Hello. I had a kidney tx almost 3 years ago and a baby a little over a year ago. I personally have to be very diligent in avoiding any kind of cold, which, as moms knows, is virtually impossible. My son has only managed to catch 3 colds since birth and I caught them right along with him. We go to playgroups and I WILL ask a parent if their child has a cold if they A) have a runny nose, or B) sound like a seal when they cough. I then avoid the offender like the plague. I also keep our hands clean with Purell for myself and a baby wipe for the kiddo. I try not to actually tough any common surfaces like door handles, elevator buttons, etc. If you really want hints on staying healthy and helping your kids do the same, read "A Germ Freak's Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu", written by a mom of twins. I even recommended it to my transplant team down at Jackson.

My son just got over Cold #3 as did I and I ran across a strange product called Nosefrida (www.nosefrida.com). It's supposed to be THE BEST thing on the market for getting boogies out of your young child. Worth a try! Good luck with your little one's cold. PS: I do not bring my son to the doctor unless he has a fever. There are more germs in the "sick room" they make you sit in than there are at home. And Tylenol is the only thing I can give him, along with a Vicks plug-in at night.

Saline spray! We used Little Noses. It's drug free but washes out the mucus and keeps things loose. My poor little guy got a cold from his sister (also 3) at 2 weeks old. I panicked, but the doctor said saline spray was best and only to use the bulb syrigne in the morning and at night. He's fine, although he's had a couple more colds and an ear infection since (hes three months old). And we wash our hands a lot and everything!

Hang in there. If he's getting any breastmilk, that hellps too.

Why do you always refer to your kids and wife with two names? Why does everyone have two names? What's the deal?

Thanks for the tips. Lucas is getting better. But he still sounds congested in the morning. So we'll keep at it with the bulb syringe and trying to keep Ana's hands clean.

And Sara as far as the two names I use when referring to my family, it's just my quirk. No one else besides me says Carrie Ann when referring to my wife. I use my childrens' first and middle names as well, usually on first referrence and then I use just the first name. I grew up with my family calling me Luis Fernando. So I guess I have become my parents.

I feel for you. Our Jordan caught a cold when she was 6 weeks also! We found the humidifier worked well, as did feeding her in shorter amounts. When she ate too much, she would vomit as the mucus made her tummy full. I just recently bought a battery operated "nose-sucker". Miles better than the bulb syringe but by no means perfect. We got ours at onestepahead.com - didn't see them at babies r us.

And Sara, for Goodness sake, must we be so critical? Who cares if he wants to call his family by 2 names? If you were honestly curious, then you can phrase it better...

I second Nosefrida, it really works so much better than the bulb.