what to do to help with congestion-

[chozen]

i have been running humidifier, not sure what else to do. do any of you have any suggestions?

[wendibird22]

Saline nasal spray/drops works for both me and the kids, as does sitting in a hot steam shower.

[TwinFoxes]

Saline nose drops help.

[chozen]

thanks for suggesting the saline drops, i was thinking about that and i had some and cant find it. i had read somewhere about making your own saline solution for this, do you gails know how to make your own?

[poppy]

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/t087000.asp

To make your own salt water nose drop solution add a pinch of salt, no more than ¼ teaspoon, to eight ounces of warm tap water. Using a plastic eye dropper squirt a few drops into each nostril and finish with the direction above.


Hmmm.... my DC is congested too. How helpful is this? He won't even let me get the nose bulb near him to take some of the mucus out.
I was just going to let him sit in the bathroom with the steam on.

[crl]

Hot steamy shower and increased fluid intake.

Catherine

[chozen]

thanks you all for your help, im going try the saline spray.

[chozen]

Hot steamy shower and increased fluid intake.

Catherine

i am having a hard time getting her to drink much. i ahve tried juice, and many other things she wont drink it. the only thing she wants to drink is milk and im not sure if thats a good idea to let her drink all the milk she wants. does milk add to congestion ?

[crl]

I don't know about the milk. Will she go for popsicles or jello?

Catherine

[chozen]

I don't know about the milk. Will she go for popsicles or jello?

Catherine

so far no.

[newg]

DD will drink more juice water if I am holding her and letting her drink from "my" glass.........she loves to share juice with me that way.

DD will let me put saline drops in her nose if I either soak a cuetip in it and just quickly swab her nose...or I let her try to do it (I figure it's saline, so it can't hurt her if she gets too much in)............I've also started buying Boogie Wipes..........it's a saline soaked kleenex and one of the packages comes in menthol....so you get that added congestion clearing smell too.............the wipes really help clear her nose out when she won't let me do anything else.
We eat a lot of chicken noodle soup too when she has a cold.

[Melaine]

Something our doctor said this week that I never heard was to avoid have fires in the fireplace if you are dealing with continuous congestion or post-nasal drip. We had been having a lot more fires recently and I had no idea that that contributed....assuming he was correct!

Milk definitely "thickens" mucus according to my grandfather, an ENT.