Uh Oh, Our Baby’s First Cold!

Avery: *cough* *cough*

Me: Oh, she’s just doing that for attention and it’s something new she learned.

Going Mom: Yeah, crazy baby.

This exchange of words (and coughs) has happened before and nothing was wrong, but just a few days ago, that coughing only got worse. Followed by the coughs, was a constantly runny nose, small fever, and one very unhappy baby.

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Oops, guess it wasn’t just for attention or to make random noise; she was for real this time! Sorry, Avery, us new parents still have so much to learn. Please forgive us.

As I write this, Avery’s symptoms seem to be improving, but keeping her happy all that easy yet. In retrospect, it’s never really that easy. But no complaints here, she’s pretty happy over all, she just has her moments as we all do. It probably doesn’t help when I’m sucking snot out of her runny nostrils several times a day with this handy device….

We’ve had the Nosefrida since Avery was born, but have only started using it now for her cold. Going Mom can’t stand to even watch me use it, so I guess I’m the sucker in the family. See what I did there? No?

By the way, that picture of a happy kid with the tube shoved in their nostril…..FALSE ADVERTISING! Avery screams like I’m pulling off her toes every time I use it and now she’ll start just at the sight of the thing. Using it while trying to hold her arms and head still has been challenging to say the least, but for some odd reason, I derive satisfaction from sucking out a lot of her snot. The more snot, the more bonus points for dad!

Anywho, this is another first for Avery (yay?) and hopefully it’s going away and won’t come back for a while. How many other new parents keep track of their baby’s “firsts”? Surely we aren’t alone here. It’s not like we’re tracking when we had her outside and a wind gust came in from the Northwest for her to feel for the first time.

Poor girl, you can tell she doesn’t understand why she feels so stuffy and out of it, but I’d say she’s doing good at keeping her spirits somewhat high. See that ever so slight smile emerging?

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We are against putting over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol in Avery’s body as there are too many dangers associated with these drugs and we don’t use them for ourselves. Plus, all of the children’s brands are filled with artificial colors and sweeteners which makes them even worse! I’ll stop there, but they are a big NO in this house.

Her sleep was less than stellar the first couple of nights with the cold, but she has slept through the past few nights pretty well. I’m sure her body is just so worn out and really needs the rest to help fight off the crap. I’m not an expert, but I’d say she’s on her way to recovery-ville! Mainly because even when she looks like this…

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….at the sound of the camera’s shutter, she transforms into this.

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Yeah, I’d say someone’s getting over their first cold. Wouldn’t you?

What are your thoughts on using modern medicine for your children? For yourself?

We look to homeopathic options whenever possible as well as essential oils which are overlooked but very effective.

7 thoughts on “Uh Oh, Our Baby’s First Cold!”

  1. I am not a big fan of meds myself. I try not to give Tylenol unless fever is very high. I prefer the fever to do it’s job. I love the bulb syringe. I know it is not fun sticking those things in their little noses, but it is wonderful all the gunk it pulls out. Cuddles work best.

    1. I know haven’t faced an extreme fever yet, and I fear that day tremendously! It seems like there is no other way, but I’m determined to find something….somehow.

      The screams she makes when I’m sucking that gunk out hurts my heart, but it’s so satisfying when a big glob comes out. And yes, I agree, cuddles are awesome!! 🙂

  2. Oh no! Colds suck! (As do booger suckers, for the record, I too wasn’t thrilled with the false advertising – calm and smiling baby – on our own booger sucker when I started using it).

    So far, we have not used any meds for the fevers that the little guy has had, I mean, a fever is the body’s defense mechanism anyways. We have resorted to some advil as a last resort at nighttime during teething (molars).

    I’m curious about the homeopathic remedies and essential oils you use.

    1. Her cold is still hanging around, as is the booger sucker…ugh!

      Great to hear on your limited use of meds, I know we are only getting started, but I hope to remain strong. Like you said, fevers mean the body is doing its job!

      For the homeopathic and essential oil remedies, we haven’t had to use them for fevers yet, but we have a kit from Hyland’s we bought off Amazon with several options for fevers, teething, colds, soreness, and coughing. Here’s the link if interested – http://www.amazon.com/Hylands-Kids-Kit-Homeopathic-Medicine/dp/B00008CMQ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407440860&sr=8-1&keywords=hyland%27s+kids+kit

      My wife is more knowledgeable on the essential oils and I plan on have a post about them hopefully soon.

  3. Those little gunge sucky things are fantastic! The thing I hate about colds that kids pick up is that it is ineviatble that I will get the cold too – all part of the trials and tei ulations of being a parent I think 🙂

    1. Yeah, I think I’m experiencing the backlash of her cold now. Sore throat just came out of nowhere! Guess I should prepare myself. Thanks for the comment!

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