Hetal,
Thank you for answering my query on solids. Appreciate your time. However I am worried on something very bad and so this post. My daughter has been suffering from cough and cold for last 4 days. She and her twin brother both have it and they seem to have got a viral infection from their dad. We took them to dr. and they said it is a viral infection and not to give any medicine since they are just 5 and half months old and to keep watching if it gets worse. So I did not dare to try any new food on her yet. But throughout the last one month, she gained only a few ounces. Its like in 1 week she gains 2 ozs. thats it. She is not taking milk properly and tries to push it off with a unhappy face, looks like she does not like the taste of the milk. cerela is little better but she vomits it with cough later. I am very worried that she is already not gaining and now she may have lost more weight too. I tried to feed her at night when sleeping but she wakes up soon now that she is sick and does not take beyond 2 ozs. It is only luck if she keeps the food. We have put the humidifier, vaporiser, room heater etc,. in the bed room and we use the nasal drops . Apart from this, is there anything else I can do to help her get out of this soon and s tart feeding ok? Is there any other food you think she might be interested in? please help. thanks. Priya Satish replied. Meena, I dont know whether this will work for a viral cold, but since this is a home remedy and nothing to be fed to the baby, if you feel, you may give a try.
Normally it is done by warming beetel leaves and keeping them on baby's chest. But you may not get the same everywhere. So ( I am in Dubai) what I was told to do was to roll cotton cloth (duppatta, shawl) into a ball and warm the same on your tawa, check the heat by keeping the same on your face or hand, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT IT IS NOT TOO HOT, it should be warm and place on baby's chest and back. do this three times a day, for 2-3 minutes. Continue the medicines given by doctor. This home remedy had a magical effect on my son. The cold disappeared in 2 days time.
Best of Luck.
Hetal replied. sorry for delay in reply,,my toddler is showng her real monkey business these days...
when in case of ne sickness, dont expect your child to accept milk or solids in regular terms.
since its known that its viral infection,,all you can do is try to soothe her,,,there was a post i just wrote sometimes back,,lemme see if i can find it :

http://www.indiaparenting.com/boards/showmessage.cgi?messageid=1791&table_name=dis_healthissuesOriginal Message

for ne foods you try, make sure that they were introduced before, considerng the young age of your twins..other thn this,avoid ne introductn of new foods. and i would say, at 6mntths both your kids will be ready for flu shot. ask your dr if they need one. when such a young kids are sufferng, preventn measures are necesry...

make sure they dont catch fever,,keep them fresh and make sure you follow all the tips and guidelines that i mentioned in above links(all the links, please read them,,i know its abit time consuming,,but read them if you want your kids to b away from nething that might trigger them severe cough, cold or chills,fever )

for such young infants, i would rather look upon dr, check on thr intakes, keep an eye on thr wghts, temperatures and ask my dr when they will be ready for viral shots or ne medications. at 6months onwards, which is after 15days only,,now its upto your dr to figure out the severity,,as he has seen your kids health conditions and is well aware/thn i am,,of thr current condition,,,so ask him.
keep your child nasals,mucus free and keep changng thr clothes and beddng,to ensure proper hygne.
if your husband is having viralinfection, m sure he must be on medication,,ask his dr if your husband needs a flu shot which might help to stop the infections,,let your dh be away for a while from kids,,like sep room or so, and whenver you attend your husband and thn your kids,,make sure to wash your hands, and thn attnd your kids..make sure you dont catch ne viral infections or else it will never end..
i cant say much for such young age,,but i would strongly recmd you to ask your dr for ne medication or shots(if he thinks your kids requires),,as the time span is just of 10days or so...
otherthan that,if you are breastfeeding, thn you can have lots of vit c diet and all that i have mentnd in above links,,please go thru it and it will give you all diet,hygn care and other lil remedies that you can do for cold,coughs,virals or allergies...

take care,,good luck !