Having a hard time combatting cold and flu season with a toddler or small child? Read on for our tips to getting through it stress free, knowing you’re doing the best for your little one! Must haves in our house? The Braun ThermoScan®7 Thermometer and our Vicks® FilterFree Cool Mist Humidifier!
I thought that tackling my second winter with Aren would be a whole lot easier. Turns out that’s not the case! Between gym classes, swim and actual play dates where the kids interact- he’s been exposed to so many germs this winter season. And that means colds. Lots of them!
If you have been following over on Instagram, you’d know that he’s been on and off sick since Christmas. It’s been quite a struggle the last few weeks, but he is finally on the mend.
There’s been a few things that we’ve been doing to keep him feeling better. Here are our five must haves in our house!
- Track his temperature all the time!
This one is so important! Especially as a first-time mom who worries a lot, keeping his temperature in check has been instrumental in keeping my stress level down. Luckily Aren actually loves his thermometer. We’ve been using the Braun ThermoScan®7 Thermometer for some time now-it’s actually the thermometer I registered for when I was pregnant at Babies R Us!
What do we love about it? Well for one thing, how quickly it works. The probe goes directly into the ear and within just a few seconds you get your reading! The tip warms up to 34 degrees so it’s not going to be cold and uncomfortable for your kiddo! Bonus? It has a night light feature in case you need to check your little one’s temperature overnight. You can also keep track of the last few temperature scans in case you’re like me and constantly forget. It’s always useful to know if the fever is going up or down.
And even more useful is its Age Precision® Technology. Did you guys know that what qualifies as a fever in a newborn baby is drastically different than a fever for say a three year old?! In those first few years the range is always changing and the Braun thermometer actually lets you input your child’s age with its Age Precision® technology. Take the temperature as you would normally and it will let you know if the fever is normal, elevated or high based on your kiddos specifications!
I said that Aren loves it and I am not lying! After doing one ear, he will turn his body towards me so that I can do the other ear as well 😉 Not how it works little guy, but I appreciate your enthusiasm!
Like I said as well, being a first-time mom is stressful enough. Especially when you don’t have the experience with sicknesses and fevers under your belt quite yet. The Braun ThermoScan®7 Thermometer is a must in my pharmacy cabinet at home!
- Hydrate
We always make sure Aren drinks a lot more water when he is sick. Just like adults, little kids need to up those water levels when sick! Luckily, he loves water, so this is an easy task for us. It helps with congestion and coughs. We keep a water near his bed in case he wakes in the middle of the night as well.
- Using a Humidifier in his room
Speaking of overnight wakeups, during a bad few days of his cold over Christmas, he was waking up asking for water. We were happy to oblige, but also decided that perhaps his room needed a little help. Almost immediately after adding in a humidifier, he stopped waking up for the water. Our choice? The Vicks® FilterFree Cool Mist Humidifier. Here’s why!
-It restores the moisture in the room. Ever wake up in the middle of the night with a dry cough?! A humidifier helps with that. It’s funny that we don’t think kids might have the same problems as us but they do! They also can suffer from dry air.
-It’s super quiet. So much so that Ara even noticed and gave it a compliment! You can’t even tell that it’s on. I’m constantly having to get close to it to check 😉
-You can use the Vicks® VapoPads with it! We love the lavender scent for Aren and the menthol for ourselves!
All in all, I think a humidifier is a must during cold season and I’ve firsthand seen the benefits. I didn’t register for one, but my advice for mama’s to be is to add this one asap to your registry, especially if you live in a cold weather climate like we do!
- Shorten wake times if needed
Just like adults, kids need more sleep when they’re sick. Especially as they may wake up more throughout the night, we made sure Aren went to bed on time, and if he was really sick that day, even a little earlier. We also never woke him from a nap if he was sick. Sleep is key!
- Clearing out mucus
This was one thing that made me nervous as a new mom but it’s really not that bad! I promise! Just use something like the Braun Nasal Aspirator. It clears up your little’s nose in just seconds giving them instant relief. I’d recommend doing it a few times a day, not just once. We try for 2-3 times, definitely making sure we use it immediately after bath time when the mucus is softened up as well.
Obviously, every child is different, and every sickness is different, however I really think these are five things that every parent can stick to for relief for their kiddos! Seeing your child sick is one of the worst things out there, so being able to help them get some relief is a must!
This post was sponsored by Braun and Vicks. As always opinions are my own! I’ve been using these products regularly with Aren this cold season and stand by them. You can find out more about the Braun ThermoScan®7 Thermometer here and the Vicks® FilterFree Cool Mist Humidifier here.
Please confer with your doctor if your child has a high fever. This blog post does not substitute any medical advice that a health care professional can provide!
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