Your top tips for getting a baby with a cold to sleep at night please!

[naturelover]

DD is almost 7 months old, she has a stinking cold, and it's playing havoc with her sleeping and naps (no surprise there).

I'm doing the following:
inclining the cot
olbas oil in bowl of hot water in the room
nasal aspiration thingy
nasosal drops
calpol

Am bf on demand and accepting she might need more comfort feeding esp at night.

The problem is last night she got herself really wired/crazed/overtired (arms flailing, eyes wide open) and couldn't calm down, no matter how much pick up/put down, lullabies, rocking, nursing etc.

Any tips greatly appreciated. She was sleeping through till recently and I hope we can return to this once she's better. Am worried it might disrupt her sleep permanently - please tell me I'm being ridiculous.

Medised or that new Nightime Calpol will help clear her nose and it had a mild sedative.

My DS sleeps better sitting slightly up - in pushchair during day or even in his little bouncy chair thing at night

Good luck

Medised rather than Calpol. It has an antihistamine in it which helps clear the nose.

Hiya, you have my sympathies, it's so hard when they can't actually breathe properly. At this age I think she often ended up sleeping on my chest with me propped up on a pillow , in fact she still does want to lie like this when she has a cold (although now at nearly two I give her two pillows to prop her up too). I assume it helps the nose clear or something (inclining cot theory)...

PS nothing is permanent IME - it all comes and goes in phases, I know it doesn't feel like it.

PS and agree with the medised!

Thanks everyone. Had never even heard of Medised. I'm going out to buy some now.

...and a calpol vapouriser nightlight.

Is she too old to be swaddled a bit, to stop the flailing? (Medised definitely Good Stuff..)

She hated swaddling even as a newborn, so I don't think she'd like it. But if I get desperate enough tonight, I'll give it a try!

swaddling might not work then! Also, you could try a drop or two of rescue remedy if she works herself into a real state (I find it quite helpful with my quite wired toddler, never tried it on either child as babies, but I believe it's fine to give to babies.....)

Karvol plug-in vaporisers are MUCH better than Olbas Oil or similar in hot water. Once the water cools the fumes stop, but the Karvol thingy goes all night long. It definitely saved my sanity on more than one occasion!