Xander Week 18 - First Baby Cold
January 22, 2007
Xander came down with his first cold this week. It was awful. We dropped Xander off for his first full day of day care on Tuesday. When I picked him up Tuesday afternoon, he was completely congested. Of course he didn’t catch the cold and display symptoms all in the same day, it was just ironic timing. On Tuesday night we tried to get Xander to sleep in his bassinet, but he just cried, and cried. Eventually we brought him into bed with us - Zach and I had to work the next day, so we really needed to get some sleep. Unfortunately, Xander slept in 15 minute increments for the entire night. Needless to say, by the next morning all three of us were exhausted. Wednesday night brought the same sleeping arrangement. Zach and I agreed to take shifts - Zach slept in the nursery by himself for the first part of the night, and then he got up with Xander, and I slept in the nursery. Sometime around 1am, I discovered that by propping Xander into an almost sitting position, he slept much better! Of course, this seems like common sense now, and I kick myself for not figuring it out earlier. We all feel horribly congested when we’ve got a head cold, and the congestion eases some when we’re upright. When we lay down to sleep, the pressure in our heads gets worse, and we can’t breathe through our noses, etc. The same with babies (duh!) so when we started sitting Xander up to sleep, he began to sleep much better. By Thursday night we were able to get him to sleep for about a 5 hour stretch (what a relief!) He still isn’t sleeping great, and we haven’t been able to talk him into getting back into the bassinet, but I’m hopeful that once this cold passes we’ll be able to get back to normal.
I should also note that I did bring Xander to see his doctor on Thursday to make sure he didn’t have an ear infection (he’s fine - just a head cold). Our pediatrician’s office suggested that we suction out Xander’s nose about every hour, and before feedings, and that we use saline drops to help loosen the mucus. This seems to help quite a bit during the day (our day care provider got to be the “lucky” one to do most of this work). We also use a humidifier in the bedroom, which the pediatrician also suggested, and it seems to help some as well. However, sleeping upright was really the key to getting any sort of significant sleep.
I’m sorry to hear Xander was sick; I hope he’s getting back to his normal self. It’s my fear as well, with daycares, that my girl will be sick a lot. I’m not due at work until Aug ‘07, but I am already anticipating the worst grrr! Well, maybe all will be well!
Hi J - Xander is on the mend - thanks
It was definitely my fear that once he started day care, he’d be sick all the time. Of course, starting in January didn’t help matters… I just keep reminding myself that he’s going to have one tough immune system, and that by the time he’s in school, he won’t be sick as often, since he’s already been exposed to so much. I guess we all just have to suffer through that phase at some point… It certainly does suck though 
I don’t think I’ve added a comment here yet - you are one of the first websites that come up when searching baby cold and sleeping. I’m asking that you add something about safe propped up sleeping. As propping with a pillow can be deadly. Johnson’s Baby site recommends - Never use pillows to prop up your baby; they could suffocate him. And don’t put anything under the legs of the crib because that can make it unstable. Alternatively, consider letting your baby sleep in his car seat in a semi-upright position to help alleviate his stuffy nose.
Hi Tara - Johnson’s website is right - pillows are suffocation hazards for babies. Although you can’t prop the legs of a crib, you can put something (such as a folded towel) underneath one end of the crib mattress - the incline on one end of the mattress sometimes helps. If your baby is still in a removable infant seat, then that is a great alternative for sleep while propped up. Good luck with the cold and the more sleepless nights - the little recover soon I’m sure!