Oliver has been sick for going on five days now and it is not only miserable for him but for the entire family. We went to see the pediatrician and she said he has an upper respiratory infection. She suggested not to try any antibiotics because we want his immune system to get strong and fight it on it's own. Well, it's not easy. The only thing I have been giving him is infant Tylenol and it does seem to help, but it doesn't do quite enough. He is much better during the day and doesn't seem to cough as much, but as soon as the sun goes down he's like a different baby. Every time I nurse him, he pulls off every few minutes and coughs so much he chokes. It's so horrible and I just want to help him. I know that breastfeeding is the best thing and should take place of medicine, but I feel like there should be more to it. I just keep thinking, "how can I help him in a natural way?"
So then I started doing some research and found all sorts of great things to try! Here's a few...
This is from on the blog called The Mommy Spot
I'd like to try and share as many natural cold and flu remedies for babies and young children that I can this season. With parents becoming more reluctant to use over-the-counter medications, the search is on for natural alternatives, and I've got a slew of them up my all-natural sleeves!
If you have a baby, owning a humidifier is essential when living in the cooler climates. I'd suggest a humidifier with a small reservoir for inhalants. If you already own one and there isn't an inhalant reservoir, that's alright. I'll show you how to use essential oils in either case.
Probably the most common essential oil that comes to most minds for coughs and stuffy noses is eucalyptus, but that's pretty potent stuff for babies, in particular babies under a year old. If it's all you have, you can use a few drops in the humidifier, but stay in the room with your baby while the humidifier is running, and keep the door open a crack. An oil I prefer is rosemary. A good quality rosemary oil requires only a couple of drops in the inhalant reservoir, and the fragrance is calming and pleasant. If you plan on putting your baby to bed while using rosemary in the humidifier, try running the humidifier for a good 30 minutes before bedtime. That way you can check the room for vapor intensity. Keep in mind your baby's sense of smell is much more acute than yours; less is more. After you put your baby to bed, keep the door open a crack just for a little extra ventilation.
If your humidifier doesn't have the inhalant reservoir, put a few drops of the oil on a cotton ball and place the cotton ball near the steam vent. But make sure you don't block it, or no humidity will get through.
Always get the highest quality oils you can afford, because there is a difference between them. If you can, give a whiff of the oil before you buy it. It should definitely smell like what's written on the label!
One last piece of advice: I've seen humidifier cleaning solutions out there, as well as additives to put in the water tank to avoid mineral buildups. I'd definitely steer clear of these. We've used humidifiers in our home for years, and if you clean them regularly with water and vinegar, and if they're rinsed out very well, you'll have no problem with buildups. It's important to take apart the entire unit on a regular basis as well, scrubbing out any mineral buildup with an old toothbrush.
Check back for more cold and flu natural remedies for your babies and young children. The wonderful thing about natural remedies is you can use several at once without worries. And that's important because when your little one is sick, nothing is better for mom and dad than peace of mind about cold and flu care.
(Note: Two other possible oils to use would be thyme or lavender. Follow same precautions.)
I really hope he starts feeling better soon. His sleeping schedule is all weird too. He usually goes to sleep at 7:30 or 8 pm and has still been doing so, but instead of waking up at 9 am, the past few days he's woken at 7:30 am. This morning he woke up at 5 am, 6:30 am, and then 7 am. All of these times he acted like it was morning and he was ready to go for the day talking his baby monkey jibberish and everything. I'm hoping he sleeps a little later tomorrow, or mommy's gonna get sick from lack of sleep :)
peace, love, and healthy babies!
