7 Ways Moms Can Use To Help Their Sick Baby

7 Ways Moms Can Use To Help Their Sick Baby

Hi moms!  I want to talk today about helping your sick baby.

Many babies will get sick soon during the cold and flu season. I know
your top goal during this time must be to keep baby well.

However, if your child does get ill, here are some things to do to help.
First we’ll talk about the symptoms. We’ll also cover how to get her to
sleep in this condition.

Symptoms

There are many signs and symptoms that show baby may not be
feeling well. Some of these are:

Fever

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Pain

Coughing

Headache

Fewer wet nappies than usual

When you notice your child is having any of these signs you should
consider visiting your doctor cause these are signs that your baby is
not feeling well.

If your child starts vomiting, it is important to lay her on her
stomach.

Doing this will reduce the possibility of her inhaling vomit into both
upper airways and lungs.

If the vomiting is continuing you need to take caution to make sure
dehydration does not happen.

Dehydration occurs when the body loses too much water. It can
endanger the life of baby if it is becoming extremely severe.

To prevent this, you need to give your child  additional fluids to take
care of the ones that have been lost.

It is good to consult your pediatrician if you realize that baby is
vomiting fluids.

Helpful Solutions

1. Keep Them Hydrated

Babies require additional fluids just like adults when they are unwell.
Try to offer extra fluids during the day to keep them hydrated.

Signs of mild to moderate dehydration:

“Plays less than usual

Urinates less frequently (for infants, fewer than six wet diapers per
day)

Parched, dry mouth

Fewer tears when crying

Sunken soft spot of the head in an infant or toddler

Stools will be loose if dehydration is caused by diarrhea;

if dehydration is due to other fluid loss (vomiting, lack of fluid intake),
there will be decreased bowel movements.” healthychildren.org

Don’t give them water if they are less than 6 months old. It can
be dangerous. Just increase the milk or formula.

“Until the age of six months, a baby’s kidneys are too immature to
correctly filter plain water, leaving the baby susceptible to water
intoxication,” Burgert said.

“Water intoxication is a dangerous condition that can affect baby’s
growth and development and make them very sick.

As baby grows, however, her kidneys mature.

By the age of six months, her body is able to consume water without
concern for water intoxication.”  insider.com

If baby has diarrhea or is vomiting, make sure to visit your
baby’s doctor. The doctor can prescribe things to do away with
dehydration.

“Doctors often recommend an oral rehydration solution (ORS) such
as Pedialyte, Ceralyte, or Gastrolyte, in small and frequent doses, to
get a baby’s body rehydrated.

Even if the baby is vomiting, parents are encouraged to administer
the solution.

The aim, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information
Clearinghouse, is to prevent the output of fluids from exceeding the
intake.”  parents.com

2. Keep Your Baby Rested

Babies that are not feeling well demand lots of rest. Make sure
baby is getting enough rest.

Let them nap longer and put them to bed earlier at night. Do
whatever it takes to have them sleep and keep them sleeping.

You may be able to nurse them to sleep so that they can take their
rest or if they wake up in the middle of the night.

Sick babies need to be well taken care of and they will resume their
sleeping routine once they are feeling well.

3. Warm Bath and Massage

A warm bath is well suited for kids having pains and aches from
their cold.

Make sure the water is not too warm and you should have talks
with your doctor if your child has a fever.

The bath should be followed by an infant massage to aid baby to
relax. Make sure to offer your sick baby a lot of cuddles and
snuggles prior to taking him to bed.

4. Use a Humidifier

Humidifiers add the required moisture to the air in the bedroom.
This ensures your child’s nasal passages are moist and lowers the
nighttime coughing as well as stuffiness.

Be sure the device is cleaned regularly to prevent the growth of
mold inside it.

If you don’t have a humidifier you can use steam from a hot
shower.

“Steam can also help loosen the mucus that’s stuffing up your little
one’s nose. Run a hot shower for a few minutes to create some
steam.

Then sit in the steamy room with your baby for a few minutes, or run
her a bath as usual.

Just make sure that the hot water from the shower doesn’t touch your
little one — it can burn her.    www.care.com

5. Raise Your Baby’s Head

Avoid lying your baby flat cause it makes the cough worse,
which is not good for bedtime.

Lifting your baby’s head in the crib a few inches can be very
important.

You can use a pillow and position it under the head of the mattress.
This helps the mucus to drain in the right direction easing coughing.

6. Try a Little Sweet and Sour

For kids that are one year and above, honey and lemon have shown
to be magnificent for both the cough and sore throat.

One of the things lemons are known for is the ability to stop
congestion.

Honey provides a comforting coating for their throats. This
is considered ideal if your child is more than one year old.

If they are more than one year you can mix the two and heat it for a
minute using the microwave.

After cooling to lukewarm, you can give your toddler a teaspoon.

7. Make Use of Saline

Saline has been known to yield better results against congestion.
What you have to do is to lay baby down on his back and tilt his chin
back a little.

You can now put 2 to 3 drops of saline into every nostril.

You can use it together with a bulb syringe (also called a nasal
aspirator) for better results.

“Squeeze the bulb to get all of the air out, and, while still squeezing,
gently insert the tip into baby’s nostril (be sure not to stick it too far
up).

Then release the pressure, take it out, and squeeze the mucus out of
the bulb onto a tissue. Repeat in the other nostril.”   parents.com

 Getting Your Sick Baby To Sleep

Your child may be old enough to be sleeping all night, lately.

Sick babies though, will usually go through sleep regression
during this time.

The good news is there are ways to help baby fall asleep.

Make Sure Baby Is Comfy

Dress your child in clothes that are comfortable. Something
lightweight and made of soothing material like natural cotton.

Turn the white noise machine on for a calming influence.

Make sure they’re not congested before their sleep time.

Children are like adults and feel distressed by sickness. Keeping
them as comfy as possible will increase their ability to sleep.

Awake Times

If baby is usually awake 3 hours at a time, try to limit that to 2 hours.

Unlike when they are well, the more baby sleeps during the day,
may help them sleep more at night.

Also, put them to bed earlier at night. The less baby is awake, the
sooner she should get better.

Our immune system does it’s best work when we are asleep.

Of course, if baby’s condition gets worse, visit baby’s doctor for
advice.

You don’t want to mistakenly assume baby has a cold when
maybe it’s pneumonia!

OK moms, Hope you and your child have a better day soon!

                                                      courtesy IntermountainMoms @youtube.com

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