Anyone else have kids with this cough/vomiting bug?

[Gussy]

Hello, we are now just about clear of this horrid bug. I just wanted to ask if anyone had any good ideas for 'building up' my 'skin and bones' toddler following nearly a week with little more than a bit of toast here and there. She looks awful. Very frail with sunken eyes and has visibly lost weight (was already very slim!). I know a normal diet and time and she will pick back up, but couldn't help thinking I'd like to give her a helping hand with anything I can to boost her up a bit. Any one with food tips or is it worth buying anything particular? Thank you! x

[chantelle]

milkshakes?

[skyblue]

Our almost 2 year old has had this since 5pm Friday. She has not eaten since then save for a lick of butter off her toast on Monday. Keeping water down now, but anything else she will bring back up. It is the listlessness which is so distressing, sleeping all the time. Her eyes are sunken. We ended up in a and e last night as her breathing was laboured and she was not drinking.

We were advised that this is a bug which lasts for 7 days minimum and if not accepting fluid try full strength squash as this will get some sugar-energy into them.

[Saffron]

Sometimes squash / sugar water / dioralyte stays down better than plain water which itself can make the stomach cramp. Once past the vomit stage, Little Saff loved choccy soya milk. Peanut butter is a good high-calorie food if your LO is ok with nuts. Also try adding a little dessert after each meal, like a petit filous, favourite biscuit, or single small square of milk choc. xx

[VanessaPMR]

My little one is slowly on the up from this too. Re food to help build her up..

This afternoon my little one ate her and my portion of a smoked salmon carbonara...(basically I am trying to feed her the most delicious food I can think of that fits within her limited range of ok food).

So she got pasta smothered in a sauce made of beurre noisette/cream cheese/grated parmasan and smoked salmon (with a little water to loosen the sauce). I had intended to eat half of what i made, but have had to make do with her leftovers. I also didnt bother with adding veggies to the sauce today, focusing on increased calorific intake instead. She also looks awful: pale, skinny, sunken eyes..though she did seem in a much better mood after lunch. :)

My only concern is expectation management.. ;-)

I so know she is going to be expecting similar cuisine when she's better.. tantrums ahead.

[Gussy]

Thanks ladies, some great ideas. I made a banana, peanut butter and ice cream milkshake for her pudding today. She loved it. Had to stop myself from guzzling the lot. We also made some cakes yesterday. I'm enjoying this convalescing business! Like you say Vanessa, I hope she doesn't get used to it :)

[The Nappy Lady]

I got some of the Seven Seas Vitamin C tonic which has always worked wonders for me after bad winter colds etc. and fed it to my 2 as per box dosage instructions over about 4-5 days. They seemed to pick up incredibly quickly, whether it was down to that or not I don't know, but it is a really concentrated liquid dose of lots of vitamins and minerals.

Hope everyone's poor little mites feel better soon. It's such a nasty bug. :'(

[prm]

Hi all, my 17 month old seems to have a version of this bug too. She has had a cough for about two weeks (with some diahrrea initially) but it is becoming increasingly chesty and she has had a couple of choking / vomiting phlegm episodes. I have been giving her some cough medicine that I got in Spain a couple of months ago - but it doesn't seem to be doing much. I am under the impression this type of medicine is not given in this country, and was wondering if anyone could recommend any effective over-the counter (or home made) remedies for chesty coughs. I am wondering whether to go to the GP, as last time we had something similar I was told to give nothing else but paracetamol or nurofen until she got better and just let it run its course. My only concern about this is that at this rate I would be giving paracetamol/nurofen on a permanent basis..when it isn't the flu, it is teething or something else...and it just doesn't seem right to have her so medicated all the time.

[Saffron]

Hi prm, what ingredients does your toddler cough medicine list? Am curious about how this compares with OTC cough meds here. As far as I know, most of the cough remedies you can buy from your local pharmacy will be for children 2 years old, or older.

I remember once when Little Saff's cough sounded really bad, the GP listened to her chest and concluded that although it sounded bad, it was in fact not in the small, deeper airways. A "chesty" cough in the larger, upper airways of the chest may sound bad, but it's not generally a cause for concern if there isn't any fever or other profound symptoms, so I was told. So, on that note, maybe seeing your GP would help put your mind at ease? Or, if there really is a problem that needs prescription medication, then you'll know for sure.

Have you tried one of those little methol fans? Or a menthol plug-in for your child's room at night. I thought the fan was great, but it ate batteries like a devil!

[prm]

Thanks Saffron, I do use a menthol rub suitable for babies or a drop of olbas on a tissue near the cot, which I think does help her sleep better. I would like to give her something that helps soothe the throat and break up the phlegm - I mention something over the counter or even a "home" or natural remedy as I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that some decongestant meds were recently removed from the market in this country for under 2s. The medicine I have from Spain, which I was given by a doctor has "Phenylephrine Hydrochloride" and "diphenhydramine hydrochloride" and over there it's given from 3 months old. At the end of the day it does seem sensible if there is no improvement in a few days I will go to the GP but it sounds like this flu thing can last for a while.

[Saffron]

Phenylephrine hcl is a decongestant which works mostly on nasal congestion, I believe. Diphenhydramine hcl is an antihistamine which helps reduce mucus secretion. Together they will help clear the airways, but they won't do anything to soothe the irritation in the airways. Even once the infection is cleared, airways can remain hypersensitive for some time. This is why coughs seem to linger even once your child is better.

Ask your GP if you can use a cough syrup like Buttercup. It think it's for 2+ yrs, but your GP might tell you how to use it for younger if necessary.

[prm]

Hi again, my daughter developed a very high fever on Friday which we couldn't get down with Nurofen or Paracetamol so we ended up in Seldoc on Saturday morning where they confirmed she had an ear infection and gave us some antibiotics...although only because I asked..doctor said he did not necessarily think it was worth giving them as they would only shorten the illness by a couple of days if that, he even said I should not even bother with attempting to lower a fever as that was the body fighting against the infection, so not even bother with paracetamol unless child is very upset..which she is, and I don't like seeing my child in pain so even if it only shortens it by a couple of days I am giving both without hesitation. It really amazes me how different the approach is between here and Spain (the only other country I can compare with)..over there they give you meds & antibiotics without hesitation. And yes I know the whole reasoning behind letting the body build up its own defences and how the body can become resitant if over exposed to antibiotics but every time I go to the GP I leave thinking why did I bother going at all, as no matter how ill we feel or how many days we've been ill, they always send us home saying there is no point in taking anything just let it run its course! Oh and no surprise when the doctor said don't bother giving any decongestants as they don't work either!