What to buy when you’re expecting – SICK BABIES

WHAT TO BUY IN ANTICIPATION OF A SICK BABY AND DEALING WITH COLIC

A Sick baby is heartbreaking

There is absolutely nothing worse than a sick baby!!!

No one really tells you how awful it is when your baby is ill. Your poor little helpless thing can’t communicate their needs. You feel guilty about not knowing what to do. You’re also worried because you just don’t know what is going on. With all those negative emotions you’re in completely emotional overload.

I hope that you don’t get a sick baby in the early days because it can really throw you. But, if you do there are a few things that are good to have on hand.

 DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor. I am not a medical professional of any sorts. Included in this post are the products I have used over time and have experiences with.

Please Please don’t medicate your baby, especially a small baby without consulting a medical professional. 

Here is the list of what you should keep in anticipation of having an unwell little one.

THERMOMETER 

At the very start you need a good thermometer. You will use it all the time so invest in the best that you can afford.

Boy, have things changed since you were a kid or since your mom was raising kids. Everything is digital now.

You want a good quality thermometer! I would invest in one of those that goes in the ears or on the forehead. We researched those available on the SA market and Panasonic was by far the best quality wise, after working this out I just shopped around to get the best price.

This has come in handy so often and I would really recommend it. It is also what the doctors used  so it wasn’t unfamiliar to our babies when they had to go to the doctor.

The best idea for buying a good quality thermometer that you can trust is to ask your doctor what they suggest. Even your GP will have a good indication as to what is used for little ones.

BLOCKED NOSES

 

THE NOSE FRIDA

There are various nicknames for this product as it is quite disgusting to prospective parents. To those of us who have used the Nose Frida it is a life saver.

Essentially the Nose Frida is to be used to get the mucous and snot our of your child’s nose without causing them any injury. This is a special device made of plastic and is a tube you use to suck out any muck in the baby’s nose. Don’t worry there are filters included.

Nose Frida Snot Sucker for sick babies

Disgusting I know but this works. Unlike the other devices on the market it doesn’t tear the little veins in their nose.

If you’re debating whether this is for you – trust me on this. You need a Nose Frida. I remember being in hospital with one of our kids and their was a little baby admitted who was so ill he was on an ventilator and it all started with a blocked nose.

You can buy it directly from the Nose Frida site  or at most pharmacies, chemists or good baby stores.

SALINE SOLUTION

Saline Solution is pure salt water. There are some dodgy companies who make products called Saline Solution that is not pure Saline. Be careful of impure saline solution. You must read the ingredients on the brand that you buy.

Saline Solution is what you spray up their nose before you Nose frida them or just to help flush their little noses. Make sure it is baby. Do not use the kids or adult saline because the strength of the spray differs as does the amount that is dispensed.

We are currently using Flo Saline solution.

PAIN MANAGEMENT

 

You get two different based pain medications – as you do with adults, ibuprofen based and paracetamol based.

Buy both for two reasons:

a) your baby may respond to one over the other; and

b) you may, in very limited and under doctor’s direction, need to double dose which means you use both in conjunction.

Now no matter what brand of paracetamol or ibuprofen you use there will be a baby version and a toddler version. The rational behind this being that the strengths differ so that you don’t have to give big dosages. Make sure you get the right version. There are also cost implications.

Even though you will need the two different pain meds you may find that the brand you chose doesn’t suit your baby. Even really little they have opinions on what they like and don’t like. One of children likes one brand and the other one refuses that same brand.

 

In South Africa and Australia we used nurofen as our ibuprofen based pain medication and Panado (South Africa) and Panadol (Australia) as our paracetamol based pain meds. We have also used Calpol in certain circumstances for our little girl.

 

SICK FROM COLIC

 

Colic is awful awful. My husband was told that it is “like a golf ball trying to pass through a hose pipe”.

What is Colic 

Some babies go through a period of having unexplained and regular crying each day. This usually happens between the ages of about two weeks and 16 weeks. These bouts of crying may last for three hours or more and occur mostly in the afternoons and evenings. The baby seems to be suffering from abdominal pain. Colic affects around one in three babies. Usually, cuddling or trying to soothe the baby’s cries does not work. 

The cause is unknown but colic generally stops, without treatment, after a few weeks. Some studies have found that parents under stress are more likely to consider their child as ‘colicky’, but it must be remembered that colic is very stressful to live with. It is very important not to blame a ‘stressed’ parent for the crying.

The Better Health Channel, Victoria State Government 

A baby sick from colic 

The picture below is a good example of the the heartache that is Colic, the worst part of which is that 1 in 3 babies seem to get it. It just arrives and then one day disappears. Colic is beyond frustrating.

Colic - sickly babies

We were very lucky with our second baby who didn’t sick from colic.  I had been so traumatised by our experience with our first that I bought at least two anti-colic products and packed them into our hospital bag just in case we had a problem.

1. Look At Diet

I would say that if you are battling with Colic, first look:

  • into your own diet (if you are breast feeding), or
  • the babies’  milk (if they are formula fed).

 

What you can do to change those things to possibly relieve your little one. You may also want to look into other ways you can help them pass the gas without resorting to meds. There are a number of foods you can cut out which should be of assistance to your little one.

2. Approach medical professionals 

If that doesn’t work after a few days then phone the hospital where you had the baby and ask what products they suggest.  Then phone a pharmacy or chemist and buy the product that both of them have suggested. If they are two different products phone your general practitioner.

I don’t want to dictate what you should or shouldn’t try. It is so different with each baby and the products on the market change so quickly. But I do want to warn you about what I found when trying to chose a product that worked.

 

What we used for Colic

A lot of people will say that you must use telement drops or gripe water but this did not work for our first.

 

Further than that when we lived in South Africa I found that even when the packaging said “No Alcohol” or “Alcohol Free” the ingredient list would still contain some scientific name for alcohol. I was horrified but I was so tired that I didn’t have the energy to complain to the manufacturer or the distributor who I had bought it from.

 

In the end we used Colic Calm for our son which cost us a fortune as it wasn’t being brought into South Africa at the time but it worked for us. It was 4 years ago though so the market may have changed and there may be other products that are more suitable to your baby.

PREVIOUS POSTS IN THE SERIES

 

What you need for feeding (and pacifiers too)

Everything associated with sleeping 

Age appropriate toys

What to buy in case baby gets sick

Nappy Changes

Baby Clothes

Baby Accessories – What on earth are those!?

Bathing your baby

 

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