A year and a half ago, we put together a post on creating a healing basket for common warm weather ailments amongst the little kid set. Today it’s all about getting together your own personal “doctor’s” kit for this cold and flu season. We all know hand washing is the way to go and hand sanitizers are a good runner up. However, despite our best efforts those pesky germs sometimes catch our little ones (and us, parents) off guard.
Preventative Measures
- Nothing beats a good hand-washing. The moment my girls and I come into the house we gather around the sink and give our hands a good scrubbing. On the road, I try to use soap and water as much as possible but when that doesn’t work out a hand-sanitizer comes in great handy.
- Last year we discovered elderberry which is a great natural way to boost your immune system with high levels of vitamin C. Everyone in our family takes a spoonful every morning when we’re not sick and then more often we start to feel a cold coming on.
Sick and Tired
- Stuffy noses are the worst especially when your child has yet to master how to blow their nose really well. Enter the Nosefrida, the official snot sucker. While the premise sounds a little, um, gross (you insert one end into your child’s nose, the other in your mouth and suck out the snots – easy peasy – a sanitary filter prevents any contact between parent and snots), the results are monumental. Check out our Facebook page for reviews from devoted users.
- Water, water and more water. I fill up every water bottle in the house and make sure to have one by the bed and by the couch. And for the still breastfeeding set, it’s a nursing on demand marathon. Anything to help them get back to their healthy selves!
- During a cold, things always seem to get worse when my kids go to bed – the stuffiness, the coughing. We’ve found having them sleep at an angle helps tremendously with breathing better. We’re putting the cuddly Cloud B Aroma Pillows on our holiday wishlist this year. A removable lavender scented pouch helps your under the weather kid fall asleep and the size is just right for little heads to get a comfortable night’s sleep. Winning!
- A thermometer is essential. A fever is a healthy sign your child’s body is fighting a good fight. A thermometer will help you track if your child’s fever is getting higher or coming down. Every few hours, I’ll jot down the course of my child’s fever which comes in handy when determining what course of action to take.
- Pen and paper. This year I’m creating a sort of health notebook for each of my girls. Any time they come down with something, I’ll take note of what symptoms they have, what methods we use to help their bodies get well and how they respond to those methods. This is a good way to know what products you should be stocking your house with – from medicine to herbal remedies to immune system boosting foods. It’s also a great way to give your pediatrician a thorough overview of your child’s condition.
- When my girls get sick they actually get a little excited because they know it means it’s time for a bubble bath and a massage! We’re big fans of the California Baby Cold and Flu Aromatherapy Bubble Bath and Essential Oil. The bubble bath helps relieve ache-y bodies and when I use the essential oil, the scent works wonders to relieve congestion. I’ve also mixed the oil with their moisturizing cream and given my girls a calming massage.
- Six out of seven days a week, we’re a no TV household. So when someone gets sick I think we all get a little excited to cuddle up on the couch with our favorite movie. There nothing like rest to allow your child’s body to help itself.
- It’s an old wives’ tale but I buy in. I use a natural eucalyptus based menthol cream and spread it on the bottoms of my girls’ feet. I put socks on them and I’m convinced it helps them sleep easy at night. This one’s not proven but just one of those things I did when they were babies and now I can’t stop myself.
What do you consider essential when your kids get sick? I’d especially love to hear if you’ve got any family recipes known for their healing powers. Does chick soup still cut it? Let us know in the comments what’s in your “doctor’s” bag of tricks for cold and flu season.
Carla Molina, formerly a Bellani educator teaching gym classes to babies and kids, is a mom to two girls under 5 with a serious magazine addiction. Carla is a freelance writer passionate about families, parenting and babies. Currently, she’s behind the scenes preparing to launch Petit Rhody, a daily email and blog on all the family friendly fun you can find in Rhode Island. When she’s not writing about parenting or parenting, she loves a good book, a hot yoga class or a good trip to the movie theater, butter layered popcorn and all.
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Kelly LaChance Guertin: I'm a lady with a cackle that can be heard in any room. If it comes to Pregnancy or Childbirth I have a real answer, from a mom who knows a little something about it. I have three children, The Boy, age 9; The Girl, age 7, and The Baby, just three years old!
