There is not very much worse than sick babies, and unfortunately, we’ve been seeing a lot of that around our house lately. The illnesses having been cycling through our family, one after another, with sweet baby Shake taking the brunt of it all. At just over three months old, he’s been sick at least three times; with an older brother in group childcare, it’s pretty much inevitable. Fortunately, nothing worse than a cold has hit him, though this last bout resulted in three doctors’ visits in the past week, with blood draws each time. It’s been a tough few weeks for him, and we’ve been doing our best to keep him comfortable. Here’s what works for us:
1) Nosefrida Aspirator: This one is a given. The best way to decongest a kid is to remove the cause of congestion. This is especially helpful when babies are having trouble eating or sleeping due to stuffy noses. I’m pretty sure every child hates the process, but the relief is worth the few minutes of protest.
2) Lil Remedies Noses Saline Spray: We squeeze a few drops of this saline spray into each nostril before using the Nosefrida to maximize suctioning power and offer relief. This combo serves us well, though we limit usage to 1-2 times per day in order to prevent drying out and irritating the kids’ nasal passages.
3) Lil Remedies Infant Acetaminophen: I prefer this acetaminophen option since it’s dye free, and my littles have always taken it without protest when necessary. We try to limit medicating as much as possible, but when those fevers pop up and our pediatrician recommends it, this is our go to. Dosage depends on weight, so always check with your pediatrician first!
4) Zarabee’s Naturals Children’s Cough Syrup: Cubby gets awful coughs when he’s sick, and though we often have to use a nebulizer or inhaler on him, this is a good drug-free option to soothe his throat. I like that it’s agave-based, and he’s never complained about the taste. Checking with your pediatrician before offering any sort of medicine is always a good idea.
5) The Honest Company Breathe Easy Chest Rub: For babies over three months old, this rub is a nice way to soothe some chest congestion. The scent is calming and pleasant, and the thin texture of the rub prevents you from having to goop it on your little one. I rub a small amount over baby’s chest, back and feet before bed.
6) Humidifier: Chicago winters are dry as can be, and dry air only irritates when you’re sick. A humidifier is a must during these winters! We have been through a few, and own this one currently, but I’m always on the hunt for a filter-free humidifier that works well, and won’t break after a year (we’ve had two of those!). Let me know if you have one you love!
7) Smart Water: Cubby’s never been a fan of Pedialyte, and trying to get him to drink coconut water is always a hit or miss. When he’s sick, especially with a stomach bug, I make sure to fill his water bottle with Smart Water to give him a boost of electrolytes. We always have some on hand, since I’m a bit obsessed with it.
8) Cozy Pajamas: When kids are sick, there’s no reason for them to have to get dressed. Cubby relishes days in his pajamas, and I love these because they are super soft and wash very well.
9) Cozy Blanket: What goes best with cozy pajamas? A comfy, cozy blanket to crawl under! We love this blanket for sleeping, and for snuggling under on the couch to watch a movie.
apricot / 279 posts
We have the honest company rub too, the smell is nice but I don’t really feel much soothing when I put it on. I didn’t observe a big difference in my son”s behavior rub or no rub (e.g. still looks uncomfortable from sinus) I’m speaking I’m comparison to Vicks. I’m aware the honest company ingredients may be more natural…but vicks work better for congestion due to sinus.
My 3 year old does not like pedialytes either, thanks for the smart water idea!
coffee bean / 46 posts
You can also try using Coconut Water Powder to add some electrolytes. Just add it to juice your LO already likes. I prefer CocoHydro (but I’ve never tried any other brand) in the original flavor. But here are some other alternatives…
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=coco+hydro&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=34206111707&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7447971940821753755&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=t&ref=pd_sl_7iw3m6nfmt_e
guest
I have all of these items except the honest company rub, I’ll buy it soon. And for the others, they are very good and essential for our babies:)
nectarine / 2243 posts
as luck would have it, our LO has a cold. And you just reminded me that I have a tub of the honest rub. So, thanks!! I’m going to try it out!
blogger / pea / 17 posts
@Snowybreeze: Do you find that baby Vicks helped more? I used baby Vicks with Cubby, be feel like it’s pretty mild, as well.
blogger / pea / 17 posts
@Mmsva: Great tip, thanks! I’ll try it out.
guest
I always just used regular Vicks with my babies instead of buying the baby kind, but I put it on their feet so the smell wasn’t too overpowering. Seemed to do the trick!
apricot / 279 posts
@Mrs. Whale: We recently graduated our 3 yo from using the baby vicks to the regular adult one. We tested on ourselves first. In our opinion, the baby vicks is slightly more soothing than the honest company rub, because it has menthol (although honest company raised that as one of the bad ingredients, I haven’t conducted extensive research on it yet). The menthol is what helps them breathe better and decongest those stuffy noses. The regular vicks is definitely stronger, so we are careful not to put anywhere near her face, usually underneath her clothes where she can’t get it on her hands if she was rubbing/scratching at night. We found that it helps her sleep better, stabilize her coughs a little and she can breathe better. We just gone through a round of severe cold, then HFMD then RSV virus…so we know. Her poor baby brother gets everything she have gotten too, and we use the honest rub on him, really don’t know if it helps him feel any better as I don’t feel anything when I put it on myself, but the placebo effect makes the parents feel like we’re doing something to help!