The Hot on Cold

Baby, it’s cold outside! And you know something else…Baby’s bound to get a cold this winter (Mom, Dad, Little Sis and ‘Tweenager too). This ‘common’ reality for moms is hard to avoid (although handwashing definitely helps) but a few handy tricks in your mom arsenal can help make life a lot less stuffy when the dreaded cold hits, especially now that we can’t depend on any children’s cold medicine.

Rise Up
When baby has a cold (or an earache), pediatricians recommend elevating the head to allow the congestion to drain. We know pillows in the crib aren’t safe and trying to find an even number of your old textbooks that combine to equal height on each side (so as to avoid unsafe wobbling of course) in the middle of the night when you have not slept in hours can be more than a little challenging! So avoid this dilemma with a set of SpaceBabies Baby Bed Blocks. They can be placed under the legs to raise the crib safely as high as four inches. When not aiding a sick baby to sleep, kids love to use the set of six colourful blocks as a fun stacking toy or as molds for Play-doh or in the sandbox. (Available from babyguru.ca)

Chicken Soup for the Sinuses
Honestly, our chicken soup recipe is as easy as opening up a can, and yummier and lower in sodium too. You can keep all the ingredients on hand (keep the chicken frozen) to whip some up when the need arises. Chicken soup has been proven to inhibit neutrophils, the white blood cells that contribute to congestion and sinus irritation. Keeping well-hydrated is important to cure the cold too. You will find the recipe here—it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and about 30 minutes to cook.

Humidity – Do’s and Don’ts
Humidity can be your best friend when kids have colds—it can soothe dry and scratchy throats and noses, reduce congestion and ultimately help everyone get a little more sleep. If you use a vaporizer or a humidifier though, be sure to clean it out regularly over the winter to avoid spraying more germs into the air. To do this, clean the reservoir with hot soapy water. Rinse well and then add 2 cups white vinegar and enough water to enable the humidifier or vaporizer to create a mist. Allow the machine to run thirty minutes in a well-ventilated area, then rinse well again. Finally, operate the humidifier or vaporizer for 3 minutes with clean tap water, pour out the tap water and fill to the appropriate level.

Don’t skip bath time when the cold’s come a-calling—the steam can help with congestion and the warmth soothes little achy bodies. Try a special bath product such as Aura Cacia’s Clearing Foam Bath for Kids to clear the sinuses—the paraben-free blend of 100% pure eucalyptus and citrus essential oils is just what Dr. Mom ordered!

(And don’t be afraid of the cold—cold, fresh air that is. When the kids are out of their sickbeds, open up their bedroom windows and let some fresh air in.)

Hopefully you won’t need our hot tips on colds (we’re guessing you will though). Gesundheit to you all!

Comments