It has been quite a while since my last post and I do apologize but I’ve been trying to survive my son’s first cold. That evil cold bug has been attacking with a vengeance this year and my son was unfortunate enough to not only get it but get it twice. Thanks to day care, switching day cares, and my husband and I passing it back and forth my poor little baby boy has been sick on and off for about a month now. Oh the rollercoaster of bullshit!
Since the monster is finally getting better I thought I’d share a couple things that have helped us not lose out shit over the last couple of weeks. Here are your new lifesavers:
Hyland’s Tiny Cold Syrup – I am a huge advocate for Hylands products. We used the teething tablets when the monster was getting his first couple of teeth so when it came time buy something for his cold I of course looked to Hylands. They don’t use harsh chemicals and aren’t as messing/sticky as some of the other syrups out there.
NoseFrida – The ever popular snot sucky thing. If you haven’t seen these yet here is the gist of it – it’s a tube attached to a long skinny tube and you put one end near the nostril and the end in your mouth and suck. What a simple yet disgusting concept. Trust me, my sister told me about this when I was pregnant and I wanted to barf BUT it works and is so much better than the original bulb sucker. There is a small filter to block any snot/bacteria from getting to you. The tiny filters are a little pricey and considering what they are, it’s a tad insulting but when something works for your sick baby you’ll most likely not care too much.
BoogieMist – This is a simple saline spray that you should use before the NoseFrida. Saline (sodium chloride) is a mineral found naturally occurring in the earth and body that excels at breaking up and thinning mucus. One spray in each nostril before tummy time or using the NoseFrida and all that mucus will be so much easier to get out. My monster isn’t too fond of it but it helps which eventually makes him happy so I use it. There are tons of saline sprays out there but I prefer the boogie products.
BoogieWipes – Again, tons of other wipes out there but I personally always go to the boogie products. These are delicate saline wipes that are amazing on your LO’s sore nose. I think baby wipes are just too tough and the Johnson and Johnson face wipes have fragrance which just irritates my monster’s already red nose.
Vick’s Baby Rub – Let’s face it, there is nothing worse than not being able to breathe and imagine not understanding why you all of a sudden can’t breathe through your nose. The NoseFrida can only do so much – think about when you have a cold…you can blow and blow and blow your stupid stuffed up nose and it is immediately stuffed again. I LOVE Vick’s Baby Rub! OMG. First of all, it doesn’t have any harsh chemicals so it’s gentle for your precious LO and it smells AMAZING. When the monster was really bad I put some on his feet, armpits and chest. I know, armpits? I don’t know that it actually does anything but a friends suggested it and her mother is a retired nurse so I went with it. Once he started to get better I decreased it to just his chest. He seems to really enjoy the smell and of course loves the little chest rub, which I did at night and in the morning before school. I would suggest to skip the feet unless your baby is wearing footie pajamas because you don’t want them to get it in their mouths.
Eucalyptus oil – If you don’t already have a humidifier in your LO’s room, go get one. I have a cool mist humidifier going at night, every night, since he was a month old. But when my monster got sick I put 4 or 5 drops of eucalyptus oil in his humidifier to help purify the room a little. Eucalyptus is a natural decongestant and is often used at spas and steam rooms. The baby rub even has some eucalyptus in it. I think it smells amazing but it can be too much for some people so start off with 2 or 3 drops, depending on how big your humidifier is, and go from there. Trust me on this one, it will work wonders. They also sell those oil diffusers which could work too but I prefer the humidifier and it’s easier for me to just add some oil to the one we already use than to go out and buy an additional product. Also, if you’d like you can add some lavender to it when your LO is better to help them sleep. Some people mix oils but I would just stick to one at a time.
Sleep – Obviously it may be a bit difficult for your LO to sleep when they are sick. They have no idea what is going on or understand that it will eventually pass. So if it comes down to it, I let my little monster sleep in bed with us or on my chest on the couch. I only had to take one day off of work because he was sick and he slept the majority of the day on my chest. Sleep is really the most important thing when you are sick (in my opinion) so if your feeding schedule gets a little messed up so be it. If your LO is sleeping, I suggest to just let them sleep and let the cold take its course.
This are the things that helped me and baby boy survive his first cold. Please keep an eye on your precious LO and if the cold continues for more than a week call their doctor. If your baby seems to have trouble breathing/shortness of breath call your doctor immediately. There have been times that I called the nurse multiple times over a few days. It’s okay to ask for help or admit you don’t know what to do and honestly, when it comes to the most amazing, precious thing in your life, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Good luck!
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