Giovanni got his first cold in November. I knew it would happen because when a child starts daycare, they get sick all the time. It was a bit nerve-wracking because I didn’t know if it was COVID or just a cold. I then looked online and found that a child in daycare gets about 6-8 colds in the first year. As of today, he’s had two. Therefore, I wanted to create a post on what worked on taking care of him for the week he was sick.
Medicine
Medicine is tough for a baby because there aren’t many that you can give them. Even with that, I found some medication that helped him feel better while he kicked this cold (by the way, he passed it on to me, and my nose wouldn’t stop running!).
Tylenol – This is a must to have. He had a low-grade fever, so I only gave it to him at night to keep the fever down and let him sleep. I didn’t give it to him during the day because it’s good for his body to fight off the fever without Tylenol.
Zarbee’s Naturals Baby Cough Syrup + Mucus – My family is all about Robitussin. Whenever one of us gets sick, we run to rub on some Vicks and take Robitussin. He’s a baby, so he can’t have that, so I found that he can take Zarbee’s Cough Syrup and Mucus. He didn’t have a cough, but his nose had tons of mucus. This helped! The only thing to caution is that it’s thick and gooey like honey, and it gets everywhere. I recommend you give it to your babies when they are about to take a bath, or you are going to change them (if they are not taking a bath)
Nose Treatment
Saline Spray – I use the Little Remedies Saline Sprays, but there are different brands out there. At first, I admit that I didn’t know I could spray it in his nose while he was sitting upright (lesson learned is to read the instructions). He hated it at first, but when I used it when he was sitting up, he didn’t mind it. He actually would start sniffing like he was shocked he could breathe better. Saline sprays are great for everyone, even adults.
Boogie Wipes – I got these to wipe his nose when running or after I used the Saline Spray and Nose Frida. It has
NoseFrida – When I first heard about the NoseFrida, I thought to myself, “Hell no, I am not going to stick that thing in my mouth while sucking up to his boogies.” Well, my friend swore by it and promised me that as long as I had the filter, I should be ok. I will tell you that the NoseFrida is fantastic. It gets his mucus out. The one thing is that you have to replace the filter after every use, and that can be expensive. However, being that it helps him with his cold, I will continue using it.
Sleeping Aid
Humidifier – A humidifier is a must! There are hot and cold ones. I got the cold humidifier because I read that there could be accidental burning with the hot ones. I love it cause it helps me too. You have to clean it daily, so I will dump out the remaining water in the morning and then replenish it at night. Every two days, I do a thorough cleaning of the top (that holds the water) and base.
Vicks – As I’ve said before, Vicks and Robitussin is our go-to medicine when we are sick. I tried the Baby Vicks, and it wasn’t working. I saw online that some women said they rub it on their baby’s feet. My sister told me what she did with my nephew. She would rub it on his nightgown, so that is what I did, and it worked! Did I say how much I love Vicks?!
Additional Items
Thermometer – You definitely want a thermometer, so if the baby’s temperature goes over 101, you can call the doctor. He remained at 99.5, which is considered a low-grade fever, but I checked every hour, especially at night. I got an infrared thermometer that helped with a squirming baby.
Burp Cloths – Sometimes his mucus would go down his throat, and so he was spitting up more than usual.
Baby Carrier – Not going to lie, even in my twenties, I wanted my mom around when I didn’t feel well, so imagine a baby. He/she wants an adult who they trust to take care of them. Therefore, Giovanni was extra clingy, so the carrier helped me have him close while I got things done. I like the Infantino one. It’s budget-friendly, and it works for my back cause I’ve had back issues since I was a child, so that is important to me.
Cold Routine
I took some days off. With COVID, I did not want to go back to daycare until he was fine. If you are a working parent, during these times, it is a good idea to take days off if you can.
Before every feeding – I would first spray the saline drops. I would then get a boogie wipe ready so that when I used the NoseFrida, I would have it prepared to wipe his nose. This would help him drink his formula. He wouldn’t eat much because he was so stuffed up if I didn’t.
Bedtime Routine Additions: Before I would put him to sleep, I would go to the smaller bathroom and let the hot shower run so the room can turn into a steam room. We would stay in there for 15 minutes to help him (and me) drain the mucus out and be able to breathe better.
I would then do the saline spray, boogie wipes, and NoseFrida routine; and after dressing him.
I would then fill up the humidifier and turn it on. He would drink his formula, and then I would make sure to keep him up for 15-30 minutes just in case he would spit up.
I am not going to lie to you and say that he slept the entire night. He was up every three hours, but he was up every hour before I started doing that. Therefore, this helped.
Hopefully, this helps you get through the cold season. Please stay safe and talk to you soon.
