My son is 2 months old and has a cold. He has already been examined by his doctor. I'm wondering if any of you know some tips or tricks to help a newborn feel better while suffering from cold symptoms.
I'm an older mom of two grown boys and 2 little grand-daughters (22 months & 10 months) that we have overnight often due to their parents work schedules and when they get to feeling under the weather like the baby has lately we just snuggle up together in grandpa's rockers with her favorite blankie and I hum to her to let her know its ok to feel yucky (this has been going on since she was 3 months old when the girls came to live with us) and also with her sister when she was little and didn't feel well too. Doctors can tell you only so much, but with cold symptoms they will be so much more comfy if they are upright - like when cuddled up with you in a rocker or recliner - hope this helps!
You could use Little Noses or BabyAyr and put a drop in each side of his nose, let it sit for a minute and clean his nose out with a bulb syringe. He won't like it, but if his nose is stuffy, he'll feel better afterwards. It's so hard to see your little guys sick. Hang in there. Congratulations!
just fyi if you can't find the little noses brand, regular saline nasal spray works well too. we used a humidfier with our little one, when he got to three months we put baby vick on his chest, also you can ask your pharmacist about the correct dosage of tylenol for his age if he seems achy or fussy, this may help him sleep, along with elevating his head
I use saline and a battery operated aspirator to clean out my boys noses. The battery operated one works way better than a bulb. You can find them online from walmart, target, and one step ahead. (I know you'd have to wait for it, but they are totally worth getting for the next cold they would surely get) The sleeping on an incline helps too. And another product I've found to help is those little vapor fans. It's in the pharmacy with the cold remedies. I hope you're little sweetie gets better soon!
try a cool mist humidifier and baby vicks, that's about all we can do for newborns and infants these days. and if your baby has some congestion and nasal stuff going on, try to elevate his head while he sleeps so he can breathe easier.
Melissa,
I have several tricks I used for colds: raise one end of his mattress so he sleeps propped up, frequently use salt water nose drops (1/4 tsp per cup of water - I usually use warm water) Use a qtip to gently drip it into his nose while he is laying on your outstretched leg with his head down hill. This just helps loosen up the congestion and get it running. If he is having a hard time nursing, offer a bottle of water occasionally to keep him hydrated. The unfun trick is using the aspirator. Push one nostril closed and suction the other quickly. Don't pick at babies noses with fingernails. Use a wet wash cloth gently. Humidifyers also help but I don't know what is on the market today as far as safety goes. Good Luck.
You may already know this but if you prop your newborn's head up just slightly, he or she can breath easier. I put blankets under the mattress on one side so he was slighly elevated and it worked great.
At 8 weeks my daughter had an awful one, bad enough for me to worry as she would not eat. This sounds horrible but worked for us like a charm, if he is taking a bottle put his bottles in the fridge, the cold formula helped my daughter a ton, I even gave her cold breast milk. It thinned the mucus, I did saline drops and a humidifier. I didn't prop up her crib as she was a wiggler anyway. That is about all you can do at this age. Find out when you can give them a vapor bath too, it may be 6 mos, but Johnsons and Johnsons has this great baby bath stuff you put them in warm water and the vapors help clear their passageways! My kids both loved those baths. Even sit him on your lap on a rug in the bathroom and put the steamy water on, that will help his nose open up.
When my son was that age he got the same thing. I did a lot of what the other moms suggested plus, I would take him into the bathroom and let the HOT water run for a while. The steam would loosen the congestion in his nose a great deal. It seemed to relax him too. I would hold him up on my chest and let the steam work. Just don't stay in there for too long, you don't want to over heat him. I would put my son in a little onezie. Good luck!!
What helped my baby when he was stuffy, runny, and weak was to turn the shower on as hot as it goes. . .and no, not put the baby in it. Let the steam fill the bathroom and sit him in a bouncy chair or hold him. This worked great and helped me get a shower in while he sat in his bouncy chair. Also, a humidifier (in the rooms you spend a lot of time in with your baby). Good Luck
Get a humidifier. It works wonders! Put it near his crib while he sleeps, and he will breathe much better.
My four month old had a cold about 3 weeks ago. It turned into RSV and she had to be hospitalized, so just keep a close eye out. But before then I bought vicks baby rub and rubbed it on the bootom of her feet and put socks on and it seemed to help her congestion and cough. Also a humidifier works wonders with saline drops and suction.
Brittany G.
Whenver our girls get sick we use a hummidifier while they sleep. When they were babies we would bring them with us whenever either of us showered. We would sit them in their bouncy seats (now we just let them sit wherever they are comfortable in a steamed filled bathroom). The steam really helps with the congestion.
My 3 month old caught a cold from her older sister last month. I found that Little Noses saline nose spray helped a ton. Just spray up his nose wait a few seconds a then suck them out with a nose sucker. He wont like it but it should help. Also I gave her a warm bath every night. Good Luck!
A warm mist humidifier worked well for my little one when she had colds. When they are that little there really isn't much you can do for them:(
I also have a newborn under the weather. I was a humidifier next to her bed, with her matress proped up a little so she is not lying flat on her back. Baby Vicks helps also. Keep a close eye on the him, my babys cold just turned into Croup.
I recommend nursing whenever the baby wants day and night and keeping him held on your body. There are natural antibodies in breastmilk that heal children fast! I know from nursing my own that it can be challenging when their nose are stuffy, but stick with it. You can even put a drop or two of your magic milk in his nostrils to help heal his tissues. And, keeping him close to your body day and night will soothe you both. This will pass...
My baby girl got a cold at 2 weeks old and it's so pitiful! We used a cool mist humidifier, put a couple books under one end of the crib to elevate her head, i found some Johnson and Johnson soothing vapor cream which I put on her chest and back, and I even used the smallest amount of desitin on her nose when it got too red and sore from wiping it all the time. If they have trouble sleeping, I ended up sitting fairly upright and held my babies all night a couple times when the cold was at it's worst... and prayed a lot. :)
I found keeping a cool mist humidifier going 24/7 in the baby's room to be helpful - especially in this dry Colorado weather! I had my babies in Minnesota but the mist really helps. Also, you can raise the head of the crib/bed a little. Tylenol helps some - check with your physician. Good luck!