My 4-yr old is having a hard time with stuffy nose for the past two weeks. As i'm not familiar with the brand names here, suggestions with brand names appreciated.

Triofan - that stuff is fab! It can only be given a certain number of times per day, for a certain number of days (they will tell you at the apotheke when you buy it. If you need it, I know the apothekes at the HB and the Airport have some people who can speak some English).

There is also a homeopathic spray that you can use as frequently as every hour. We have them both. I use the Triofan when the stuffiness is so bad that the little one can't sleep, and the homeopathic one if it's milder or I think something's starting.

Best of luck.

Triofan gets my vote too. Make sure you ask for the kids version and not the adults.

Jim

Pulmex baby (similar to Vick's) works fine for us.

What is the homeopathic spray?? what is the name?? where is it available?

Regards
Prad

The Bellevue Apotheke has homeopathic and other alternative remedies. You might want to ask there - I have found them very competent in the past.

The one that we have was recommended to us at our Apotheke. It is "Virus Influencae Comp. D13-G" Also on the label it says "Homöopathisches Arzneimittel" and the Distributor is "Swiss Homöopharm AG."

Basically we just went into the Apotheke and described our daughter's symptoms and they recommended this. If you need a pharmacy where they speak English, both the one at the HB and at the Airport have English-speaking personnel IME.

Dafalgon is also good for lowering fever. keep a bottle at hand. Our three boys under 5 have used it since birth. Very effective.

Dafalgan is paracetamol so we reserve it for the nights, bringing the fever down so the kids can get a good sleep.

I'm going further off-topic here but some of the home remedies are surprisingly effective - giving a "Wadenwickel" is one we have used with great success for bringing a fever down slightly to a more comfortable level. It also uses materials you'd normally have around the house. I think it's known as a "lemon wrap" in the english-speaking world.

Not surprisingly, onion-based remedies are good for unblocking stuffed noses and chests - they just tend to leave the kids' bedroom smelling like McDonalds for a few days.

A para..cet ....what?
All I know is it makes them feel better fast.


I am not sure kids would hate this idea!!!
(they just tend to leave the kids' bedroom smelling like McDonalds for a few days. )

Bellevue Apotheke are brilliant, they don't try and sell you the most expensive stuff, much rather the stuff that works. My favourite is "Pelargonium Urtinktur", it's brilliant to prevent and get rid of colds. It even helped me clear up the cough I couldn't shake after having bronchitis.

Paracetamol is toxic to the liver, especially for children, so you have to be very careful with the dosis.

As long as the snot/slime is clear and there is no fever, home remedies are definitely ok, however, if it suddenly turns a greenish colour or there is a temperature above 38°, I'd recommend going to the doctor, as the sinuses are the only place where the blood-brain barrier is weakened/easily passed and that's just not worth the trouble.

Hope the little one gets well soon, maybe let him/her have a warm bath with eucalyptus, the steam should help ease breathing and you can have a good nose-blow without tissues. Sounds gross but when you've had a runny nose for weeks, it tends to be a painful, raw affair...

Not to be too negative here, but you should think twice before giving much in terms of an OTC multi-symptom cold remedy to a young child. While pain relievers are fine, more general cold remedies are not generally tested on children, and several studies have shown that they are ineffective in treating children's cold symptoms. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration, wich has a reputation of being very drug-company friendly, recently held hearings on this and came out with recommendations against giving these types of drugs to children under six years. One article on it is here: http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/ne...src=RSS_PUBLIC . Fluids, humidifiers and rest are the best medicines for youngsters.

Didn't think multisymptom products were under discussion?

My pediatrician holds a different opinion.

I think one should be careful with broad general recommendations for medical care in a public forum. You don't know the medical situations of the children involved and it's one thing to say "for my kids XYZ is the best remedy" and another thing to generalize to what is best for all children.

Sorry but you touched a nerve on this one - broad generalizations tend to rub me the wrong way a bit, especially when it comes to talking about other people's children.

True, but it's only a matter of time before someone mentions Benylin for kids or Calpol.

Seems like that time is up already.