This past weekend Cameron came down with his first really bad cold – cough, runny nose, fever, and all around cabbyness. And to make matters worse, my husband had to work all weekend so we were stuck fending for ourselves. Two things helped us through it – 1) Baby 411, and 2)my fellow mommies and daddies.
Here’s what I learned:
1) A fever is a good thing. It means Cameron’s body was busy fighting the intruder. Also, fevers are naturally higher in the evening than the morning – so don’t be surprised if your baby is 100 in the AM and 102 at night. Once the fever was gone, I knew Cameron was going to be out of the woods and recovery was on the way.
2) Baby Ibuprofen lasts longer than Baby Acetaminophen (6-8 hours vs 4 hours) so if your baby is over 6 months, give it a try – especially for overnight. It will give your baby (and you) longer relief.
3) Get yourself a cool mist humidifier. I don’t recommend the one they sell at Walgreens – it is kind of noisy.
4) Before bath time, run the shower to really steam up the bathroom. This is good for helping the baby breathe. Don’t give your baby a cool bath if they have a fever – this is only something you do if the baby is SUPER hot – like 107. Would you like taking a cold bath when you were sick?
5) Use a Saline Mist to help loosen up all the snot that your poor sick baby is producing. Then, if you feel comfortable with the idea, use a booger sucker (nasal aspirator) to suck out the snot. Both of these things will make your baby hate you for a minute, so be prepared for tears and protest. Also keep a kleenex at the ready to wipe up the snot, and tears.
6) Give your baby extra opportunities to sleep – try putting them to bed 30 minutes early for bed times and nap times. When you’re sick, doesn’t extra sleep make you feel better too?
Baby 411 - my savior
Check out Baby 411 for more info on colds and other viruses, and don’t forget to ask your fellow parents for help. I used facebook, and got some really great info as well as support! Good luck mommies!
