub on their chest and the aroma from that would loosen stuffy nose. I don't feel that a E.R. is required. Only if she worsens, and her chest is tight with congestion. If she has a fever give her childrens aspirin or crush an adult aspirin about 1/2 of an aspirin. and get her to take it in a teaspoon with a little bit of water, or sugar water. repeat it about every 4 hours.

Answer 10

For a cold I would suggest fluids and a humidifier in her bedroom (if you have one) to help ease her nasal congestion. (If you don't I know you can get them at Fred Meyer near the pharmacy...that's where we bought ours!)

Check her temperature to see if she is running a fever. If she is running a low-grade fever (less than 101), give her a fever-reducer like children's Tylenol (in whatever dosage her pediatrician has specified to you) If her fever is over 101, and it doesn't come down within thirty minutes of dosing her with Tylenol, I would go ahead and go to the ER...just to play it safe.

Other than that just keep an eye on her. As long as it's just a stuffy nose she should be fine until morning.