My 4.5 month old started daycare about 2 weeks ago, and immediately caught a cold. She still has it, and it doesnt seem like she has gotten better at all. She is congested and has had a cough, but no fever. I emailed my doctor today, but won't be getting a response until Monday. When do you take your baby to the doctor for a cold? I'm a first time parent, and pretty worried about everything.
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Aw poor little thing. The first sickness is hard!
Obviously when I was a FTM she was at the Dr already.
ButI for a regular cold I don't take them in now unless it sounds like there is fluid in the lungs or the cough sounds rattley or barky. Fluid in lungs can change into pneumonia and barky cough can he croup.And depending on age a high fever. I know a lot of people are OK with their children dealing with a high fever with or without meds. We're not one of those.
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@regberadaisy: what does it sound like when they have fluid in their lungs? Her cough sounds wet. I don't how else to describe it.
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S had a cold for a week and went to his 4 month well check. Doc said there was nothing more we could do and to help him stay comfortable. Doc did say if he suddenly got a fever she wanted to see him because that means that something else has happened.
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She is also coughing up yellow mucus.
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We took him in when he had a fever that would come and go and had some pretty nasty sounding coughing and congestion. Turns out he had a sinus infection and we got amoxicillin to help clear it up. For his first cold and fever that cleared up after a few days, I called the doctor but didn't do in. Hope your LO feels better soon!
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@Pumpkin Pie: poor thing! Can you call an after hours line for them to help you assess? I would want to know when it warrants a trip to the ER.
My oldest didn't catch her first cold until she was close to two, when she started preschool. My youngest caught her first cold when she was ten days old.
My ped had us run a cool most humidifier, use a bulb syringe (saline spray can help too), steamy bathrooms can help break up phlegm & congestion, and sleeping elevated (we used the rock n play) can help.
Hope she feels better!
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I take her in for a cold when I suspect an ear infection - high fever and super cranky. 2 out of 3 times its been nothing! Get used to it unfortunately sh will be sick constantly for a while.
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My LO started daycare at 3 months and got a cold the 1st week with a lingering cough and a few weeks later got a second cold. It's horrible. We called the doctor both times. The first time they told us not to come in since he did not have a fever of 102, was not wheezing or showing difficulty breathing, and was not dehydrated and still eating. The second time we brought him in because he was wheezing but they said it was a viral cold/mild RSV and nothing was prescribed. It did give us piece of mind for the dr to assess our LO but we are trying to only come in when they advise us to.
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@Pumpkin Pie: it's hard to describe maybe rumbling? Have you or DH ever had pneumonia?
For nighttime cough I put a few drops of eucalyptus oil in their cool mist humidifier. Sit in a hot steamy bathroom with eucalyptus oil in a cup in the shower. This helps break up mucous. Nose frida immediately after. If you're comfortable some baby vicks (matys all natural baby vapor rub) on the bottom of of their feet.
Sleeping on an incline also helps.If you are worried do not hesitate to call the pediatrician. Do they have a answering service after hours?
With my girls I've found most times they're worried about the cough. And if the nurse can at least hear LO cough over the phone it might help to decipher if it's troublesome?
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@regberadaisy: I called the advice nurse, and looks like I should bring in LO on Monday. I put the Vicks rub on her chest. What is it supposed to do when you put in on the bottom of their feet?
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@Mrs. Jump Rope: My ped had us run a cool most humidifier, use a bulb syringe (saline spray can help too), steamy bathrooms can help break up phlegm & congestion, and sleeping elevated (we used the rock n play) can help.
^Yes, all of this! My 4 month old's cold just turned into bronchiolitis. It's insanely awful but there's nothing they can do for it, we just have to do all of the things listed above while waiting for time to pass. We ended up taking him in because he lost his voice and was gasping for breath, so they wanted to check his oxygen level.
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@wonderstruck: yup, that too. She's 5m now and her latest ear infection turned into a cold & don't respond to antibiotics, and morphed I to RSV. We did a round of breathing treatments at the peds office which wasn't successful and a fun trip to the ER when she couldn't breathe. Today she's all smiles and so much better than she was even yesterday.
@Pumpkin Pie: hope your little one is well today!
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@Pumpkin Pie: they're too young at this point to put vicks on their chest. Think about distance. Putting it on their feet is about the same distance it is putting on our chest to our nostrils.
Hopefully the Dr finds that it's just a common cold!
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@Pumpkin Pie: You put baby Vicks on her chest or regular Vicks?? The menthol in regular Vicks rub is really not good for them, especially on their chest.
@regberadaisy: The baby vicks actually says on the directions that it is okay to put on their chest for babies three months and older. I usually do it on the feet though too and then just a tiny bit on the chest.
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@wonderstruck: oh I use the baby Vicks. I've just been following the instructions and putting it on her chest. You know, chances are that it's just a cold and she's ok, but I just need that peace of mind from the check up confirmjng it. We were at a friends house for dinner, and was coughing like she was hacking, so I'm going to see about bringing her in on Monday.
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@wonderstruck: interesting. I did not know that but have always heard feet. My pediatrician doesn't recommend putting it on the chest so we don't.
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Our ped always recommended Vicks on the feet. His reasoning was that they were less likely to get their fingers into it and ingest it. That's how I still do it, even on our 3.5 yo.
I hope your LO's cough is getting better. Sick babies are no fun.
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