Lewis is 6 1/2 months old and has come down with the dreaded cold.

I have gave him a 5ml spoon of Calpol last night and a 2.5ml spoon of Calpol this morning which seems to help alot. I am going to try and get him to get plenty of sleep to try and shake it off but he has a cough! :( At the moment I don't think it is bad enough to take him to the docs or anything like that but is there anything that he could have to ease it?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated :thumbsup:

My doctor had recommended steam in the past - ie, a small room with a boiling kettle, or a hot bath run and just sit in the room with him to let him inhale the steam. Other than that, you seem to be doing the right thing. Also try to give him plenty of fluids - water or weak juice. Hope he's better soon. x

Hi Lauren, ahhh poor little man! ive got an 11 month old with exactly the same he seems to have been poorly with summat or other for about a month now :mad: Sounds like you're doin the right thing in getting him to sleep etc and tryin to keep his temp down. We've been using one of the karvol vapourisers at night but it tended to make his cough worse so we gave up on that idea. We've also put a towel under Joe's mattress to elevate it a little which seems to do the trick. He's also been smothered in Vick rub (boots do one from 3 months) Im sure it'll run its course eventually but its not very nice for them (or us) till it does

Ps think the dose for a 6 month old is 2.5ml calpol max of 4 times a day

Hope he's feeling lots better soon xxxxx

Johnson's do a breatheasy bath range and I would also recommend some Karvol drops on a hanky and placed nearby to help!!

I would avoid giving him Calpol unless he has a temperature though !!

Bless 'em !!

Hope he gets better soon.

Ps think the dose for a 6 month old is 2.5ml calpol max of 4 times a day



Checked the calpol I have and it is up to 5ml from 3 months onwards. I have the bottle I was prescribed when he had his 8 week jabs which I didn't use :)

I don't like giving Calpol. I don't like taking paracetamol myself unless I am desperate. That is another reason why I have posted for suggestions :)

Just do what your doing and the dreaded cold will run it's course.

I recommend the breathe easy bath. A warm bath will help in any case. Also boots do a plug in vapouriser which I've found useful. It plugs in like a nightlite and has these vapour pads that are slightly warmed to release the vapour.

The only other thing I would add is to raise the end of the cot slightly. For some reason this seems to work.

Hi, my little one went through a spell of having lots of illnesses so we eneded up at the docs a few times and their advice was:

Expect colds to be on and off over weeks or even months - is normal!
Only give calpol if they have a temperature not for a cold in general.
Make sure they drink plenty of water and don't worry if they go off their food.

We also use Karvol and find he likes this.

Hope he's better soon although I hate to say it, this is probably the first of many! x

Well I think my little man feels a little worse this morning. I took in your advice and took his temperature - it is 38.2 it seemed a little high so I gave him a small spoon of calpol and he has fallen asleep. He seemed to be in distress before so I wonder if he has earache/headache. :(

Is Karvol something to get rid of a stuffy nose? If so then my husband may have to go out for supplies.

I am not too worried but it isn't nice to see your little one not well.

My little one has had a cold for a week or so like me and his has just got worse too! He was awake crying 3 times last night (a lot for him as he never wakes in the night unless he's ill). He's trying to go to sleep now but he's struggling. It is horrible seeing them ill

The Karvol we use is like Vicks Vapour rub but suitable for 6 months+. It helps with a stuffy nose and makes it easier to breathe and it also seeems to relax my lo too.

If your little one starts rubbing his ears a lot he might have an ear infection. AT 9 months my lo had a cold which ended up as an ear infection and he had to have anti biotics for that. I would expect he would rub or pull his ears if they were bothering him though.

Right I may have to get my sister to watch Lewis whilst I trot off to the chemist for some Karvol.

He won't sleep in his cot so I have made a bed of cushions on the floor with two cushions under his head to keep it 'propped up' and covered him with a thin blanket (for him to snuggle) He is being more stubborn than usual and is determined to play! He fiddles with a toy until he can't take anymore! He slept on his cushion bed for 3 hours yesterday afternoon but then he woke at 4 this morning starving for some milk! He downed 7oz in less than 5 mins!

littledizzy has had a cold for the last week but on Tues his temp was 37.8, called the doctor and asked if he was ok with just calpol.
They said they would like to see him as his temp was high for just a cold.

Turns out he's got tonsilitis!!! He's 8 months

Ours has a chest infection too, similar symptoms, but had his cold for about 2 months, this last couple of days his temp went above 37 and the doc said we were right to ask for help then, calpol wouldn't cure the prob, though it does help.

A doctor once told me to avoid calpol if possible as a temperature is a sign that the baby is fighting something and by supressing the temperature with drugs takes longer to fight! he did say to use my judgment and if i found she was getting too hot then to give her a dose.

I always avoid any medicines if possible. When mini was in a Cot i always put a pillow under the mattress to raise her slightly. also sitting in the bathroom with shower or bath for steam.

Karvol is good, also if he has a blocked nose get some saline drops it helps :D

Just took it again but it says 37.5 now? I think that the thermometer is a bit big for his ear..... oh well! Ill just see how he goes!

Just took it again but it says 37.5 now? I think that the thermometer is a bit big for his ear..... oh well! Ill just see how he goes!

anything over 38 is regarded as a fever. Even if he feels hot he may not have a temperature. When mini has a cold she always feels roasting but when we take her temp she rarely has one!
It does not stop you worrying though.

Their temperature can go up and down a lot so it could be that your thermometer is correct. As savbaby said a temperature isn't a bad thing as my doctor also said it's the bodies way of fighting something. The only thing it can mean is that they have got something more than a cold but not always.

It's really hard to know what to do when they're ill. My little one was never ill until 9 months old and then he just got ill every few weeks. It's hard to know whether to go to the doctors. On the one hand you don't want to be there every few weeks but on the other you don't want to miss something!!

also, have you tried olbas oil for children? Not sure on the age, but I know when speedy 4 was quite young we used it, as I remember putting a few drops on the hood of the moses basket, so I'm guessing she was under 6 months. Now we put it on a hanky and tie that round the top of the cot if she's snuffly, just helps clear their nose a bit (and everyone elses too, as it travels thru the whole upstairs)

If my sis can get her backside across the road I am hoping to get down to the chemist (I really don't want to upset him by taking him out today) if not I will have to send my husband later but he will end up coming back with something not suitable or not be able to find it.

the childrens olbas oil is a very small bottle in a box - about the size of a bottle of eye drops. The box is (I think) orange and black. HTH

Seb had this not long ago. Dr told me to put Seb in a steamy bathroom to help loosen the crap on his chest, then lay him on his back and pat his chest. Apparently it helps to shift it

If my sis can get her backside across the road I am hoping to get down to the chemist (I really don't want to upset him by taking him out today) if not I will have to send my husband later but he will end up coming back with something not suitable or not be able to find it.

wrapping him up and taking him with you would do the world of good! fresh air can work wonders for stuffy noses.
Once when i had to take mini to out of hours docs they told me that they usually get you to go to them as kids come round when out in fresh air and it gives them a better idea of the severity :D

Rachel has been full of cold recently but seemed to be getting over it. Then on Tuesday afternoon she started to get her cough back and was getting quite snuffly. I checked her temperature because she felt warm and it was a bit high for her so I gave her some calpol.

Daddy came home from work and I checked her temp again, it was up to 38.3. I was now getting worried because the doc had warned us that due to her heart condition if she ran a temp she needed to be seen straight away. I wasn't sure whether to wait till morning or not so phoned NHS Direct who were great as usual. They got our GP out of hours service to call us and we were then asked to take her down to them.

By the time we arrived there she was coming up at a temp of 38.8, We were sent straight up to the childrens ward at calow hospital because her breathing was becoming very rapid.

Childrens ward examined her and to cut the rest of the story short, we ended up spending the next 24 hours in the hospital with rachel's temp going up and down and only being controlled by calpol. The doc there told us that it was fine and that we should only worry if a fever is not responding to calpol.

This is a bit of a long post and not in anyway looking for sympathy, I just hope it helps someone else out.

I didnt want to take him out due to his stubborness (see my post about changing his nappy - his clothes today made him worse!) I am planning to take him out tomorrow. I told my mum today that being cooped up for 2 days wasnt good for him.

Steelerbabe. Thanks for your experience. I reckon nobody thinks you are out for sympathy. xxx :)

Checked the calpol I have and it is up to 5ml from 3 months onwards. I have the bottle I was prescribed when he had his 8 week jabs which I didn't use :)

Sorry Lauren, my mistake :) Just going on what my bottle from doc said.

How is your little man today??? hope he's feeling much better xxx

Hey all, does anyone have any tips for babies coughs ? Rachel is getting better but has really bad (sounding) coughing fits....... don't know what I can do for her.

Hi everyone thanks for your advice.

My little man seems alot better today - not good for the cat! :hihi: He is just a bit sleepier than usual but haven't had to give him anything. He also slept alot better.

The chemist were out of olbas oil and Karvol?? (must be loads of little ones with the sniffles! :() but I bought some vapour rub for babies and I think it worked.

A good night's sleep has worked wonders for him. :)

Hey all, does anyone have any tips for babies coughs ? Rachel is getting better but has really bad (sounding) coughing fits....... don't know what I can do for her.

Hiya, my little one has an awful cough at the moment. My father in law (a GP) was visiting today and he said unless they sound wheezy or it's affecting their breathing then not to worry. I know from my GP that you shouldn't use cough suppressants for babies. The only things I can suggest is the Karvol which in general seems to make it easier for my lo to breathe and he relaxes more and coughs less.

Thanks Corbyn, I have been using Albas oil for babies so I think I will just carry on with that for now as it is not affecting her breathing or anything. Thanks again.

That's ok. It's awful isn't it. My little man has been in bed since 6.45 and he hasn't really stopped coughing. It's the worst he's ever had. I've read a few things on the internet which I'm trying which are to raise the head of the cot (I've put a wedge I had when pregnant under the matress) and put a damp towel on the radiator to humidify the room. He's coughing less since I put the wedge under the matress but still quite a lot.

Yeah my mum told me about raising the top of the cot. seems to work.

I was told about raising the cot but it wouldn't really make much difference to me. Lewis is a wriggler and he wakes with his head at the bottom on his front.