Brrr…it’s cold outside.
With the cold comes dryness. Dry skin, dry little noses, and dry/sore little throats.
Add in the inevitable onslaught of viruses and you’re bound to contend with more than your fair share of coughs in the night, stuffy noses, bloody noses, and dry/itching skin.
What’s a Doctor Mom (or Doctor Dad) such as yourself to do when your little one is dealing with one of these? And, yes, you are Doctor Mom…you do it on a daily basis without even thinking about it. You wipe little noses, kiss away little boos boos, and catch the vomit.
So, here are my top 5 Winter Must Haves. I prescribe them all the time…except the great thing is, you don’t need a prescription!
1. Cool Mist Humidifier: These are fantastic for adding some moisture back to the indoor air. These will help soothe irritated airways, decrease coughing due to dry/itchy throats, and soothe dry noses and decrease the likelihood that your child will get a bloody nose.
Great for coughs, sore throats, bloody noses, and congestion.
2. Saline nose drops: These little drops work great in clearing away nasal congestion, and adding moisture back to dry little noses. When used in conjunction with that handy little bulb suction, you can clear away some of your baby’s nose mucus so she can eat and (hopefully) sleep better.
Great for stuffy noses and preventing bloody noses.
3. Honey: Yes, simple and sweet honey. Your own mom was right when she said, have some honey to soothe your cough. The only caveat is children less than 1 cannot have due to the risk of botulism. Give your child 2 and older 1/2 teaspoon as needed to decrease coughing frequency and severity.
Great for coughs and sore throats.
4. Vaseline: No doubt your toddler wakes up at times with red/dry/irritated cheeks. Saliva, dry air, and rubbing on blankets all exacerbate already dry and irritated skin. Apply to her cheeks before bedtime to help soothe them. Also use around little noses prone to nosebleeds to keep the nasal passages moist and protected.
Great for: dry/chapped skin anywhere on the body and to prevent bloody noses.
5. Children’s acetaminophen and/or ibuprofen: At some point your child may run a high enough fever to make her miserable (usually over 102 F) or have aches/pains associated with the flu or cold. Make sure you have these on hand. Always check your child’s weight and dose before giving. Right now, there are still two different infant formulations of acetaminophen on the shelves, 80mg/0.8ml and 160mg/5ml, be sure to know which you have and check with your doctor for questions.
Bonus items: keep a big ‘ol wide bowl and a big ‘ol towel, dedicated for this purpose, handy for when the stomach flu hits. I know…it.is.the.worst. It really does help to have these two items at the ready for when you hear that coughing/gagging sound and you know what’s about to spew forth.
There you have it. My must have doctor mom items to get you and your little ones through the cold and flu season.
Here’s hoping everyone gets and stays well for the holidays!
What items help you when you’ve got your doctor mom hat on?
Pin It
I’m going to add Triple Cream to this list. Both my son and I have had really bad eczema flair ups from the dry air (dude. I’ve got eczema on my EYELIDS. Not cool) and putting Triple Cream on right before bed keeps the dry air from making it a thousand times worse.
Oh yes, I see lots of eczema flares at this time of year. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Triple Cream is great!
Perfect list, thank you!
I have all of those (and have used them) items! Great tips!
Great list! I’ve never tried honey for a cough, but I will now. One of my must have things are children’s nose strips. They have been a lifesaver for nights when my kids have colds.
What a great list! We needed the towel the day before Christmas!
My son is 18 months today, and on top of all the items listed, we keep Vicks Baby Vaporub at the ready! Whenever a cold strikes and he gets real stuffy, we don’t incline his mattress to sleep since he would just roll to the bottom anyway, thus defeating the purpose. Instead, I lather his feet with the vaporub and either put him in a footed sleeper or tight socks – works like a charm! I don’t know why, but it really works! If he’s really bad off, I’ll spread some vicks across the chest of his sleeper, and maybe a drop or two of eucalyptus oil on each end of the bed.
Have a healthy winter!