Oh Germs… What’d we ever do to deserve you!?

Sometimes, I feel like my little family is ALWAYS sick.  We try to eat healthy.  Lots of fruits and veggies, a lot less processed stuff than we used to…   We drink orange juice and whatnot… Heck, my three year old even likes spinach.  Seriously!

But… such is life.  We are home-bodies, most of the time, and it seems that when we do get out and about, we pay for it, or for our lack of immunity to the world.

We’ve had our share of colds and respiratory issues.  My son has allergies and the poor baby was one congested baby indeed.  My daughter had RSV when she was so young that we were told that it would most likely result in asthma in her future.  THAT was terrifying.  It’s never fun when your kids are sick…

We have figured some things out along the way, though, and I’m sharing them with you.  As always, keep in mind that I’m not a medical professional, so always listen to your doctors first!  I find taking responsibility for My own kids hard enough… I’m not willing to take responsibility for yours too!

First of all, The Graco Nasal Aspirator

  It is amazing!  With one button for music and one for suction, this little guy beats the heck out of the hospital-provided suckers.  It can be found at Walgreens, and most pharmacies.  Click on the image to see it on Amazon.

When used with the Simply Saline Baby spray, there just isn’t anything better.  We’ve been using this sucker & saline duo since my son was a baby (3 years now) and I love it so much that I bought a second one when we were traveling and he got sick at his Omi’s house.  I love having it there.  It seems that both get used enough to be worth the cost.

When the kids are so congested that they can’t breathe or have obvious sinus discomfort, it’s generally “time” to suction.  I used to have to swaddle my son in a blanket.  He screamed, and it was AWFUL!  I would enlist hubby, or my mom, depending on where we were.  Now, he still hates the thing, but he’ll lay still and let me do it.  He cries, but he admits that it helps, a lot.  On a recent trip to Omi’s house, he actually REQUESTED that I suction his nose.  That’s how much it helps.  My three year old, already sick and miserable, wanted to be suctioned.  Enough said!

We also learned something awesome about Nebulizers when my daughter was sick as a baby.  Our little girl had RSV, and before her blood-brain-barrier was totally in place.  It was So important to stay on top of her infection and make sure that her temperature didn’t go up and she didn’t get pneumonia.  Our pediatrician was AWESOME!  She saw us before a weekend and prescribed a nebulizer to help our little angel breathe.  She prescribed the nebulizer (you can’t buy it without a prescription) and then prescribed Albuterol as well, BUT told us not to use it.  She told us to use SALINE instead!!

Wow!  We had no idea how helpful Saline could be in a nebulizer.  When our kids get respiratory infections and have coughing fits that get worrisome, we often use the nebulizer to clear things up.  My son can almost say the word nebulizer and during this particular spout of respiratory yuck, has gone into Poppa’s room before the sun rose TWICE to ask to use it.  He holds it himself and lets us know when he’s done.  And it helps SO much!  If your kids have similar respiratory issues and you think this might be worth looking into, talk to your pediatrician.  Don’t just take my word for it.  I’m just thrilled that our pediatrician suggested it.

Also, for paranoid moms, like I can be sometimes, having a stethoscope in the house can be a sleep-saver.  How many times have I wondered if my kids were getting pneumonia and finally listened in to find, yep, all is just fine, just like the doc said.  (Having a doc who helps you learn what to listen for is helpful too!

A Note About Medications

It is my understanding that in the last few years, the American Academy of Pediatrics has determined that not only are most cold medications (decongestants and the like) for children ineffective, but they can also be harmful.  So… you’ll have a hard time finding any, if you find them at all.  And… since they could be harmful, I don’t suggest you try.

However, if your kiddo is 3 or older, Little Remedies makes Honey Lollipops that are AWESOME for little sore throats and colds!  My son eats them up.  We try to keep a box in the medicine cabinet at all times.  I even steal one every now and again.  Beware, they stick to carpet like any good lollipop does.

Click on the images to order through Amazon (it’s about the only place I can find them around here.)  I’m guessing that age three is because of the hard candy aspect… my daughter (1 1/2) loves them.

For tinier ones, ONE and up, Little Remedies makes a Honey Elixer.  This “medicine” is amazing!  It coats a sore throat and helps stop the tickle that keeps kids (and mommies) coughing.  My kids aren’t fans of medicine, but they are very tolerant of taking this.  I give it to them in a syringe (like what comes with Baby Advil), as the included cup seems to be a challenge to them.  I think that the tingle from the honey elixer is too much when they are trying to gulp it from the cup.

These are the tricks we use to survive having a houseful of “sickos.”  I hope that they help!  I’m off to take care of my little snifflers, now.