To see GP for baby blocked nose?

[coffeeforone]

My DS (2.5 years) has had cold symptoms for past few days - runny nose and cough but no temp. He is well enough to go to nursery.

Since last night my 3 week old DS now has a runny/stuffy nose, heavy breathing through his nose, sneezing and a slight cough, and maybe a little more irritable (though he does generally have a lot of wind so it's difficult to tell). He is taking his feeds ok (just very grunty/sniffy). No temp.

Should he be seen by a GP for this because he is so young?

A GP will never mind seeing such a young baby, if you are concerned just go and don't give it a second thought. It's awful when they are sick when so little!

If you are not concerned, a bath in a steamy room can work wonders, baby vicks on the soles of the feet and also... snot suckers are fab!

To add to the great advice you've already been given , the calpol plug-in is brilliant and also use saline nasal drops to clear his nose. The trick is to do all of these things before he gets too congested as it's harder to shift the longer you leave it.

What is the Calpol plug in? A menthol type thing?

Please look out for signs of difficulty breathing that could be bronchiolitis (skin pulling in around ribs when breathing etc) - small babies can go downhill fast. At that age if they’re struggling to breathe or feed you should get them checked out.

Unfortunately you can’t use the calpol plug in at that age

Sterimar nasal spray and a nose frida did help when mine were small

I wouldn’t take to gp on those symptoms. Would use a pig in decongestant and keep an eye, but really unless symptoms worsen, persistent high temp uncontrolled by calpol/breathing difficulties like stridor or wheeze, would care for him at home.

@SinkGirl , I stand corrected! Sorry op.

You can use a calpol plug in from 3 months. Or baby/child olbas oil.

www.calpol.co.uk/our-products/calpol-vapour-plug-and-nightlight?psid_medium=cpc&psid_source=google&psid_term=%5Bcalpol%20plug%20in%5D&psid_content=text&psid_campaign=go-gb-eng-ps-calpol-bp-exa-rn-products

I think given he's so young that I would go. As a pp said, a doctor wouldn't mind seeing such a small baby for any concern.

Saline drops are brilliant for unblocking stuffy noses. Perhaps give those a go before going to the GP.

It’s okay - I just remember being frustrated that I couldn’t use one when my twins were 2 months old!

But if the baby is feeding, breathing ok (I.e. no wheeze) and no temperature or signs of pain, then there’s not really much point in going to the GP. A trip to a pharmacist might allay concerns without using a surgery appointment?

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/coughs-colds-ear-infections/

NHS website has useful info.

The plug ins are great - I use them for myself when I have a blocked nose. :)

As he's so young I would definitely go just to rule out any signs of infection that may be brewing.

A few drops of expressed breast milk up the nose using a syringe works wonders.

Sorry, I wouldn't go to the GP for a stuffy nose. DC2 recently had a full on green snotty cold at a similar age. But much like your situation I knew that's all it was because DC1 had it too. There's not much you can do other than everything that has been suggested above and that's all the GP will say. Unless they stop feeding/weeing/pooing or start having difficulty breathing I really wouldn't worry.

I swear by the snuflebabe (baby vicks) and having them in the bathroom with me while I have a hot shower with a few drops of olbas oil.

A long walk out, well wrapped up, in the fresh air always seems to work wonders for my two as well.

Gosh - I’m a twat and focussed on the 2.5 year old rather than the 3 week old (so ignore me going on about plug ins). Saline drops worked quite well when my 3 were younger. I remember each of them got a cold in the early days and was a PITA feeding them when they had a blocked nose because of suction. The GP wouldn’t mind seeing a 3 week old with a cold but maybe see how ds2 is in the morning, keep an eye on temperature and feeding/nappies being nice and wet but do go for reassurance if still concerned.

could you use a snot sucker?

Thanks for the tips everyone! Will try the saline drops etc and keep a close eye on him. DS1 actually does have a temp of 38.8 now (but he often does have a temp when he has a mild cold), so will also keep a closer eye on DS2's temp.

Definitely keep an eye and look out for these symptoms www.nhs.uk/conditions/bronchiolitis/symptoms/

If you get Sterimar, get that over the pump bottles of saline spray which are much harder to use - it’s what the ENT suggested for my son who had awful breathing issues due to enlarged adenoids and it’s so much easier to use.