Decongest the Baby

Now that we made it through the H1N1 flue season, the regular cold and flu season is here, and you really shouldn't give your baby a flu or cough medication for kids. The brutally short story for why the authorities have pulled these off the shelf for babies is two basic things - they don’t work, and (very rarely) they kill babies from bad reactions. Enough said.

So what are you gonna do for your miserable congested baby? For one thing, taking the baby into the shower with you is a wonderful tool. The hot water, steam and warmth really help loosen up the nasal passages. If you are not used to doing this, it works better if one person gets in the shower, and the other person hands in and out the naked baby. If you can breast or bottle-feed the baby in a warm bath with you, even better. At the apex of my kid’s most recent cold, I dragged a kitchen chair into the bathroom and after the shower and bath were done, I fed him sitting there in the steam while we were both wrapped in warm towels. It really helped him breathe, which in turn helped him eat, and thus helped him sleep. What a relief for us all!

Another easy idea is to elevate the head side of the mattress in your crib or co-sleeper. The safest way to do this is to place some books (phone books or text books are easiest) under one end of the mattress, between the mattress and the wooden platform that supports it. It works just as well as a "crib wedge" but costs nothing. A few inches (3 or 4, tops) will help the baby breathe and aids in sinus drainage. Just don’t space out in the middle of the night and put the kid down with their head on the wrong side - a very grumpy baby will be the certain result.

via Leigh G.