My Tips On Helping Your Kids Fight the Cold
Stashing these all over the house helps too.
Cold season is upon us, and at one point or another, your family will inevitably catch the crud that goes around every year. It’s that cough, congestion, runny nose, sinus pressure thing that makes you feel like crap. It’s already made a round in our household and thankfully it ran its course without turning into a sinus infection for any of us.
These are my tips on how to help your kids fight the virus. (Please understand though, that this is for cold viruses only, NOT if you or your child has a bacterial infection which would require a doctors visit and antibiotics! Also, while I am paid by Onslow for this blog I am not a doctor so please always check with your physician if you have questions!)
I did this with both my girls and they were better after a few days.
1) Orange juice and vitamins. A daily vitamin is already a part of our routine over here, but I made sure they were constantly hydrated with orange juice for the extra vitamin C that helps fights colds. I cut it with water because to me, it actually tastes better when it’s not as sweet and that way they get plenty of liquids without the extra sugar.
2) Chicken noodle soup. Drinking liquids when you’re sick not only makes you feel better, but it helps loosen the congestion that’s making you sick. My girls love a cup of warm soup when they’re sick and it’s a great way to get them to have more liquids. There is also some evidence saying that chicken noodle soup has anti-inflammatory effects.
3) Humidifier. A humidifier is a MUST! I fill it up with water before the girls go to bed and let it do it’s magic while they sleep. Dry air just makes a stuffy nose worse. Adding moisture to the room helps them breathe easier and helps prevent them from getting worse.
4) Vicks vapor rub. I rub some on their chest before bed and after a couple days I can start to hear a difference in their cough and congestion.
5) Saline nose drops. It works wonders for the dry, crusty, stopped up nose. You may have to hold down your toddler to get the drops in, but the benefits outweigh the inconvenience of doing it.
All of these things combined have helped my kids fight the common crud and put them on the road to recovery. Now, I’ll tell you something that I use for myself when I have sinus issues: Nasal irrigation. I discovered it a couple years ago and it is the BEST way to get rid of nasal congestion. The kids are too young to do this, but I use SinusMed; it’s a squeeze bottle that you can get at any drugstore and I make my own saline solution of 8oz filtered water, 1/2 tbl. sea salt and 1/2 tbl. baking soda. When I was sick, I irrigated twice a day and before long I was back to my normal self. I HATE taking sinus medications….. they always prolong my symptoms and make me feel worse, by either stopping me up even more or making me feel groggy for days and days. Irrigating is a natural way to flush the crap out of your nostrils, and I always feel much better than if I had taken a Sudafed or Benadryl….. especially because there are no side affects!
How do you survive cold season? Have you tried any of the above tips? If so, how did they work for you?
