I can't keep Bella well for anything!! Damn daycare! Now she has

[Shell Beau]

hand-foot-mouth disease! Not to be confused with "foot and mouth disease" from cattle! But she has ulcers all on her tonsils! Bless her heart. She is tough though. I only knew because she was running a high fever. Didn't get fussy not once. x( At least it isn't that nasty flu.

[Midlodemocrat]

1. Ibuprofen and Ice pops. Seriously. Stock up.

[Shell Beau]

3. I know!! I have already made my store run. I am hoping her

runny nose doesn't go to the ears. If she gets another ear infection, she will be getting tubes. Luckily I can give her children's Claritin once a day to dry that sucker up!

This part of being a mom freaks me out. And I know I have a LONG road ahead.

[Midlodemocrat]

13. See about some baby sudafed. That will completely dry her out.

The kind behind the counter, that you have to show your ID for. Just don't give it to her at bedtime unless you want to be up all night.

:rofl:

[DeepBlueC]

15. I hope you are kidding

[Midlodemocrat]

17. Nope. Why? I have always had good luck with it.

:shrug:

[DeepBlueC]

19. Sudafed can be dangerous

Increases heart rate to begin with, and blood pressure which is why people on b.p. meds can't use it. I'd be scared to give it to anyone very young (or very old). They have just added new warnings for use of cough and cold medicines for children and I think it's prudent to ask a doctor before giving this to a kid. They turn out to be more risky than people have regarded them in the past.

[Rising Phoenix]

20. Sometimes it is necessary

I started taking baby sudafed when I was 6 months old......just check with the doc first.

[DeepBlueC]

21. agreed ... let a doc do that assessment

[Shell Beau]

22. I didn't even know they made children's sudafed, but I will

try the Claritin and see how that goes. The doc said it should dry it right up. 1/2 tsp. a day!

[Midlodemocrat]

24. Alavert is the same drug if it's cheaper.

[Shell Beau]

27. Really? See I am learning here. She also said Zyrtec works.

Wonder about the prices. I am going to Walgreens shortly.

[Midlodemocrat]

29. Check out the store brands as well.

Zyrtec is actually the best of those class of antihistamines. Adults have a harder time with it because it crosses the brain barrier and makes us sleepy, like Benadryl.

That particular side effect goes away after three days, but a lot of folks can't take it. I can't take antihistamines because I have lupus and thyroid disease, so I just suffer, LOL.

If you compare the percentage of active ingredients between the store brand and the brand, brand, you can save a considerable amount of money.

[Midlodemocrat]

23. From what I've read, the issue is diphenhydramine, not pseudophedrine.

:shrug:

[Shell Beau]

26. And the magic age seems to be 6 months. And she has passed that.

I am surprised by some of the things they can take. Benadryl being one.

[Midlodemocrat]

28. TM caught a 'cold' at 8 weeks and took Benadryl

the cinnamon flavor, 7 drops in her mouth every four hours. Ugh.

My son is the healthy one, interestingly. He was a very healthy baby, but as a teenager, he's had some pretty serious bouts of bronchitis and even pneumonia. Weird, huh?

My little one is convinced she has swine flu :eyes: because of the pollen.

[Shell Beau]

31. Don't think I wasn't freaking about that damn flu last night when

Bella's temp was 102.5!! :o Even though there hasn't been any confirmed cases in my state (at least since I checked last).

The doc did say Bella probably won't get sick a lot when she is older because of getting sick now. Not sure if that is a scientific thing or her just kinda thinking out loud.

[DeepBlueC]

34. FDA now recommending not to use them in children under four

I remember the new FDA advisory coming out but only in the most general terms. This article is reprinted from the Washington Post. First they asked pharmacies to pull products recommended for children under two. Now the FDA is recommending that no cough and cold medications be given to children under 4. That age may go up in future as they are already saying that there is no evidence of their efficacy in children under 6. The reason for that is of course that no one tests these medications on infants and children (for obvious reasons)so everything they learn about them has to be gleaned from hospital reports of adverse events. Anyway everything is changing in regard to these meds...some studies have shown they have no efficacy in children under 12. Really they don't make anyone any better but they can reduce symptoms ... but of course the symptoms are what make you feel sick.

If a kid is really uncomfortable I'd ask a doctor ...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2003963470_cold20.html

[SacredCow]

2. That one is NASTY looking....

Neighbors kid had it a while back... Vibes for Bella!

I apparently am unlikely to get the flu- I'm out of the 7-day incubation window since being in Mexico...

[Shell Beau]

6. Yay!!! Good! I know you are happy about that.

[SeattleGirl]

4. One of the "joys" of having children, unfortunately.l

No, I don't mean that having children is bad, only that they are often so susecptible to all the bugs and such going around, especially when they are in daycare or school!

I hope she gets over it soon, Shell.

[Shell Beau]

7. Thanks! Me too. I am learning so quickly about the bad part

of being a mom! That is the WORRYING!!

[SeattleGirl]

10. I am convinced that the worry gene AND the guilt gene develop

rapidly and in full blown glory the moment a woman becomes pregnant or knows that an adoption is going through.

My "baby" will be 30 this year, and while I know she's smart and can take care of herself, I'll never stop having my worrying/guilt moments.

:-(

(OTOH, though, there is also scads of genuine joy, fun, and giggles that usually outweigh the worry and guilt!)

[Jamastiene]

5. You know people blame rats and cockroaches for "carrying diseases" all the time, but...

humans carry our fair share of nasty bugs, diseases, and germs too. I'd say the human species rivals the cockroaches and rats in germ carrying. Day cares, schools, HOSPITALS(where all the sick people purposely congregate), and places of work are some of the most notorious sick factories out there. Germs know and flock to those places.

Hope little Bella gets well very soon. :hug:

[Shell Beau]

8. I know her daycare must carry every damn germ and bacteria

there is and Bella always seems to find it! Thanks!

[redqueen]

9. Awww... what a sweet little baby...

it's kinda nice that she didn't get fussy, but it'd be nice to get a little notice too. :P

Hope she feels better soon. Do you have a humidifier? Some people say not to use those but I have ear problems too and for me it seems to help keep stuff from getting clogged in there.

[Shell Beau]

11. That was the first thing her doc recommended when she had

her first ear infection. Maybe it helps! When she is done being sick, she should be immune to damn near everything!!! :P

I know. If she were fussy then I would know. She doesn't even tug at her ears when they are infected. She is a little trooper.

[redqueen]

12. Yeah, anything to keep ... well, not to be gross...

but you have a baby, so... :P

Anyway anything that helps keep the mucous liquid and loose will help. Maybe take her into a nice steamy bathroom for a few minutes after you shower.

And yes that's looking on the bright side, she's building a nice strong immune system. :)

[Shell Beau]

25. Gross has a whole new meaning to me.

When you get shit on your hands and don't freak out... Aahhh, the joys of parenthood!

[Midlodemocrat]

30. Just wait until one of her friends hurls her McDonald's Happy Meal

in your front hall. And in cleaning it up, YOU have stuff coming out of every orifice in your body.

Welcome to Motherhood!!!!

:rofl:

[Shell Beau]

32. I do remember making my mom throw up because she had to clean up mine!

I guess it is different when it is a big kid!! :7

[tigereye]

14. humidifiers really seem to cut down on the colds, at least around here

my son seems to have missed out on the foot and mouth thing, but wow, did he have strep and ear infections a lot when he went to Kindergarten. The pink bottle of amoxicillin lived in my fridge.


He went to a small daycare, so I think we missed out on some of the nasty bugs...


hang in there, Shell. :hug: It does get easier.

[Jeep789]

33. I read an article recently that cold viruses don't do well in

humidity. It recommended keeping a tea kettle going during the cold dry season.

[trof]

16. Miz t. and I didn't really appreciate our good health...

during the first two years of our marriage.
Then we had a sweet baby girl.
And eventually she went to day care and then kindergarten, and 'real' school, and so on and so forth.

And when she finally left for college, we began to enjoy the same good health we had 18 years before.

Any group of kids is just one big petri dish.
Sorry.
:-(

[Lars39]

18. My kids got sick with all the normal stuff,

and I swear the doctor visits didn't seem to slack off until the youngest was about in 4th or 5th grade.