Surviving RSV

Its something no parent ever wants to hear.

"Your child has RSV."

Maybe RSV doesn't concern you, but when you have a small infant, it definitely adds stress to your plate because it can be very serious for small babies.

This has been my life for a week now. "Mouse" started running a fever the Monday before last. It wasnt a gradual fever either, It was a sudden spike to 103.4, and you could tell he didn't feel well. Which says alot for my kiddos, NORMALLY, they act fine despite being sick. I knew if he was actually acting sick, then whatever this was was taking a toll on his little body. Tuesday, the fever seem to be going down so I just kept an eye on him. I also noticed a cough had developed. In my mind, the worst case scenerio was bronchitis. It wasn't until I made the doctors appointment after his fever spiked again, that I realized we were dealing with something else.

The poor dear was miserable. I've never seen one of my kiddos be that lethargic before. He just laid in bed for hours, going in and out of sleep, crying, and fussing. The doctor had told me he not only had RSV, but he also had a double ear infection. We were prescribed an antibiotic for the ear infections and sent home with the strict orders to keep him and "Sweet P" as separate as possible. "RSV in infants can cause serious problems, including not being able to breathe and hospitalization. Do not let him touch her, its highly contagious." the doctor told me.

In case your not familiar with RSV, (which if you are a parent, then you've at least heard of it, maybe even have dealt with it within your family as well.) it is a viral infection of the lower respiratory system. The lungs. *Most of the time* it presents itself like a really bad cold that just has to run its course. Lots of fluids, sleep, and a cool mist humidifier to help with breathing is what is typically used, in addition to some fever reducers, if the fever is too high or making the child feel worse. *Some times* however, RSV can get to the point where the respiratory system becomes swollen, making it hard to breathe. There might be wheezing involved, or a child may not be able to get a good enough breath, resulting in loss of oxygen. In severe cases (Primarily those under the age of 6 months, or preemies, or those born with lung issues, or weakened immune systems) hospitalization is required due to not being able to breathe adequately.


Since its viral, it has to run its course on its own, all you can do is help treat the symptoms to make your child more comfortable. There are conflicting reports as to how long a child is contagious, some say anywhere from the first 4 days, upward to 8 days, or even a few weeks, or until symptoms go away. Our pediatrician told me that "Mouse" most contagious period would be until fever was gone for at least 48 hours.  I'm going to share with you the things I did to help "Mouse" recover quickly, and also the things I did to prevent "Sweet P" from getting it.

-Wash everything!-

Upon returning from the doctor that Tuesday afternoon, I stripped "Mouse" bed and washed everything he had touched that day prior to diagnosis on HOT water. I tumbled his pillows on high heat as well to kill any sort of germs.

I also washed all of "Sweet P" blankets, bedding, anything that was in the same vicinity as her older brother that he may have coughed on or touched.

-Separate the siblings!-

I put "mouse" up in his room, moved the smaller TV in there with the dvd player and made him as comfortable as I could, I put the baby gate in the doorway so he couldnt wander around the house. I then moved "Sweet P" into the office/guest room, which is on the opposite side of the house.

-Diffuse!!!!!-

Oils that is. I started diffusing 1 drop of thieves oil in our living room every few hours. Thieves oil is awesome for being an anti-bacterial fighter.

-Keep kiddo hydrated!-

I dont know if it was just because he didnt feel well, but I had a hard time getting him to drink fluids for a while. I finally got the point where the only thing he would drink was fruit herbal tea I made, poured over ice, sweetened with some stevia. Once I realized he would drink that, thats all I made for him for the first 4 days.

-Keep the germs off of you!- 

This had the be the hardest and most time consuming thing I did. First, I laid out a pair of shorts in the living room, which is like the halfway between sons room and office where baby girl was at. Then I set up two stations. 1, right outside my sons room. I put a pump bottle of anti-bacterial hand sanitizer, a t shirt and a pair of yoga pants outside the door. Whenever I needed to go in and take care of him, I put on that t-shirt and pants, and then sanitized hands up to my elbows. I'd take care of whatever he needed, then whenever I left, I would take off that t-shirt and pants, sanitize again up to my elbows, then walk across to the livingroom where I would put on that pair of shorts, and make my way to the office where my daughter was. I had another pump bottle of hand sanitizer, a t-shirt and a pair of pants. I'd sanitize, put the shirt and pants on, go in and take care of her, feed her, hold her, change her, etc. When I was done I'd take off those clothes, sanitize, put back on my shorts, and if my son didnt need me again, I'd do some house cleaning or laundry. When either of my kids needed attention, I would repeat the process. Sanitize, change into set of clothing, take care of kiddo, and then undress, and sanitize. It was time consuming, and exhausting - but I figured it is kind of like doctors when they have to put on the masks, the scrub coverings and gloves when entering into a highly contagious patients room. This cut down on the transmission of germs between "Mouse" and "Sweet P" because the two sets of clothing never came in contact with each other. Throughout the day as well, I was washing my hands thoroughly, with warm water and soap.

-Boost that Immune System!-

If you've never heard of using Colloidal Silver, you should definitely look into it. Its been used for centuries as a way to boost the immune system because of its antibiotic properties. I used this for "Mouse" and myself. 5 drops in the morning for him, and 5 drops in the evening. I took a full tsp every day.

For "Sweet P" I got a baby probiotic/vitamin D powder to put in her bottles twice a day. 1/8 tsp in the morning and evening. I used this brand -

-Treat the symptoms!-

My kitchen counter probably looked like a drug store for this whole past week. There were several things I used to help "Mouse" with his symptoms and to keep him comfortable, and honestly, I believe some of them helped it not get as bad as it could have. 

-Baby Vicks Vapor Rub : I smeared some of this on his chest and rubbed it in, especially at nap time and night time when he would be sleeping. I also put this on his feet, covered with socks. It helps tremendously with congestion. 

-Zarbees Cough and Mucus Syrup with Dark Honey: This is a game changer for middle of the night coughing sessions. It does a beautiful job of taming a cough so little one can sleep, and the added help of keeping the mucus thin helps for it not to turn into pneumonia. 

-Cool Mist Humidifier: Running this intermittently throughout the day, but especially all night and at nap time helps keep their air ways open, making it easier for them to breathe. 

-Steam Showers: If your little one is up in the middle of the night with a cough that just wont calm down, head to the bathroom and shut the door. Turn on the shower and fill the bathroom with steam. It will help loosen the mucus and tame that horrible cough making it easier for them to breathe. 

-Hylands Tiny Cold Tablets: I used these when "Mouse" was towards the end of the virus and had a really bad runny nose. It helped keep his nose dry and also helped with any sort of congestion he had.  

There you have it folks. In addition to some good ol' TLC, this is how I have survived RSV in my toddler, and prevented infant from contracting it! Have any other tips or things that have helped you if your child has had RSV? Leave me a comment below!