Advice please - snuffles

[Jose]

Hi

My daughter seems to always struggle with congestion at night. In the past I thought it was always the onset of a cold and whilst she is quite coldy generally (occasional sneezing and runny nose) she seems to really get bunged up in the evenings so her sleep is very unsettled. In the morning I often have to clean her nasal passages but she spends the rest of the day relatively snuffle free (except for if she has a big crying fit in which case the nostril are full!). I heard that you can get some plug-in thing that will help her breath at night, does anyone know what this is?

I always use thyme oil and snufflerub but it only offers brief respite for her.

Any advice welcome!

Thanks

Jenny

[Ko]

we sprinkle karvol on a muslin and put it in the cot for our toddler. you can also get karvol plug ins i believe (menthol smell which makes breathing easier).

[supergolden88]

I have been through the same thing with my boy - was worse when he was younger but at nearly 9 months we still struggle with it. Small nasal passages have been blamed but I am starting to think that maybe he's got asthma or is on his way to having it (am obviously hoping he doesn't). We were given an inhaler to try and see if it makes a difference but not due to blocked nose but persistent cough

Check if any irritants are making matters worse (cat hair, dust etc). The plug ins in my opinion do nothing. Olbas on a tissue is more effective as is a humidifier in the room (make sure you clean it regularly)

I feel for you I really do

[jennyh]

sorry on my original post I was logged in as my boyfriend! Whoops. Thanks for your replies. I really feel for her, I think today she does actually have a cold though as she can barely manage any breath through her nose at all and her poor little lips are all dry from breathing through her mouth :( Its funny you talk about cats as we do have cats but they don't go in her room at all so it can't be that, its the only room where there isn't a cat hair in sight!

She is teething at the moment as well and has had an upset tummy which I am hoping is just down to the hot weather. She went to bed at 6.30, has already woken up 6 times! She is so tired and just thrashes around with her eyes shut whinging and coughing because she is bunged up. Poor mite.

I might try a humidifier and stick with the thyme oil, olbas oil etc. Just slathered her slumber bear in snufflerub so hoping that will help as she will only sleep lying against the bear anyway!

[Saffron]

Hi jennyh- Have you tried raising the head end of her cotbed 1 to 2 centimeters? This may help with sinus drainage. Have you also considered having her allergy tested? Even if the allergens aren't directly in her room at night, she can still show the effects of having been exposed earlier in the day. Would your GP give you a referral to an ear/nose/throat specialists?

Oops, crossed posts with Yak-- raising the end of the bed seems to be a popular option. Hope it will work well for you. xx

[Yak]

Have you tried propping one end of her cot up? We use a reflux wedge when yaklet has a cold - might be worth getting one if it's a regular occurrence. I was a snuffly, wheezy, coldy child & I think my bed was more or less permanently propped up! Oh yes, and eucalyptus oil was smeared all over my chest....

[jennyh]

Thanks!!! How do I raise the end of the bed and what are these amazing sounding wedges?? I will do some googling. I guess would need something quite big as her mattress is a cot-bed one so is very heavy and chunky to withstand future bouncing! Are these things that I could use permanently or would I have to remove it?

And yes I may well look for a referral, I think I will wait until her latest teething episode has calmed down and this cold has subsided and will get down to the doctor.

Thanks everyone, as always your experience is invaluable to the newbies!

[jennyh]

Ah just googled, so the wedges you put under the sheet but on top of the mattress. I might see if anyone is selling one. Do we know if they are safe to sleep on all the time or can they be damaging to the neck/back in the long-term? Have visions of her getting very used to it and then refusing to sleep anywhere else!! :) sod's law!!

[mima08]

HI Jenny - just a quick one on propping up: We have been having LO's bed propped up pretty much since he moved into it. I didn't fancy the wedges (partially because I use a motion sensor monitor) and just propped the whole bed up by raising the legs on one end. Depending on the cot design, there are various ways - we have a very wide strip of wood fixed under them,now amount of bouncing is going to shift this, but I saw you can even get purpose made leg extender to fit under one side. I also second the Olbas oil on a tissue to help!

mx

[Yak]

Hi Jenny,

My little one was propped up for the first 6 weeks - a combination of towels under one end of his moses basket mattress and raising one end up with a couple of books. When he transferred to his flat cot I was worried he'd never sleep other than on an incline but he was absolutely fine. We just put the wedge under his mattress now when he's got a cold and he doesn't seem to mind when it's removed. (He may just be relieved he can sleep peacefully without a cold, of course!). You're welcome to borrow ours if you want - just PM me.

You could also try putting a pillow under her mattress, though that might not give as much spinal support as a wedge or a leg extender. Good luck and hope she is on the mend soon!