A small cold went around my household last week (scratchy throat and congestion issues, no fevers, everyone was better in 2-5 days) and I was hoping it skipped over baby. Nope. He was way fussier than normal yesterday and last night and now this morning he has a very congested-sounding cough, isn't sleeping soundly, and is making weird little noises. No fever!
He's 3 months old (literally 3 months tomorrow), what can I give him? I havr baby tylenol but idk past that. Is there anything I can give him for the mucus/congestion? What are things I can try to soothe him and keep him happy while he's sick? Is a warm bath a good or bad idea for a sick baby in winter? He doesn't take a pacifier and he doesn't like being swaddled, so even on a good day our comfort options are limited. I dont know what to do!!
@lsugrl Do you have a nasal aspirator? I find them extremely useful when my LO has boogers/any kind of congestion!
Baby Tylenol/paracetamol is probably your safest bet, not sure what you can do aside from that. Can you call a nurse/doctor? In Australia we can call a child health nurse 24/7 who can answer questions like this.
@mckenna I think we do have one! I have the big frida baby health kit thing and Im pretty sure it includes one of those.
There is a nurse line number we can call, I just tend to look for other ways to find a solution/answer before making a call If I don't get some solid unanimous advice from this post or baby seems like he's getting sicker or more distressed, I will def call the nurse line.
@lsugrl Oh that's great. I'm definitely going to follow this thread though because my LO is 3 months as well and I'd be curious to know what people suggest too! If you end up calling he nurse line, please update us
@lsugrl Sorry to hear your little one isnāt feeling so good! Definitely infant Tylenol is the only safe medication til 6 months when they can have infant Motrin. For the congestion, we use infant saline spray (little remedies brand rn) and do 1-3 sprays in each nostril followed by a vigorous suck from the nose Frida. Sometimes if itās very drippy Iāll suck those and wipe dry, then use the spray to really loosen any mucus, finishing with another lung collapsing nostril suck. Also if the congestion seems pretty bad they have infant vaporub, we have the oogie boogie and it seemed to help. Otherwise just monitor temp and other symptoms while giving the most snuggles! Hoping it passes soon!
@lsugrl Sorry to hear that, itās horrible when theyāre sick and you canāt do something to make them better immediately. My LO had their first cold a couple weeks ago, for congestion we used saline nasal drops which helped a lot. We also used the steam from a hot shower to help decongest for a bit. We just closed the bathroom door, turned the shower on really hot, and sat with baby on the toilet (lid closed of course) so that the steam could help. And it did. Apart from that just monitored that LO didnāt have a fever and waited it out, with a lot of cuddles and kisses too
@lsugrl Baby Tylenol if the doctor has approved. Use the snot sucker thing after spraying the nose frida saline drops up there. Even just a spray on both sides will get stuff moving. Also boogie wipes are more sensitive than constantly scrubbing with tissues and the saline helps. Fridababy also makes a Vicks-type stick for their chest and drops for their bath that weāve found really helpful. If lots of congestion, Iāll shut the bathroom door and let the hot shower run and weāll sit on the floor and play with toys to get things moving and help! Good luck. Itās so hard!!
ETA: my babe liked to be carried around. Loved dancing to music when sick, babywearing, etc. Stroller walks if youāre somewhere warm. The clinginess during sickness is hard. Warm baths DEF helped mine both from a decongestion as well as entertainment standpoint!
@gustav1988 Yep they also make special Bubble bath/bath bombs for infants that are supposed to help with congestion if you're giving them a bath anyway!
@lsugrl In terms of medications, there's not really anything you can give besides infant Tylenol unless you get a prescription for something from your pediatrician. But other things that are helpful are nasal saline mist combined with some kind of nasal aspirator/snot sucker, and a humidifier. We also like to turn on the shower and stand next to it to breathe in the steam when baby is sick.
@lsugrl My 7 MO was sick for the first time over Christmas with a bad cough and congestion. Unfortunately at this age there isnāt anything you can give but Tylenol and our doctor said unless she has a fever, itās not going to help with a cough. I just held my baby to sleep for like a week and used saline solution and a nasal aspirator often. The nurse recommended sitting in a bathroom and let the shower run on hottest set. The steam will help clear his nose.
@lsugrl Saline spray/drops and the nose Frida are amazing for getting congestion out of there. Keep baby upright as much as possible for awake time and naps itās helps them breathe better (lounger pillow, baby wearing)
@lsugrl My 3 month old just got over a cold. Saline drops and the nasal aspirator like everyone else said. We use the aspirator before every feeding and before bed! Be diligent about the saline drops because you can cause their little noses to bleed.
Our pediatrician had us prop the bassinet mattress up at a 30-45 degree angle with a small hand towel underneath to help with drainage.
We use a cold mist humidifier at night to help with a dry nose and throat.
Other than that we only use tylenol as needed. When our baby seems extremely fussy or her cheeks are flushed we do a rectal temp.
Edit: we also bring our baby in the bathroom when we shower for the humidity!
He was way fussier than normal yesterday and last night and now this morning he has a very congested-sounding cough, isn't sleeping soundly, and is making weird little noises. No fever! 
If I don't get some solid unanimous advice from this post or baby seems like he's getting sicker or more distressed, I will def call the nurse line.