really need advice on how to help lo nap with a cold!

[*Becky*]

Hi,
OMG! Things are so tough in our house right now. As I write this DH is driving our lo to sleep as we have been trying to put him down and he is not having it despite yawns and looking SO exhausted.
He has a cold at the moment and it is obviously bothering him poor boy but he is also a poor napper so the combination is not good. Yesterday he took 2 x 35 min naps all day and then we had a waking after bedtime and an EW. Yuck!
Before the cold we had been doing about 4 hours A time (he is 10.5 months) and he has generally been napping for about an hour-hour 20 in the am and then anything from 35 mins to an hour in the pm. This is not great but much better than what we have now.
I have no idea what A time I should be doing when he has a cold as his tired signs are random. Today he had an am nap for 40 mins and then yawned after 3 hours so I tried to put him to bed just after that and he fought it. I am pretty sure 4 hours is too long on a short nap but don't know what to aim for. It is getting me down so much as he just looks so tired and we are shattered.
Any advice would be very appreciated.
bx

[spanna]

Hi you poor things, awful when they are sick eh?

When our lo is sick i just let her sleep when I think she needs it...... A time really goes out of the window...
Is your lo having trouble breathing ? maybe try some vick or olbas oil rubbed on the soles of his feet to help this, I also splash olbas oil (basiccally eucalyptus), around the sheets in the cot. Other friends use humidifiers...
What about panadol, (baby paracetemol) or a natural remedy like like Brauers cold relief if you prefer.....this might help himfeel a bit better and sleep easier

HTH....and he feels better soon so you can all get some sleep 

[squeakersmum]

Hey,

We're battling a cold ATM too

Not sure where you are (and therefore whether you can get it) but we are using 'Karvol' in boiling water in a bowl in Ben's room while he naps.  We've raised the end of his cot - and put the bowl in about 20 mins before I think it's nap time and close the door!!!  It means that his room smells and is humidified too by the time he goes down for a nap. 

Saying that - for the really bad days - he would only nap on me or DH, as he had such bad 'gunk'.

Hope your LO feels better soon!

XXX

He's much more needy at nap time at the mo - so 4 out of 5 times he needs my hand on him to help him fall asleep ATM.

[Mashi]

Yes, we do mixtures of the above -

Baby Albus Oil on a cloth placed out of reach of the cot, but close enough to have some effect. At night time I put a few drops on the sheets at the side of the cot, away from where his face would end up but again, close enough to have some effect. The Baby Albus Oil is much nicer than the regular one as it has an orange scent added so the eucalyptus and menthol aren't as strong.

A humidifier works very well for congestion, or if it's already cold enough that you have the heat on, then some wet towels on the radiators do the same job!

Saline drops up LO's nose, if you can manage to get them in there. We haven't needed them since DS was about 6 months old and it was much easier at that age, but if you can put LO on your legs and recline him slightly back so that his head is tipped very slightly backwards, you can get a few drops up there. Clears them up quite well. It doesn't last, but it clears the nose long enough to get LO to sleep in the first place.

We do naps in the pram/buggy when DS is sick, too. Instead of being reclined flat, I lift it to the position one up from flat, so that he is slightly upwards.  Once he's asleep I wheel him into the house.  At 45 minute mark I either head back outside or just push back and forth in the front hall.

Turn the shower on HOT and let it run for a few minutes until the bathroom is steamy.  Carry LO into the room and let him be in the steamy mist for a few minutes, helps to loosen the mucous in his sinuses and it starts running out so you can wipe it, rather than have it just be congested.

Calpol or Nurofen when needed - you know your own head feels like it is going to explode when you have a cold, LO is no different!  I'm liberal with it when he's not sleeping / feeling unwell.

And, at NWs or naps when he wakes early, I absolutely rock and cuddle him back to sleep. When you feel like crap a nice cuddle is lovely. Bad habits are easy to break in a few days when he is feeling better!

And, finally, get lots of rest yourself so that you can deal with the NWs!

[spanna]

baby Olbas Oil??, we can't get that here , didn't know it exisited...... prob take another 10 yrs to get to Aus! LOL....................
Henry1 hope you LO is feeling better

[Mashi]

Yep, Olbus for Children, for age 3 months+  We brought ours with us from the UK, can't get it in Germany either, otherwise I would offer to send some!

[spanna]

Ahhhhhhhh thanks Mashi That's kind of you. I'll remember to ask my Mum to bring some in December LOL