Decongestant Under 2

Updated on April 24, 2007
T.S. asks from Minneapolis, MN
26 answers

My son (18 months) has picked up a cold at daycare. I guess it hits hard and fast. His nose won't stop running, but he can't breath through it. I can't get anyone to tell me if he can take a decongestent unless I talk to a pediatrician and there is none on shift at the after hours center I go to. Of course it's not a big enough deal to page the on call pediatrician. I was hoping to get some advice from some other moms.

1. Has anyone ever given their child under 2 a decongestent....if so what kind and how much?

2. Any other suggestions how to help him breath out his nose? I tried the nose sucker, but since his nose is actually running like mad, I am not getting anything.

Thanks.

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S.F.

answers from Madison on

My son has had many colds and we use Tylenol COld and Cough. It seems to work really well for him.

S.

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T.L.

answers from Milwaukee on

I have used the infant Tylenol Cold for my one year old, but that was before all of the warnings that came out about the ingredient pseudoephedrine. I would first try to look for a formula that does not use that ingredient. One person you could also ask would be a pharmacist. They would be able to tell you the correct dosage and might be able to give you some info on which medicine to give. Good luck!

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K.

answers from Minneapolis on

There is an infant tylenol cold and cough he should be able to take, you can get it at walgreens, rainbow, cub etc...

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J.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

My 2 year old is getting over a cold, and our pharmacist (at Target) suggested childrens Benadryl rather than a decongestant. The antihystamene (sp?) helped dry out his nose and also helped him sleep (he was having a very hard time during naps and at night). It did help.

J.

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J.B.

answers from Minneapolis on

if you are concerned about using decongestents on such a young child, i used Cold Comfort by Daisy Blue Naturals on my 2.5 year old (i'm a consultant as i adore the products so much). Its 100% natural and works really well for him.

i can give you some more info for you if you would like or you can read about it at

http://4074.daisybluenaturals.com/Products/ProductDetails...

hope he feels better !

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S.G.

answers from Milwaukee on

I use what's called Little Colds...that helped both my daughter who's 3 and my son who just turned 1. Then on my son i also rubbed the baby VICK's VaporRub on his chest...not only did he breath better he also slept better.

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B.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

You can try using vicks vapor rub on your son's back. If you put in on the chest they have access to touching it and making a mess at that age. If you rub it on their back it help and they can't reach it. It's always worked GREAT in our household.

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P.

answers from Minneapolis on

Our pediatrician said it was fine to give decongestant, and in fact I think I gave it to one of my daughters when she was 6 mos old. I used infant decongestant, I cannot remember the dose though, sorry. You could ask the pharmacist though. The decongestant did not do a whole lot, but it may give your little boy some relief. I have also bought the menthol baby bubble bath, that has helped a little, and they have some rub on cream too.

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K.

answers from Madison on

I was told by the pharmacist that I should not give my baby decongestant before the age of 2 and that current studies are even wondering about giving it to children under the age of 6. I used the Little Noses Saline drops and then took my son in the shower with me and just let it drain out. It was much easier than trying to wipe his nose all the time.

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L.N.

answers from Sheboygan on

Hi T.
When my daughter was 4 months old she was very congested. I went to walgreens and the pharmacist told me to use Pedia Care decongestant. One the bottle it tells you the dosage (also on the box) it does say however children under 2 to consult a dr. Put I just asked the pharmasist and he told me how much to use at the time it was 0.4 ml every 6-8 hours, and it can be used with infant tylenol (it worked for my daughter). So check with walgreens, they have helped me alot thru these 8 months. Hope this helps.
L.

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M.B.

answers from Milwaukee on

A pharmacist is a wonderful source to go to for your concern or any other you may have in the future. Best part is that now a lot of pharmacies are open 24 hours, and the advice is free. :)

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B.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

Hello. My son is 10 months old who is just getting over a cold. We gave him Triaminic Infant Thin Strips. He gets one strip every 4-5 hours. We also added Vicks Vapor rub to the humidifier at night. Good Luck!

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S.B.

answers from Green Bay on

I've had good luck with Infant's PediaCare. It helps control their cough and their congestion. You can buy it over the counter, but you need to ask the pharmacist for and show your ID (it's got pseudoephedrine in it.) Good luck!

S. :)

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S.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

I've given my son 1/4 tsp of Children's Sudafed liquid until he hit 23 lbs, now it's 1/2 tsp.

I'd also recommend baby vicks chest rub. The vapors seem to help my son breathe easier.

Good luck--it sounds pretty miserable at your house!

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L.M.

answers from Milwaukee on

dropping a few drops of tea tree oil and/or eucalyptus oil on their bed linens helps my daughter (in addition to above comments). Good luck.

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A.H.

answers from Rochester on

I believe the current reccomentdation is no cold medicine before the age of two. To many parents are giving the wrong doses and that can be dangerous for a child that young. With my son I used Vicks Vapor rub on his chest and saline drops in his nose. I would drop them in and give it a minute or two to soften everything up. Then I would use the nasal bulb to clean out his sinuses. Make sure they are just saline and not a medicated drops. I know it's not as nice and as easy as poping a pill or some liquid. But I would rather be safe then sorry.

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S.B.

answers from Janesville-Beloit on

My pediatrician recommended Little Nose decongestant. You just put a drop or two in each nostril. (I used this when my son was 3 months old) The only problem is that you can only use to for up to 3 days! So you have to wait for the worst of it, which stinks! It does, however, work extremely well! You could also try running a hot shower and shutting the bathroom door! The humidity will help! Hope this helps you out!

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M.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

I don't think you can give him the decongestant (I'm not for sure) but my little one seems to always have a cold & we use shower soothers while in a steamy shower. That works great for us fo a little while.

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D.

answers from Milwaukee on

have you tried running the vaporizer in his room?

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D.

answers from Minneapolis on

Hi T. - there have been numerous reports out lately about NOT giving anyone under the age of 2 over the counter cough and cold medicine. There have been some dangerous side effects associated with these medicines. I put my babies in the shower with me - it helps to loosen everything up even further and it is amazing what comes out. Using the saline spray before suctioning sometimes helps as well - truthfully I think that more of it goes down then comes out but nonetheless it gets things moving a bit. Warm apple juice (mixed down with water) is supposed to help keep everything moving as well. Hope some of this helps.

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A.E.

answers from St. Cloud on

HEllO, WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS SICK WITH A BAD COLD OUR DOCTOR SAID NOT TO GIVE HER A DECONGESTANT BEACAUSE HER SYSTEM IS NOT READY UNTIL AFTER SHE TURNS TWO, HOWEVER HE ALSO SAID TO RUN HOT BATH WATER IN THE TUB AND HAVE HER SIT NEXT TO IT SO THAT THE STEAM WILL HELP HER BREATHE BETTER. I HOPE THAT THIS HELPS

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T.

answers from Milwaukee on

I don't know about decongestant -- but saline spray can be used to help clean out the junk. It will get any crusties out of the way and help thin out the rest -- also can be used as often as needed. Also know that tissues with lotion...might not be a gift from god, but those good people at Puffs are remembered in my prayers.

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J.F.

answers from Milwaukee on

it really depends on how big your son is... as most medicines go by weight not age really... for my daughter i used the triametic thin strips for infants.. they are a little harder to find but the disolve on teh childs mouth and they can't spit it out.. so there is no "guessing" as to how much they actually got if the fight you trying to give it to them.. but the shower does work well also... if you can get ahold of your doctor try asking for a baby inhaler... they have little face masks that you can hold to the childs face and they breath in the inhaler and it opens them up rather than swallowing a decongestant... which as other people have stated is becoming more and more dangerous with parents over dosing their children... hope this helps... baby vicks is a good idea to..

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E.S.

answers from La Crosse on

HI T.,
I have a 6 month old that has had 3 colds already. There isn't alot that we could do for her during the day, but at night we used a humidifier and vicks vapor rub. We also used a vapor fan. It is a new thing that plugs in and has a little night light. I believe vicks makes it. Hope that will help a little.

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S.M.

answers from Minneapolis on

Hi T.,

My pediatrician's office recommended a decongestant sparingly, only to help my son eat and sleep. They suggested 1/2 the dropper or .5 ml. I used Little Colds Multi-Symptom cold formula for infants and children when my son was 10 months. I also love the plug-in vaporizers--we've used Sudacare for kids. It's worked wonders to help our son breathe when sleeping! Good luck! :)

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C.F.

answers from Milwaukee on

Call your local pharmacy. We have Walgreens here and they are always happy to help me find the right medicine for my daughter.

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