The House of Puke and Snot

I'm emerging from under my children's snots, coughs, and pukes and meals of gatorade and toast to tell you that the Blog Exchange is today. If you don't participate, then you should. It's fun.

Is there anything you can give a 12 month old [edited] with a cough, other than your guilt and sincerest apologies?

Comments

[lildb]

It's as if there's a blanket of phlegm that has covered the entire nation. You have obviously been witness to some of that blanket in the area where you are currently residing, as am I.

It's a thing of breathtaking - uh, disgustingness, huh.

yay.

[jessicab]

We have and are still in the middle of all of that. First my little guy had the puke and then a week of stinky yellow diarrhea. Then the hubs, then all of us have sinus colds and my daughter have a cough. Last week followed with teething, and an ear infection and I'm pmsing.

We've had good luck with Delsym on both kids and Baby Bum is 7 months.

[Manic Mommy]

Delsym works like a charm on the cough but made him so hyper he was up 6 times a night.

I've heard of the Vicks/foot thing and was on the verge of trying it. Can't hurt.

[gonefree]

Okay, this sounds ridiculous, but when my little boy was 6 months old, he had a horrible sick cough. the dr. basically said we could use saline drops, humidifier etc., but that was it. Great-Grandman, (mine) told me to put vicks vapor rub on his feet. I waited about a week before I tried it, becuase I thought she was loony. In a sleep deprived state I tried it. it worked. I rubbed a small amount on his feet and put socks on them. He didn't cough all night. I have no idea why and I though okay one time won't hurt. He stopped coughing within a couple of days. Go grandma

[Tracy D]

Dimetapp makes all 3 of my kids run in circles and jump off the walls. Weird but true. I am presently in search of some form of homeopathic remedy that will work and be ok for my 10 mos old and my 2 1/2 yr old. I use all homeopathic on myself but haven't found anything (here in charming MS) for the kids. Watch out for the honey... I would still be nervous about it for a while if it was me.

[FENICLE]

A little Dimetapp will help him & YOU sleep :)

[Michelle]

You poor lady. Do you ever get a break? Can you ever soak in a hot tub or put your feet up for an hour or so and read a magazine? Are you ever able to take a dump without having to pinch it off and go take care of a crying baby or to take care of another emergency?

I know that you chose to have kids and that you're committed to them heart and soul, but I worry that you are a little neglected. I actually worry that a lot of you moms who post aren't taking care of yourselves. At least mine are older, and if I want to take a nap, a shower, or a poo, mine can safely and legally fend for themselves.

You need a "spa day". A chance to get a massage, a makeover (you're gorgeous, but a little pampering never killed anyone), and some TLC. I wish you guys would make a weekly appointment for a mani-pedi (or something equivalent)that you would do for just yourselves, even if you think you can't afford it.

You all deserve it.

[The Other Sister-in-law]

Just be careful with honey. Since he is over a year old now, his risk for infant botulism should be lower, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. Just FYI.

[Lily]

I use homeopathic cough medication. If you have a Health Food store (Whole Foods or Wild Oats)look in their medicine section. I use a brand called Chestal but any of those are good. It seems to be the only thing that works.

[ImpostorMom]

We gave Boog Benedryl for a bad cough at night. We have prescription cough meds but they don't seem to work all that great. Our pharmacist suggested Benedryl because there were studies that showed it was a better cough suppressant than even the cough meds.

[carosgram]

Hot tea and honey was always the recipe at my house. Add in lemon jello and ginger ale with cinnamon toast and you have our favorite convalescent treatments. Good luck.

[Michelle]

Mary-

When they are nine, sometimes the strong stuff is the only thing that works. One of mine coughed her head off for a friggin MONTH, and the doctor did NOTHING!!! Back in MS, her doctor would do a codeine-type syrup for those special-occasions when nothing else worked.

The rule is this: the more you cough--the more you cough. It sometimes takes the strong stuff to "break the cycle" and to calm the irritation.

Some of the newer docs don't like to prescribe stronger stuff for the older kids, so they make the kid (and the parent suffer) for no reason. It's pathetic.

[Michelle]

Buckwheat honey more so than regular honey, according to the information.

Here is one article about the effectiveness:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/90594.php

And here is a link to a source for raw buckwheat honey:

http://www.localharvest.org/store/item.jsp?id=5357

I'm sure health food stores would have it too.

[roxanne]

The latest studies have shown that a teaspoon of honey works better than children's cough medicine, and he'll probably not fight about having to take it, now my kids want the "good medicine"

[Michelle]

Saline nose drops work well, if you can make him sit still for it. It helps break loose stuff so you can suck it out. Dr. Sears has the instructions for it, and you will piss them off royally doing it, but they breathe better afterward.

But then again, giving them medicines will get them better in about a week. Doing nothing will get them better in about seven days.

[Jessa]

Is he old enough for mucinex as suggested above? That worked wonders on my kids earlier this winter.

[NG]

You mean he doesn't accept your apologies?? Ingrate!

[Michelle]

Gatorade is about the worst thing for electrolyte replacement. There's too much artificially-created sugar and not enough sodium and potassium to balance it out. Not to mention the fact that you're giving your kids something like red #40, or is it red #5, to which some kids can be sensitive.

Better to give them Pedialyte or an equivalent.

Gatorade and Powerade suck dog ass. No offense intended.

[Amy]

Called my doctor's office yesterday for the same thing. They said it was still ok to give Robitussin (get regular strength/adult Robitussin with no letters - not DM or GF or whatever, just straight Robitussin, which is straight Guaifenisin). The dose for my 11 month old was 1/4 tsp every 6 hours (call your doc, because my 11 month old is teeny tiny). It really seemed to help.

I also make my kids hot tea with honey (well, not the little one, yet, she just gets hot tea). I just make sure that it's at a temperature where I can drink it comfortably without sipping or blowing - usually about 1/2 hot water from the hot water tap, and then once the tea has steeped I add 1/2 cold water. Seems to help.

The other thing that's keeping us sane here is suckers. Hey, if they're not going to put cough drops on a stick, suckers are the next best thing for a sore throat.

OJ, chicken soup, rest. You know the drill. Hang in there.

[Shaneka Moore]

The mucinex works great for congestion, but be warned it is an expectorant, so that means the kid will expectorate(cough up spit/phelum). Also let the kid take longer baths and or sit in the bathroom while the steam is going good. The heat from the steam will calm the cough (this is great to do right before bed.

This works great for me, my son often has cough from allergies and sinus infections.

[Mary]

My nine-year-old just spent two weeks with a dry cough that kept her (and us) up nights. It sucked. Delsym (?) seemed to do nothing. Cough drops helped a little. She refused to take honey because it was too sweet. Weirdo.

When I was a kid, my mother gave us honey, whiskey and lemon. I'm just sayin'.

[Christina]

The children mucinex works wonders if the are congested too. Otherwise we use robitussin.

[Divrchk]

The new thing this year that the doctors are saying helps a cough more than anything is honey.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/12/honey_cough.html