How You and Your Baby (9 Months) Are Going to Survive HFMD
If you’re anything like me, you’ll spend HOURS scouring the internet for HFMD “hacks” only to end up at dead ends. Well, look no further because I finally found some things that actually helped us get through it. That’s not to say this will be easy, but hopefully this makes it a little less miserable for you and your baby.
My 9-month-old woke up on day 1 with a 103° fever and no other symptoms. After two separate ER visits and tons of tests later, they finally discovered it was HFMD once the sores in his mouth appeared. To be completely transparent, my baby had colic until 6 months old, and this gave me war flashbacks. It honestly felt like having a newborn again who refused to eat and cried during every single wake window.
For 4 straight days, my little dude couldn’t stay awake for more than an hour at a time. We immediately started alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen every 3 hours. By day 2, the fever was gone, but the mouth sores were discovered. He refused to drink or eat anything, and we were basically told by the hospital to just push through and try “magic mouthwash.” I think he had maybe 4 oz of milk the entire day and only 1–2 oz of watered-down Pedialyte. This continued into day 3.
The first two nights we coslept because he was waking up at least every hour crying in pain. By night 3 he was able to sleep in his crib again, but he was still waking hourly. Day 4 was when the rash exploded all over his body. He was SO itchy, so I purchased what I’m now calling the “Trinity of Healing.” I also started giving him two baths a day with a sock full of oats, frozen breastmilk, and a little Epsom salt.
At this point I was honestly feeling defeated because he still would only drink tiny amounts throughout the day. Plus, everything I read online said once the rash appears, the spots will absolutely turn into sores all over their body. Also worth mentioning: every single wake window was spent bouncing on a yoga ball with Mickey Mouse on the TV. Literally the only thing that kept him calm.
Well, day 5 (today) rolls around and after using the “Trinity of Healing,” his rash is almost completely gone. He’s in a WAY better mood, wants to play again, and is finally drinking milk. So below I’m listing everything that helped us survive this.
Also — on day 4 I woke up with a sore throat and quickly realized I was getting mouth sores too. Even though my symptoms weren’t terrible yet, I immediately started alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen to get ahead of the pain. By day 5 the sores were definitely worse, but the pain was manageable. I’ve also been doing the magic mouthwash every \~6 hours.
***Obviously check with your pediatrician before giving your child anything new. This is just what personally helped us.***
Treating Mouth Sores:
-Children’s Benadryl (12.5 mg/5 mL concentration)
-Mylanta (we used the lemon mint flavor)
Mix 1:1. Our ER doctor told us to use 1.5 mL of each. Mix together in a syringe and give every 6 hours to help coat the sores.
Treating Mouth/Body Pain:
(I’ll attach dosage charts)
-Infant Tylenol
-Infant ibuprofen
Alternate every 3 hours (which equals every 6 hours per medication).
Treating the Rash: “The Trinity of Healing”
-Hypochlorous acid spray for face/body (Magic Molecule brand)
-Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy (with oat)
-Witch hazel + cotton pads
-Footie pajamas so they can’t scratch
After their bath:
Wipe their body with witch hazel using a cotton pad/ball.
Let dry.
Spray the hypochlorous acid spray all over.
Let dry again.
Apply the Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy everywhere.
Put them in footie pajamas to help prevent scratching/rubbing.
Treating the Rash (Bath Routine):
-Oatmeal
-Old sock
-Epsom salt
Optional: breastmilk
Keep the bath lukewarm — not too hot. Fill an old sock with oats and let it soak in the tub along with a small amount of Epsom salt (maybe 1/3 cup). If you have frozen breastmilk, add a bag or two. Rub the oatmeal sock gently over their skin so the oat milk coats the rash. Let your baby soak as long as they tolerate it (up to \~30 minutes if possible).
Feeding Hacks:
-Munchkin Miracle 360 cups
-Applesauce
-Pedialyte
Because of the sores in his mouth, regular bottle nipples hurt too much since they touched the sores. The Munchkin Miracle 360 cups were honestly my saving grace because he could sip instead of suck. It was the first thing that got him to consistently drink again. Once the sores started healing, he was finally able to tolerate applesauce too.
Tips for YOU:
The second you feel symptoms starting, begin alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen to stay ahead of the pain. I also started spraying my hands and feet twice daily with the hypochlorous acid spray. For my mouth sores, I used the magic mouthwash too — 5 mL of each component.
HFMD is BRUTAL, but I promise there is light at the end of the tunnel. Day 5 was the turning point for us. Hopefully some of this helps another exhausted parent survive it too 🤍click here for pictures