Anyone use baby vicks?

[Jen78fl]

Hi all. I am just curious to know if any of you use this and if it works well... Also, do most kids tolerate it ok and is it safe? My 17 month old DD has been really congested and she wakes up choking on her mucus every couple of hours at night.. Its really bad. I am using a pediacare plug in but its not doing much good... Anyway I appreciate any advice. I just want to do something to help her!

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

I tried it once, on his feet, but it didnt really seem to help. But it did for ME. LOL generous amouts on the entire foot, then nice heavy socks. Slept like a, well, baby!

Are you co sleeping? Does she use a pillow? Try keeping her elevated as much as possible, so it doesnt drain in the back of her throat. We don't (usually) co sleep. I found stuffing a pillong under the crib mattress to elevate it to help. Or when they get older, to just put a pillow in the crib. Your daughter seems old enough where a pillow shouldnt be an issue.

[alfabetsoup]

I've used it and it seemed to help but gave my dd a rash.

Some things you can do to help the congestion: Sit in the bathroom with the shower running, get everything nice and steamy. Use saline drops in her nose, then suction with a bulb syringe (tricky but really does work.) Put a drop of eucalyptus oil on a washcloth and put it near where she sleeps (but not within reach.)

[Jen78fl]

Thanks for the advice. I have thought about the pillow.. Maybe I can find a small pillow for toddlers somewhere... We have been sitting in the bathroom with the hot shower running but it doesnt seem to be helping much.. Saline drops dont seem to be helping her much either,..

Anyway she normally sleeps in her crib some then ends up in bed with me, but since shes been sick shes been ending up in bed with me more often which is fine bc when she wakes up choking on her mucus I at least want to be right there... I did try elevating the bed on one side by putting a pillow under it but it can be hard to keep her on that one side and she was still throwing up last night... I am not sure what else to do for her.. She has had this cold for almost 2 weeks now.. though it started out pretty mild...

[Dabble]

Has she seen a doctor yet for this? I'm not one to run to the doctor for everything at all, but long-lasting, heavy-mucus producing colds in little ones can become bronchitis or pneumonia pretty quickly.

I oppose antibiotics in many cases, but welcome them with open arms in those cases. It can be really hard for little bodies to rid themselves of those infections, and they can continue to deteriorate without help. Especially if she is unable to get solid, restful sleep, it is very hard for the body to heal.

[Jen78fl]

Thanks dabble. I have taken her to the ER 2 times now. The first time they did an albuterol nebulizer and we even got one to use at home but it didnt really help. Both times they checked her out her ears and lungs and they were fine.. So I am not sure what is going on... I did get zithromax when we went for the second visit and she has had 1 dose of that though she spit some of it out and I dont know how much she got, that stuff tastes horrible! I thought it might have helped her a little bit, but I guess maybe she just didnt get enough. I am still trying to get an appt with her ped (at a naval base) though its hard to get an appt with her and I mainly can only get appts with the regular dr's. I am just not sure what else they can do besides give antibiotics. If that doesnt help I dont know what will... This is just so frustrating and stressful...

[Jen78fl]

BTW, I am not sure if I should use a pillow or not. I was going to try to find a flat pillow but she ends up turning over on her stomach most of the time at night and Im not sure if it would be good for her to be sleeping on her face on the pillow....

[Satori]

I don't use it on my kids when they were little, what I did was put it on me and then they would sleep on my chest or I would put a vapor patch on them. Also having them sleeping propped up really helps everything drain too. More then once I had to put the kids in a wrap/carrier on my chest then I slept sitting up propped up by a ton of pillows or in a reclined chair.

[marispel]

My ped., who was the head of a large Ped. hospital told us it was ok to give DS a little cold medicine. He recommended the Triaminic Congestion in the yellow box. 1/2 teaspoon. I was very nervous about this & questioned the Dr., but he said "you had cold medicine, I had cold medicine & we're fine...it's about the dosing and 1/2 tsp will be fine". I told my mom & she agreed 100% witht he Dr. So, we tried it and I think it helped to thin out the mucous.

We also use a cool-mist vaporizer, saline drops and the Nose Frida (which I love..so easy to use and seems to get sooooo much more out!). Lots & lots of water. I even left a sippy cup of water in his crib.

[Dreamy]

A vaporizer/humidifier in the room will help thin the mucus. I usually close the door and crack a window so it doesn't get too warm in the room.

Also, be cautious about using Vicks on children under 2: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUST...rpc=22&sp=true

Rubin said the ingredients in Vicks can be irritants, causing the body to produce more mucus to protect the airway. And since infants and young children have airways that are much narrower than those of an adult, any increase in mucus or swelling can narrow them severely.

"The company is really clear it should never go under the nose or in the nose for anybody and it shouldn't be used in children under 2," said Rubin, whose study appears in the journal Chest.

[Jen78fl]

Thanks marispel and dreamy..

We actually have a cool mist humidifier. I cant see it helping much but I guess its keeping the air moister. I just read that article about the Vicks too and it made me nervous..

[semi-crunchy]

We actually just used the Baby Vicks. It did seem to help him and he loved having it put on (he would bring us the container and lift his shirt). zThe Baby Vicks doesn't seem as strong/harsh as the regular Vicks.

[Jen78fl]

That nose frida sounds like it works really well from reading reviews.> Do they have it in target stores? I see it on target online...

[marispel]

I got the Nose Frida on Amazon.com. It is so easy to use. The end that goes in the nose is bigger so you're not shoving it too far up their nose (like a bulb syringe). Plus, it is clear so you can see when stuff comes out & if it is hanging on.

It's seems sorta gross using it at first but it's so much easier than a bulb syringe. We've used it for a few months now & although DS doesn't love it, he gets through it better than before...still fusses about it.

[ellairiesmom]

We are trying this from Badger...a little on her chest & a dab under her nose. Just started it this week so no verdict yet.
http://www.badgerbalm.com/pc-395-2-w...nder-balm.aspx

Saline drops always helped but lately, she puts up such a fight. And I can't get near her with a suction thingy anymore.

I can't wait till she can blow her nose. I feel so bad that they can't

[Lilygoose]

i saw that you had metioned she was taking Zithromax and that she had thrown up. Wanted to let you know that Zithromax can bother the stomach. My daughter was on this antibiotic and it caused her to stop eating and drinking b/c it bothered her stomach so much (We ended up in the ER due to concerns about dehydration-she was fine but the doc there figured out that it was the Zithromax causing the problem and prescribed a different antibiotic). Not everyone is bothered by it, but just in case she has probs this might be helpful to know. I also have the Vicks baby rub, but haven't used it yet, due to not knowing how safe/effective.

[Jen78fl]

thanks lily, she had been throwing up before starting the zithromax. I dont think the medication is bothering her.. I just wish I had gotten her to take it all , the first dose I tried mixing with food and she wouldnt take it, then the second dose she spit some out.. She took the full third dose.. now we have 2 more and Im hoping shes going to get it all down!

[tbone_kneegrabber]

we used baby vicks on ds' chest, and regular vicks on his feet (we were at the il's with no baby vicks) and it really helped him. He would wake up coughing and ask for "cream on my feet!"

We also use one of these nightlight vaporizerr things which seems to help a lot

[Dabble]

Is she feeling any better tonight? It's miserable to have a sick little one.

[Caterina]

Originally Posted by ellairiesmom

We are trying this from Badger...a little on her chest & a dab under her nose. Just started it this week so no verdict yet.
http://www.badgerbalm.com/pc-395-2-w...nder-balm.aspx
(

We use the same one from Badger and I think it works great. She likes getting it rubbed on her chest and upper back and seems to fall asleep more easily when she's stuffy with it on. I wouldn't put a petroleum-based product on my LO's skin (or mine either!)