HELP!! What do I do with a sick baby who is under 6 months old?

When your baby is under 6 months old, most of the over-the-counter cold and flu remedies should NOT be used. If your baby has a fever, most doctors will OK the use of Tylenol for infants. But, if your baby has a cold most drugs should not be used before 6 months. Gas drops are the exception.

When your newborn has a cold, doctors agree on one major remedy, clear your baby's nasal passages with a Saline Spray (salt and water mixture) and clear mucus with a Bulb Syringe. You do one nostril at a time. This will keep your baby comfortable. You will spray the salt/water mixture in each nostril and then suction out mucus with your bulb syringe. Have the nurse in the hospital show you before you leave. The best bulb syringe is the one they use in the hospital's postpartum units. Your hospital will give you the bulb syringe to take home with you, so do not forget to ask for it!

The congestion is the worst of it. To help your baby become more comfortable, you can also use a cool mist humidifier. Cool mist can't burn. This will help the nasal passage stay moist. Another way to keep your baby breathing through the congestion is get a menthol baby bath and pour a small amount in your bathtub with the drain secured. Then put the shower on as hot as possible. If you just run the bath, there is not enough steam, so run the shower into the bath. You will need a shower/bath combo for best results. Sit with your baby for 15 minutes 3 times a day, or once water is off and bathroom is full of steam, your baby can even take a nap in their bouncy chair in the stream-filled room.

To combat an ear ache, when your baby is sleeping in their crib at night, place two phone books side by side under the head of the mattress to elevate the baby's upper body so mucus does not pool in ear canal. For naps, try to have your baby sleep sitting up in a swing or bouncy chair since it is hard to breath laying down with a cold.

The good news is, unlike adults, most infant colds last only a few days and bother a baby less than you might expect. If your baby has a temperature it will usually return to normal in 2 to three days without any treatment. If a couple days pass and baby is getting worse not better, call your doctor. Also, depending on how you take your baby's temperature (mouth, armpit, ear or anal) acceptable readings vary, so be sure to read your thermometer instructions.

So before you make a useless trip to the doctor, call them and describe your baby's symptoms. You may be surprised that there is not much you can do. If symptoms progress to something more, such as an ear ache or respiratory problem, other treatments are available. But for the common cold give lots of love, lots of sleep, and hold off on medicine before talking to your doctor.

After your baby passes the 6 month mark, cold remedies can offer some relief. For teething the best thing that I found was Motrin. Because it has an anti-inflammatory effect it not only helps relieve pain but also swelling of the gums.