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Original poster

how do you treat 8 month old with a cold?

27 replies

valentine · 17/09/2004 09:21

My 8 month old DS has a cold - a very blocked and runny nose plus a cough. I have put a bit of karvol on a muslin next to his cot. Is there anything else I should do? Should i give him calpol or medised? Any suggestions gratefully received...

OP posts:
gingernut · 17/09/2004 09:30

I usually give ds calpol as it just seems to make him feel better. If he has a temp I use Nurofen. Also use a decongestant rub on his chest at night. A humidifier may help night-time congestion. Apart from that, you just have to sit it out I'm afraid. He should be better in a few days - if not and he is getting very grouchy/has high temp he might have developed a secondary infection in which case take him to doctor.

frogs · 17/09/2004 09:42

Dd2 (8 months) is in just the same state at the moment.

IMO medised is better than calpol, as it contains an antihistamine which will dry up runny noses, with the added advantage of making them sleepy. The 3 months+ formulation tastes foul, though, so you have to force it down with a syringe.

Saline nose drops are also good at clearing congested noses. I've never found Karvol does much, but it smells nice. Dittto Olbas oil.

You can put books under the legs of the top end of the cot, or put a folded blanket under the mattress to raise the head of the cot slightly. But if you overdo this the baby just ends up slipping down in a heap, which defeats the point.

Twinkie · 17/09/2004 09:48

Buy a vaporiser from boots - little electric things that you put a pad impregnanted with menthol on and it warms it and pumps it into the air - great for during the night and no danger of their little skin touching something like Karvol.

Also use the bath stuff with Menthol in for a nice bath before bed - lots of people say they don't bath babies with a cold but to be ill is bad enough to be dirty and ill is yuck and I know how much better I feel with a cold after having a nice mentholy bath!!

Also buy Baby Vicks to rub on their chests - seems to do the trick with DD and if all else fails you can buy a straw like thing from boots to suck the snot out - sadly I am not that good a mother and sucking snot out of someone's nose I thik is far and beyond the call of duty!!

I'd give him calpol to get his temperature down if he has one and maybe to help him sleep and not be so uncomfortable but keep an eye on him just to make sure it isn't turning into something else like bronchitus which can be serious.

MrsDoolittle · 17/09/2004 10:29

My poor dd is only 5 and a half months with a cold I am very reluctant to give any calpol (which is also very good for controlling a temp) At the risk of sounding bossy, can I add that it is not always good to attempt to decrease body temperature? The raised temperature is part of the body's own mechanism for combating infection. A high temperature will be the body trying to defend itself against bacterial infection - bacteria don't like high temperature!
Yesterday she was tired and grumpy, so I just wrapped her up in a woolley cardigan and stayed with her all day and let her sleep. She is a different baby today
Like frogs suggested, I put a pillow underneath her mattress to raise her head a little, but she never seemed to settle like that and she did roll down the bed. I have been using the Vicks Baby Balm at night, which helps a little or atleast until she goes to sleep.
Twinkie, I have never heard of the straw thing, I thought you were joking at first!! Don't think I will be doing it either I also bathed her because she likes it. I think you just have to make sure that you keep you baby warm at all times. Maybe dressing and undressing them in a hot bathroom?

Bunglie · 17/09/2004 10:35

Can you still buy Karvol capsules? I used to find a few drops on a corner of the sheet over the matress, but so that they did not lay on it, as it brought me up in a rash, but it always helped settle mine......but a bit old fashioned, sorry. I have also used Eucalyptus oil in the same way, or in an oil burner with some water in..... just a thought.

lydialemon · 17/09/2004 10:38

Dd (10 mths) has a cold at the moment. We're doing the whole medised/vicks thing too!

A tip my friend gave me, which we've been using this time, is to use menthol crystals in an oil burner in the evenings in their bedroom (well out of reach obviously!) I think it works better than Karvol - a lot more pungent!

NomDePlume · 17/09/2004 10:40

Another vote for medised here. Fantastic ! It really dries up the snot, helps them sleep and sorts out any achy feelings.

I also second the tip of raising the head end of DS's cot a little with books etc to help drain his sinuses and make him a little more comfortable.

NomDePlume · 17/09/2004 10:43

Karvol, vicks etc used t make my DD vomit, the smell must have been so strong it turned her stomach. Am I the only one to have experienced this, then ?!

Bunglie · 17/09/2004 10:43

Menthol crystals in an oil burner sounds like a good idea at night to me, and I used to use a telephone directory to raise the head of the cot...I really feel for you as I hated it when mine got colds as you feel so helpless...

NomDePlume · 17/09/2004 10:46

Me too, Bunglie. The Yellow Pages lived in DD's room for the first year or so

MrsDoolittle · 17/09/2004 10:51

I'm impressed by the menthol crystals in the oil burner too. Where do you get the crystals?
Maybe the phonebook would work better than the pillow under the mattress?

lydialemon · 17/09/2004 10:58

BF gave me the crystals this time, but she said that you can get them from the chemist. Do you think you could just melt some Vicks in there instead?

Twinkie · 17/09/2004 11:01

I'd be very careful about using an oil burner in a babies room in terms of melting stuff that isn't supposed to be used like that!!

It could give off stuff that is not nice for a baby!!

Thats why they brought out electric vaporisers - there were lots of accidents with the old ones that used to burn the oil!!

shrub · 17/09/2004 11:02

the straw thing is called a nasal aspirator - no sucking required just compress the bulb bit and stick it up their nose or you could do what my friend did and use her mouth

lydialemon · 17/09/2004 11:13

OK, nix the Vicks idea then!

lydialemon · 17/09/2004 11:13

shrub - eeeeuuuwwwwww

Yuck yuck yuck [feeling queasy face]

Bunglie · 17/09/2004 12:02

Good point Twinkie...I keep my oil burners on a special mat, and only use pure oils and always add lots of water, but make sure the room is well ventilated....Yes I agree I would be careful but I have never tried menthol crystals, but have used eucalyptus oil with good results, it's less pungent and a couple of drops, or just one in the bath water (for me, not sure I would put it in a babies bath) is nice when I have a cold.
I am not up with the latest things for babies, but I remember using an 'aspirator' looked disgusting, sounded disgusting, bought it in the chemist and steralised it with bottles, and then just squeezed this bulb thingy and it sucked out the 'snot'....it did work well but was horrible IMO....I hate 'snot' so I think it is a personal thing as to whether you like things like that, but it does help clear the nose so they can feed well.

Bunglie · 17/09/2004 12:04

Shrub.....Uhg!...feeling sick...please! spare a thought for 'snot' haters....Yuk! Yuk!
She really used her mouth ?

Socci · 17/09/2004 13:11

Message withdrawn

ononap · 18/09/2004 02:02

For what it is worth, my doctor suggested using breastmilk in a dropper to relieve congestion and aid in healing an ear infection.

almost40 · 18/09/2004 02:07

I also recommend the menthol bath stuff. It unblocks their little noses - it all seems to come out in the bath, and then they seem to sleep better. We've also done the humidifier thing, but I really don't know if it makes a difference.

woodstock · 18/09/2004 02:20

We use the aspirator bulb thingy and it works quite well at getting ds's nose unblocked. Also, sitting in the bathroom with him and letting the hot shower run helps. With sleeping we put his car seat in his bed so that he could sleep in that for a more upright position and it worked splendidly.

rosies · 18/09/2004 11:41

i used to use snuffle babe... do they still sell that??

now, i would use carvol capsules burst on the edge of the mattress (as someone else suggested) or burn eucalyptus in a room burner before bedtime so the vapours are there.

i wouldnt burn anything other than water and oils in a burner... the water prevents the burner cracking or worse. also make sure you have a really good burner as some cheaper ones havent been fired as well and are liable to cracking/ shattering.

regards

rosie

ChicPea · 18/09/2004 14:50

I agree with the Calpol, Karvol, etc. When my ds had a cold at 8mths I put him in his Chicco chair to sleep as it made his breathing easier. Obviously he wasn't upright but I adjusted it so that he was sitting more upright than if he was in his cot. Actually, he had his first cold at 2mths and I only let him sleep in the Chicco chair next to my bed as I was worried about him being so blocked that he would have difficulty breathing. It's much less of a worry with an 8 mth old but still horrid to see a baby in pain/uncomfortble.

ChicPea · 18/09/2004 14:54

Oh! Re: natural remedies. A friend of mine, who is heavily into homeopathy for children/the family, put a cut onion next to her son's cot when he was 6mths old and had a cold. She said that aided congestion. Have forgotten to do this when my son has been congeted. I remember thinking when she told me, I must try that if I ever have children and if I do, if they get a cold... How easy it is to forget these things...