Aaaaagggghhh, when will he get better??!!

[pacific407]

hi all

I have posted quite a lot recently so apologies for another one but needed a bit of a rant (plus a bit of reassurance)

11mo son started nursery in mid-jan. First day, got tummy bug with an extended period of diarrhoea, followed shortly by another tummy bug. This led to a niggly cough (assumed it was a post-viral cough) with a runny nose (so maybe it was a cold?) He seemed to be well enough, apart from the cough and runny nose, for a week, and then he started showing signs of conjunctivitis, and then he got a temperature (related to the conjunctivitis?) and now he seems like he has a full on, rotten cold and is miserable again. I suppose luckily, though, at the moment I'm still managing to get some food into him.

Took him to the doctors and she gave him amoxicillin, which I was reluctant to give (assumed it was viral and the doctor said as much during the visit) but thought it might clear up any residual bacterial infection, so started him on the course and it upset his tummy. Have taken him off the course because I wasn't giving it to him for any specific infection and it didnt seem to be helping anyway, and straight away his tummy is a bit better. But this blasted cold continues.

So I suppose I would appreciate thoughts on...

Whether I was right to take him off the antibiotics

How long a cold can last (bearing in mind his immune system has taken a battering recently) and can babies have a low grade fever with a cold

How long a cough can last without it being worrying (doc confirmed earlier this week that his chest is clear)

Is it normal for a baby to be unwell for this long when they start nursery (bearing in mind he obviously isn't REALLY ill, thank goodness, just fairly miserable)

Thanks in advance for any replies

Oh dear, that sounds frustrating

It is normal for little ones to get poorly when they first start nursery, though to you it probably feels like one thing after another

A cold is usually around for 2 weeks in total, though they're only very sick with it for about 5 days. And remember that the cold virus mutates every time its passed on so if he passed to someone at nursery, they likely passed it straight back!

The low grade fever is nothing to worry about, if anything it will help him get over the cold quicker (recent NICE research has proven it apparently)

Just keep up his fluids and get him to eat when he can. Lay of the calpol unless he is in pain and he'll be back to normal in a few days then you'll send him back to nursery and it will all start again