Going out of my mind with this baby

[CornishFairing]

Dd 8 months has a cold, tonight so far has been a repeat of last night. She can't / won't sleep lying down. Cot won't tilt up so I've got her in pram tilted up with white noise playing , humidifier on, dark except for nightlight, she has had calpol. She's crying uncontrollably. She only stops when I pick her up. I'm alone with her and am scared of falling asleep holding her. I'm so tired and I don't know what else to do!!!!!!!!!

If this happens again tonight try sitting up with her strapped to you in a sling. Atleast if you fall asleep, she won't fall as she'll be safely strapped in.

Viruses are so crap, all you can do is treat the symptoms and avoid dehydration while their bodies fight the thing off. As others have said, watch for signs it's going to the chest (grunting, chest sucking in around ribs) and otherwise just hang in there.

Put "Set It Up" in your Netflix queue - nice undemanding romcom to watch when you're trapped under a poorly baby.

Top Tip with a constantly unhappy baby and no sleep - subtitles on the TV. Means you can watch stuff at 3am without waking the whole house, and gives you something to concentrate on when you're going nuts and just need to koko.
Really hope she's better soon

Thanks all. Still bunged up unhappy baby. She did so want to sleep last night but kept waking up.Combination of sleeping on me and in pram. I made the bathroom into a bit of a sauna last night and it provided her with temporary relief waking will do it a couple of times today. She now has a cough too and a Mariella frostrup voice so thinking this may be progress ?!

You're doing so well, it's sooooo hard

Sorry if it's been suggested, but have you tried the calpol vapour nightlight? Honestly worked a dream on DD who was a very sicky baby!

A very wet towel on a radiator can also help add some moisture into air when sleeping and that can help. I used to Vicks on the towel too to get the menthol in the air.

Someone slept on her cot in her room all night last night !!! She did wake up 5 times coughing and need comforting / feeding back to sleep (there goes the once per night feeding routine I worked so hard to reduce to!) but I didn't have to cuddle her for hours.

I gave her 2 bathroom saunas yesterday , with a bowl of vicks in hot water on the floor too, it was really like a less hardcore sauna. She's very croaky this am and still a bit ill but progress I think.

Thanks all, for helping me through a long dark tunnel xxx

Nurofen do a cold and flu remedy type thing for kids. It's in a green labelled bottle. It was a lifesaver when my daughter had a really bad cough and cold. And calpol vapour night light. Xx