I would say cold and flu season is coming, but I’m somewhat convinced cold season is all year long in our house. Here are our favorite things.
(And as always - whatever works best for you is amazing. Just sharing a few things that work really well for me.)
for my three year-old:
the online pediatric membership that saves my bottom time and time again. read more of my thoughts - and why I appreciate this membership so much - here.
Whenever KK seems under the weather (or whenever we we want some extra protection), we start taking these drops. I swear by them. I truly think the only reason KK kicked her cold in time for my sister’s wedding was her morning dose of these drops, and her evening vapor bath - more on that soon.
Technically this liquid zinc is the adult version, but the back of the bottle has dosage instructions for all ages.
We also take these vitamin d drops and these vitamin c drops - I prefer the liquid since it’s easier for me to know that my toddler has taken them.
this nighttime cough + mucus medicine for 2+
honestly this is something I am never without.
I always have the daytime version, too - mainly because I usually buy the combo pack. at the first sign of a cough, I give it - I don’t want to jinx anything, but I do accredit this stuff (and the zinc drops) to why we’ve fared the preschool germs better this year.
this magical stuff for chest congestion + dry coughs for 2+
I am never without this stuff either. and i love that anyone 2 and older can take it - so I’ll use it when my throat is bothering me, too. anytime it sounds like mucus has settled in KK’s chest - or when her cough is dry and unproductive - we start using this stuff religiously.
like, I keep this stuff in our Airstream, too. a must-have.
admittedly I’m sure it’s pretty similar to the cough + mucus medicine I just linked, but I love them both too much to choose between the two. in fact, I keep them both in our Airstream.
the best liquid medicine dispenser
hard to explain, but now that we have four of them I find them hard to live without. you tell the dispenser how much liquid you need - 2.5ml, 5ml, 7.5 ml, or 10ml - and it helps dispense that exact amount. and as a parent with a sick child, I appreciate all the help I can get.
sore throat spray + immune support
the best.
who knows if these actually work, but the fact that they calm down (and quiet) my sick, whiny toddler makes them worth the purchase alone for me.
one of our other favorite investments. this humidifier is expensive, but it’s awesome. above all else, I’ve never found a humidifier that is both this effective and this easy to clean. we’re looking at investing in another one.
I’m not a fan of regular use of melatonin. but when our bodies are fighting something, and I know we need a gooooooood, uninterrupted night’s sleep to really kick it, I break out the melatonin. brett and I keep these gummies on hand for that reason for ourselves, and I have this sleep supplement liquid for KK.
like I said, we only use this sparingly - but when I think KK is under the weather and either her sleep will be affected and/or she’d benefit from a goooood, uninterrupted night’s rest to fight it off, I’ll give her this sleep supplement liquid and send her off to bed. this sleep supplement liquid also helps when she’s sick and took too long of a nap during the day, and/or when coughing is keeping her awake. I swear this sleep supplement liquid - and the gooooood sleep it assists with - has really helped keep minor colds from turning a two-week debacle.
an evening vapor bath
I think the day is coming that our favorite vapor bubble bath is discontinuing. which devastates me - at the risk of being completely gross, mucus would pour out of my kids whenever they were in a bath with this stuff. our go-to combo at the earliest signs of a cold was this liquid zinc in the morning for the toddler, and our favorite vapor bubble bath in the evening. and because our favorite vapor bubble bath made “such good bubbles!” according to my toddler, she’d happily stay in the bath for muuuuch longer than normal, which therefore extracted the maximum amount of mucus. (isn’t motherhood magical?)
however. next we’ll be trying this popular vapor bath product and crossing our fingers for similar results since our favorite vapor bubble bath seems to currently be harder to find and pricy. maybe we’ll try our favorite regular bubble bath and our go-to chest rub, if need be.
PS here’s KK’s 7 favorite bath toys - none of which are actual bath toys.
for my nine-month old:
an evening vapor bath
see above.
the online pediatric membership that saves my bottom time and time again. read more of my thoughts - and why I appreciate this membership so much - here.
eventually he’ll use our other toddler favorites listed above. but for now, I love this stuff.
the best liquid medicine dispenser
hard to explain, but now that we have four of them I find them hard to live without. you tell the dispenser how much liquid you need - 2.5ml, 5ml, 7.5 ml, or 10ml - and it helps dispense that exact amount. and as a parent with a sick child, I appreciate all the help I can get.
I can’t even count how many bottles of this stuff we go through. the best for loosening all the mucus - especially if I use it right before a bath or right before the nasal aspirator.
it’s expensive, but gosh has it paid for itself time and time again. Joey was born at the height of RSV season, and in the first six weeks of his life we used our nasal aspirator on him constantly, it seemed. and now, nine months later, we still swear by it - we call it one of our best investments ever.
one of our other favorite investments. this humidifier is expensive, but it’s awesome. above all else, I’ve never found a humidifier that is both this effective and this easy to clean. we’re looking at investing in another one.
Want more things we keep on hand for when we - both kids and adults! - don’t feel well? Fevers, ear ailments, tummy woes, first aid situations, headaches? Click here!
Stay well, friends.
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