At what point would you not take sick DC to Disney?

[baybemama]

I hope I'm not jinxing myself with this point but DS (10 months) started getting congested yesterday and then today he has some snot and boogies. The snot is clear and he has no other symptoms. He had a cold maybe 3-4 weeks ago. We are leaving Saturday and I'm wondering if it gets worse, where we should stop and say it's too much to take him. I do have common sense when it comes to this stuff but I'm getting a little anxious because DH has wanted this vacation for a LOOONG time and we're going with our nephew.

I'm also keeping in mind that we do think his first tooth is coming in (finally!) as his bottom gums are looking really white and he can't stop licking them with this tongue. If that's the case, any reccomendations for natural-ish toothing remedies? I have the tylenol but he really doesn't show any sign of pain...and I have the snot sucker and nose drops in the diaper back ready for action.

BTW-does teething cause or worsen and ear problems by any chance? Wondering if it could increase discomfort on the plane.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Sounds like teething to me...I wouldn't cancel your trip yet but you might want to do be proactive and try to get an appt with his pedi this week before you go. Just explain the situation.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but teething can cause all kinds of odd issues. DD always had a runny nose and diarrhea when she was getting a tooth (she also took 10 months to get her first tooth too!). So definately pack the diaper cream too just in case! For DD, nothing really eased the pain of teething. We did give her Tylenol...and I would suggest that...but that Orajel stuff didn't work at all. My mom had told me to put a bit inside your own mouth to know when it wears off...no wonder kids hate that stuff...it tastes awful and doesn't last long.

Plan to nurse (or bottle feed...whatever you do) at take off and landing. That helps with the ear problems. If he isn't ready to eat, give him a pacifier. Even if he doesn't take a paci normally, he may appreciate it while teething

 

[deedeetoo]

I wouldn't cancel anything unless they has a fever. Even then it depends. A couple years ago DS came down with fever, rash and sore throat two days before we were to leave for Disneyland. We took him to the doctor, they diagnosed strep. We got him going on the meds right away and they said after 24 hours he would no longer be contagious. So by the time we left he was feeling better and no threat to anyone else. We went on the trip without a hitch though carrying around medicine that needed to be kept cold was a bit of a challenge.

I would never cancel a vacation because someone had a cold, especially a young child that can be carried or wheeled around in a stroller. It would be a bit harder for an older child who actually had to have enough energy to walk around, but even then we would probably go and just take it slower.

 

[DevilDuckie]

I would absolutely cancel if they are going to be contagious. It isn't worth it to take a sick kid to Disney to infect other people. I would also skip taking a child with a fever or one who was sick enough that they would not enjoy it. None of this seems to apply to your boy.

If he's just teething and stuffy... well, I'd probably go ahead and take him. If you never take kids out when they're snotty you'll never get anywhere at all. For teething we did lots of frozen washrags and teethers. A frozen banana is a messy proposition but it was totally worth it. Baby Oragel or Anbesol was all we ever used except when he ran a fever and we did infant Tylenol.

 

[Nanisashi]

I wouldn't cancel either, make an appt with the pediatrician. They will be very sympathetic about your upcoming trip and will do everything to make your baby ok before the trip.

 

[Camno's Mama]

I wouldn't worry too much. When ds was five months old, he had symptoms like that, and we took him anyway. He was sick the first couple of days, which was fine because he could sleep in the stroller or sling. Then he got a lot better.

I would say that unless he has a high fever or is throwing up, not to worry. Even a lower fever is very common with teething. As far as naturalish remedies...nurse a lot, cold water, those refridgerated thingies, and wet washcloths to chew/suck on work well. And definitely tylenol if they're in pain.

Good luck...I'm sure it'll be fine. You guys will have a great time, and your little guy will love being outside in the sunshine. Who doesn't feel better when it's warm!

 

[tadamom]

I wouldn't cancel either. I would (and did) what a previous poster said...if he doesn't seem to be getting better, get him an appointment with the ped. Tell them you are leaving to go out of town and just want to make sure it isn't something more serious.

When we went last May, two days before we were scheduled to leave 2 kids and 2 adults from our group of 10 came down with strep. We thought they were coming down with something and took them to the doctor just to be sure and they all tested positive for strep. We got them the medicine and we went ahead with our trip. By the time we were actually in the parks, they had already had the meds for 2 days and were ready to have some fun!

Good luck!

 

[RedAlfalfa]

I'm gonna disagree about the pediatrician at this point. (Unless you think he is actually sick).
My reasoning is he might pick up a bug while you are there!!!
With that said if you do think it's more than just teething I would take him in.

 

[Shagley]

The Hyland teething tablets that you can get at Walmart help a lot better than the Orajel. They are in the infant department.

 

[brighteyes]

Sounds like teething to me. For the plane, the bottle should work or a pacifier as a PP stated. Unless DS has a fever, but maybe check him before you go at the ped's office to just check his ears for signs of ear infection. My DS always used to get ear infections and would be fussy for a week beforehand. I would take him they said he was fine, I'd take him the next day - fine, next day - OMG what a bad ear infection he has! I'd say toldya!! But if DS doesn't have a history of that he should be fine.

But for the teething a frozen washcloth works wonders if you don't have the frozen teething rings. Or just the rubber ones. I also used oragel, even though it doesn't last long.

Stephanie

 

[bumbershoot]

The Hyland teething tablets that you can get at Walmart help a lot better than the Orajel. They are in the infant department.

Love Hyland's. Love homeopathy, it got us through teething that started at 4 months old!

In our experience, the coincidence of obvious teething signs happening at the very same time of what looks to be a cold is too big a coincidence. In our experience it was ALWAYS just another wonderful manifestation of teething.

We used homeopathy. Started with Hylands, but sometimes that didn't work so I'd look at his exact symptoms, pull out my homeopathy books, and use the remedy that best matched his symptoms (usually just one ingredient from the hyland's, interestingly).

Cold cloths, cold teethers, and one hungry, painful, bitey time, I snipped the end off a baggie of frozen milk and let him gnaw and suck on that.