My 16 month old son has a bad cold & caugh-MAJOR MUCUS?!
Question: We have taken him to doctors and he was given an antibiotic which he had a severe reaction to and caused diarrhea-he then had a terrible rash, doctor said to stop the antibiotic - he no longer has a fever and he's very active and plays as normal but when he caughs the mucus in his body sounds terrible - I can't give him milk so he'll eat organic chicken,vegetable soup i have made and juice - but what else can I do for the horrible cold & caugh- we also do an inhalation treatment (breathing machine) for him that was previously prescribed for him to kind of open up the lungs and I put him in the restroom with high steam to breathe in - but is there anything out there I can do or buy to cut the mucus down or get rid of it without antibiotics?
Answers: We have taken him to doctors and he was given an antibiotic which he had a severe reaction to and caused diarrhea-he then had a terrible rash, doctor said to stop the antibiotic - he no longer has a fever and he's very active and plays as normal but when he caughs the mucus in his body sounds terrible - I can't give him milk so he'll eat organic chicken,vegetable soup i have made and juice - but what else can I do for the horrible cold & caugh- we also do an inhalation treatment (breathing machine) for him that was previously prescribed for him to kind of open up the lungs and I put him in the restroom with high steam to breathe in - but is there anything out there I can do or buy to cut the mucus down or get rid of it without antibiotics?
Using the nebulizer treatment is a good option to open up his airways. I don't know that giving him any type of cough syrup to decrease the mucous would be a helpful solution. Also, be careful with the hot steam. Although taught that this is a good remedy to open up the airways, the hot air can actually cause an inflammation of the airways which is exactly what you don't want. I don't know if your 16 month old can blow their nose or not. I know that not all of my children at that age could. Two things that you may try--buy a saline nasal solution like AYR--spray in your child's nostrils and then suction out with a bulb syringe (like you received at the hospital when they were an infant). Another trick that I have learned whenever my children started getting sick is rather than moist, hot steam try a cool mist vaporizer in their bedroom. It still helps to keep their airways open. Good luck!!
This remedy was used by my mother on me and by her mother on her. I recently saw it on the internet, it works! Rub the bottom of your child's feet with Mentholatam Ointment and put his socks on and put him to bed for the night. You can also rub some ointment on his chest for the congestion. This is a topical treatment and can be used on any age, child to old fart. The menthol vapors will ease his cough and breathing and the menthol on his feet will give him a restfull sleep.
As you've already discovered, there are good reasons to avoid the prescription of inappropriate antibiotics. You're already doing all the right things, but if I read you right, you've given chicken as a meat and veggie soup. The traditional remedy is chicken soup. A couple of studies in Miami back circa 1978 showed chicken soup does what guaifenesin is supposed to do but has never really been shown to do.
With a boy that age....
You should blow his nose very often do not let it get full then he might have a hard time breathing out his nose there is this cream you can buy-Vicks Vapo rub and it helps with breathing and it really works or you can get baby food sort of thing that has this speicial stuff that clears caughing right away! My next door neighbor is the same age and has that same thing I am pretty sure it is an age thing!
major mucus? well i'm sure that the doctor listened to his lungs when you took him in. when your giving your son a breathing threatment, he must have asthma too? right? as long as his not diagnose with CF (cystic fibrosis) thats when someone has excessive mucus inside there lungs which can cause a hard time in breathing and causes chronic pulmonary diease. its harder during respiratory season which are october to early april, aka flu season. CF is hereditary there are ways to get tested for CF. ask your doctor. so with respiratory season going on, what your doing is great. keep your child's upper body especially the head, elevated up to about 30 degree angle, so its easy for him to breath, do use a saline which someone already mention, or to save money you can make your own at home, using drinking water. you want to warm the water, make it luke warm. then add a teaspoon of salt. use a dropper and place in each nostril. after that use the suction. you should only do this 3x's a day. no more than 3 or else you can easily dry up the mucus. i would use vaporizer the cool mist, but always make sure to keep the vaporizer clean at all times. if you dont bacteria will start growing inside the vaporizer. remember bacteria grows fast as long as there's water. and when you use it, as your child inhales the mist the bacteria will have access into your child's lungs and worst infection can occur. so keep it clean everyday! i wouldnt use vicks on his nose cause he can end up scratching and next thing get it in his eyes or mouth. since he is 16months you can give him warm apple juice to help his throat. always keep him hydrated. never just give your child any cold medicine under 2 yrs. always ask the doctor and get the right dosage. remember it goes by weight not always by age. get your child's doctor approval first. as a mother i know what you are going through, and beside let there body fight this on there own naturally. it will help there immune system, so don't worry, eventually the cold will go away on its own. and always remind everyone especially your son to wash there hands. =)
needs antibiotics, always some other antibiotic will work & will not give him allergy. He needs medicin to thin the mucus like amroxil.