my son will be 5 weeks old tomorrow and he has caught a cold, he'snot too bad when he is awake just grumpy, but as soon as he falls asleep he finds it really difficult to breathe through his snotty nose and wakes again,,he hasnt grasped the concept of breathing through his mouth. so he has had very little sleep which is making him even more grumpy, is there anything i can use on him at 5 weeks old? i was thinking about getting some baby vicks chest rub, any ideas?

Do you have a bulb syrige? You can pick one up at the pharmacy; they are invaluable tools for sucking the snot right out of the mouth and nose. :)

When our son had a cold like that we let him sleep in his bouncy chair all night so that he was propped up. This helped him to breath and allowed him to sleep. I can't tell you how much that helped us. He couldn't sleep or breathe if we had him on his back. Once his cold was better or he was breathing better we put him back in his bassinet. We also used a warm mist humidifier.

Dito to sleeping elevated. Also get the nasal asparator and suck out the snot. Once you have sucked out the snot use a saline nasal spray (Ayr and little noses make great childrens brands) to irrigate the sinuses at least four times a day.

Best of luck. It will go away.

Sincerely,
MG

Babies are nose breathers by nature. I agree with saline drops and irrigating out his little nose with an aspirator. I was told by my ped not to use a warm mist humidifier, but to use a cool mist. This is also invaluable.

Good luck.

thnx everyone for your replies,, ive had him sat upright in his chair today and he can definately breathe better, i dont think ill be able to raise his mattress though as its a swinging crib and i have one of those baby monitors with the sensor pads that go under the mattress. i read up on the baby vicks and its only suitable for babies over 3 months. would a steamy room help? or is he too young for that also? i have a 3 year old daughter and she has never been really ill, but with my son we have been up the hospital twice already in the 5 weeks he's been here :) :rolleyes:

any other suggestions would be gratefully received :D

Hi, I had this problem with my son when he was 3 weeks, and it ended up that he was allergic to his milk. Could this be the issue?

Hi gemma! I want to say I had this problem alot with my DD. The things that helped have been suggested (nasal aspriator, saline, cool mist, etc) BUT I found that when I took a shower, and brought her in and let her sit in the warm steam while I showered, it helped. Plus, before you nurse or feed him, try the nasal spray...and don't spray it, give him drops of it. Then squish his nostrils a little. My ped said not to suction too much, b/c that can actually cause more mucous buildup. But, doing the drops right before eating will get him to eat more, which may help him sleep too. Good luck, and usually it takes 10-14 days for a cold to clear up. :)

I was going to suggest the not sucking to much all the time either. It will cause more mucous. But it sure helps when you do it. I used the swing for my last child and she was in there all the time when not out and about with me. She slept there and was just fine when she had a cold.

Make sure your dd washes her hands right after she gets home from school and changes clothes. Everyone who comes in must wash hands before doing anything else. Make sure doorknobs,lightswitches,toilet handles and the sinks for sure. This will help keep some of the germs away from the new baby. I have a thyroid problem so I cant get a virus and this has helped a lot with helping me not get sick. The kids get sick all the time though LOL but I try to keep up with the cleaning to help me. THey seem to be magnets for illness. LOL but having 4 what did i expect.

Congratulations on new baby