Dealing with Kids and Colds #VicksTricks

This is the time of year when colds and coughs are at their worst and few homes escape the effect of flu season. As parents, taking care of a poorly child can be quite stressful as we deal with our little ones' runny noses, fevers, sneezing, coughing and disturbed sleep. If you are anything like me, then you will have a medicine cabinet stocked with kids' paracetamol, Vicks Vaporub and First Defence spray, a thermometer, throat sweets, multi-vitamins, echinacea drops and cough medicines - just in case! But medicines are just a small part of nursing a child who doesn't feel well.

Children need to get plenty of rest when they are unwell, and often need to be gently entertained and soothed when not asleep. Lots of TLC and cuddles help poorly children feel better, as parental care and concern can be a powerful antidote to feeling unwell. I have spent many days sat on the sofa snuggling my children when they have felt poorly, stroking their little heads and holding their little hands. Housework can wait when there is a sick child that needs my attention.

A cuddly toy or snuggly hot water bottle can make perfect comforters. A favourite book or DVD can be a great way to relax a little one and offer a distraction to their symptoms. 75% of parents, according to Vicks consumer research, put on a favourite TV show or film while 27% read a story to their child when they feel poorly. Some parents get more creative with 8% telling jokes and 2% turning to magic tricks, like this Vick Tricks magic coin trick! Laughter can be the perfect medicine.

       


During flu season, I always try to make sure that Freddy eats plenty of fruit and vegetables, drinks a glass of orange juice a day and takes multi-vitamins to keep his immune system boosted. I encourage him to wash his hands to keep them germ free and if he does get the sniffles, the use of tissues is actively encouraged!

My favourite tip for when a cold strikes is to give children a nice, warm bath. The steamy room helps with congestion and a bath relaxes them ready for sleep. When I was a little girl, my parents were big believers in 'feeding a cold' and we were always given plenty of our favourite food to give us the strength to fight the virus.  I don't know if that really worked, but a tasty treat makes you feel better, calories give you much needed energy and the action of chewing definitely helps clear your head. So if my little ones feel like eating, I'm happy to indulge them!

VapoRub was a product my mum always used on us, smothering our chests in it before bedtime if we had a cold. The smell of it has such an evocative scent. It is a product I have used on all my children over the past 28 years and is a must have in our household. Freddy likes to sniff it straight from the pot if his nose is blocked.

Getting children back on their feet and feeling better can take time, but with love, care and a few tricks up your sleeve, they will be running around and back to their usual selves soon enough.


This post is an entry for the #VicksTricks campaign.

Sing Along to the Cussons Mum & Me Baby Snuffles Video #voiceofmums

Although my youngest is now well out of the baby stage, I remember only too well the days when he suffered from a cold.  Snuffly, snotty noses make feeding and sleeping next to impossible, which means that us mums have to suffer alongside our little ones with sleep deprivation and the general feeling of helplessness that comes oh so often when you are a mother!

Cussons have been listening to real mums (the #voiceofmums) as they have voiced their thoughts and feelings about motherhood, and have come up with a brand new product, designed by mums and developed by experts:  Baby Bath to Comfort Snuffles, to help relieve the discomfort of blocked baby noses.  The mild baby bath has an added menthol fragrance that will help clear little noses as baby relaxes in a warm bath.   It's available to buy at Asda, Boots, Sainsbury's and Tesco.  It could be a godsend come the winter and cold season!

They have also produced a fun video featuring real mums with their babies, singing their own reworded version of "If You're Happy and You Know It"!  I'm sure every mum will be able to relate to many of the aspects of early motherhood featured in the lyrics.  The snot trails on your clothes is definitely something I remember!

I was sent some fun goodies so I could enjoy the premiere of the video with my very own tub of popcorn...how very red carpet!  So, here it is...Baby Snuffles - the Real Mum's Remix...enjoy!


             


You can find out more about the Cusson's Mum & Me products and about the #voiceofmums campaign at www.mumandme.com/en-gb/voice-of-mums

What Fred Said about his Future, Boobs and the Common Cold

This week Freddy has had a cold.  This has sparked a host of beautiful observations from my snotty 4 year old.

"My heart giggled and it made my throat tickle, then Boom - I got a cold!"

"Why have I got crumbs up my nose?"  (At least it was more polite than saying bogeys!)

"When you do this" *breathes in through nose* "it sounds all snifftly!"

Plus he keeps running up to me lovingly, then wiping his nose on my leg!  Oh the joys of these back to school germs!

***

He had a new supply teacher at school this week and he was a bit confused by her name.

"She's called Mrs.Dyer.  But she's not dead. She's actually alive!"

***

Ella was chatting to Freddy about his future and a few gems were said!

Ella: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Freddy: A man called Dave.

Ella: What job do you want to do?
Freddy: I want to kill spiders.

Being called Dave is something that is playing on his mind.  He later told me:
"I'm changing my name to Dave next weekend so next weekend call me Dave!"

***

He has made some interesting physical observations this week too!  Out of the blue he said:

"Ella has got bigger boobs than mummy."
He is not wrong, my B cups cannot compete with Ella's D cups!

Daddy picked Freddy up from school one day this week, and he made a nice observation about his dad's car:

"Your car stinks like rotten sweets and barbecues! You should clean it"

***

Freddy still has very little interest in learning to read and how ever hard I try, he will not co-operate with reading his school books.  Every word I try to sound out with him is apparently pronounced: "B-U-M" or "F-A-R-T"!  I pray to god he doesn't say this when reading with his teacher!

Back At School - Products Round-Up

We're two weeks in to the new school year and Freddy has caught his first bug.  Poor little man is riddled with cold.  My Back To School wall chart from Boots has hints and tips for keeping little ones well and recommends the Boots Cold and Flu Defence Spray as a good way of reducing the severity and duration of a cold.  It might prove a good investment!  You can find the FREE chart online here.  It has some great advice (including a little gem of wisdom from yours truly regarding keeping little ones well hydrated!)

Boots also sent me some handy items for my medicine cabinet.  This has come in handy as we have had a cut knee to deal with already after Freddy fell off a scooter.  A First Aid Kit is definitely a must-have when you have children!  The Boots Complete First Aid Kit has a great selection of bandages, wipes, plasters, dressings, tape etc. so you can deal with everyday accidents from grazes to burns to sprains.  The first aid booklet is very useful and everything is contained in a handy zip up case. (rrp £19.99)

At the moment, a clean school uniform stays looking smart on Freddy for approximately 30 seconds.  We have seen paint splodges, school lunch spills and dirty knees already.  Dr. Beckmann have helped save the day thanks to their Stain Survival Kit that I was sent to try. It can help keep the kids' uniforms clean by treating stains caused by felt tips, pens, crayons, yogurt, fruit juice, carrot, egg, ink and a whole host of other common stains using three of their specific stain removers. (rrp £3.99)  I'll be trying out the in-wash Stain Remover and Hygiene White next week (rrp £1.99 and £2.25 for 5 sachet packs) as Kizzy is off on a residential, activity trip on Wednesday where she is guaranteed to get covered in mud.  That is one load of laundry I am not looking forward to!  You can take a look at their product range, information and testimonials online.

www.dr-beckmann.co.uk

I went to the Tots 100 Blog Summit at the weekend and took part in the Cow & Gate #fruityfun blindfold taste test, trying homemade fruit purees against their new 100% Fruit pouches.  I was first to take the challenge and tried the apple purees.  My favourite one was surprisingly the Cow & Gate pouch.  It had a far fruitier taste than the homemade puree which was quite bland by comparison.  Later on I tried the Banana and Strawberry puree and again found the Cow & Gate pouch far fruitier and fresher tasting.  Maybe it is because the ingredients used by Cow and Gate is baby grade, especially sourced fruits which are of the highest quality.  Nothing is added apart from a little extra vitamin C. I picked up a few freebies from the Cow & Gate stand and will definitely be looking out for these instore.

I love the convenience of the pouches and although they are marketed for babies, my older kids still love slurping them straight from the pack.  They are excellent for lunchboxes and Freddy will be more likely to eat and enjoy a fruit pouch than he would a whole apple (which can be tricky for a 4 year old with baby teeth and the lure of a playground calling). Anything that makes packed lunches easier for him to eat get a thumbs up from me.

Sistema Lunchboxes have proven to be a godsend so far this term.  The compartments keep food separate and safe and minimize the need to pack things up into plastic food bags which is good for the environment and for my pocket.  The drinks bottle doesn't leak and is a good size.  As it's refillable we are again saving money and as we're not buying individual cartons and bottles we are being eco-friendly.  I went a bit mad before term began buying loads of Sistema stuff for all three of my school and college kids.  But I'm so glad I did as it is proving to be more cost effective long term.  The Quad lunchbox is on sale for just £2 at my local Asda so I may have bought a couple more for spares!

Keeping Coughs and Colds at Bay

Spring is fast approaching (believe it or not), but the cold and flu season has not abated at all.  We are still suffering from coughs, sniffles, flu and runny noses aplenty.  Children are likely to suffer three to four times as many as adults and 16.4 million school days are missed due to cold and coughs in the UK every year. Children under 12 are most suspectible to the germs, but many over the counter remedies are not suitable for them.  There are precautions we can take to minimise the frequency, duration and severity of these bugs, which are both safe and effective for all the family.

To Prevent Colds

Remind children to regularly wash hands thoroughly for 15-20 seconds.

Provide pocket size tissues so children can Catch It, Bin It, Kill It.

Avoid close contact with anyone with a cold.

Enjoy a good balanced diet with plenty of vitamin and antioxidant  rich fruit and vegetables.

To Fight Colds

Get rest. Stay warm and well rested to focus energy on recovery.

Drink lots of fluids.

Don't overheat the room and keep the room well aired.

Try a natural remedy.

One remedy available is Kaloba Syrup which is designed to treat common cold symptoms in children and adults.  It contains a South African medicinal plant extract which works in three ways to combat the virus:

Anti-viral properties stimulate t-cell production.

Anti-bacterial properties prevents attachment and multiplication of bacteria.

Removes mucus from nasal passages.

It is suitable for children 6 and over and can be taken up to three times a day.  It costs £7.99 for a 100ml bottle from Boots or Amazon or direct from www.kaloba.co.uk.

I was sent some Kaloba Syrup and an organic fruit box from Abel & Cole.  The box was packed with some lovely fruit: apples, blood oranges, pears, bananas and grapes.  I like the family to get their five a day, and this fruit box definitely inspired us to eat more fruit.  It was lovely to have such a well stocked fruit bowl.

My daughter Megan suffers with asthma and allergies and is always sneezing and blowing her nose.  She seemed to be the perfect candidate for testing the Kaloba Syrup.  She is also quite a cynic when it comes to trying new things!  She sampled the Kaloba and said she felt that her airways felt more open and her throat was soothed.  She was so impressed that we are buying her a supply to keep her coughs and colds at bay.  Anything that she says is good must be effective.

Hopefully the better weather will be here soon and we can be free from cold and flu season for another year.  Hope you all keep well!

Nose Nuzzles For Tiny Noses

Cleaning Up Noses When Our Kiddies Get Colds

Jackson Reece have a new product in their range of bio-degradable, compostable, environmentally friendly, natural wipes...Nose Nuzzles!

I've reviewed the Herbal Baby Wipes and the Unscented Baby Wipes in the past and have always been really impressed with the Jackson Reece ethos and their products.  

The Nose Nuzzles wipes contain natural saline for helping to unblock stuffy noses and Aloe Vera and Chamomile extract to soothe the skin.  They are pH balanced, 100% unscented and contain 99% naturally derived ingredients.  They are "kinder by nature"!  They come in a pack of twenty, a good quantity for dealing with a bout of runny noses,  while at the same time reducing possible waste and ensuring they don't dry out.

Nose Nuzzles

Recently, Kizzy has had cold after cold.  Using ordinary tissues has left her nose really sore and red with cracked skin around one of her nostrils.  It looks really sore, poor thing.  The wipes offer a gentle alternative to the harshness of tissues providing a sting-free, soothing method of cleaning up your nose.  They have actually seemed to promote healing which is a real bonus.

Freddy, like most little people, often has a runny nose and sticky, dried on boogers caked around his nostrils, especially with the weather like it is!  This is when the wipes really come into their own lifting the mucky messes with relative ease.  It feels so much kinder to use a Nose Nuzzle rather than a rough tissue on baby's delicate skin.  Freddy was perfectly happy having a nasal tidy up with a Nose Nuzzle and I was happy knowing that they are free from any artificial nasties.

It really does seem like a really obvious idea, I can't believe it hasn't been done before!  Maybe there is a market for an adult version or little pocket size packs for when you're on the go.

They are quite pricey at £2.49 a pack, but would prove a good investment if they avoid the problem of sore, chapped noses.  They are currently available at Sainsburys.

For more invitation check out the website at www.jacksonreece.com

All I Want For Christmas....

I'm not sure I can remember the last day when one of my family has not been blighted by germs.  For weeks on end, the coughs, splutters, runny noses and sore throats have been passed from person to person in a never ending pathological cycle.

Freddy has had croup which was terrifying.  The rasping bark was absolutely awful, but thankfully it was over quite quickly to be followed by a streaming cold.  The sneezes, the snot and the runny eyes have become the norm for my poor little fella, who bravely fights it off retaining his sense of humour and his cheeky smile throughout.

My oldest son Joe has had a bad run of it too. A sore throat lead to a chest infection which, after causing a whole array of lumpy lymph nodes to pop out of his neck, caused him to seek medical help.  The Penicillin that was prescribed worked initially, but a few days later poor Joe started to swell up with hot, lumpy skin.  An emergency visit to the doctor confirmed that he was having an allergic reaction to the medicine.  My poor boy's Facebook Status read:

"What's big, man shaped and covered in red lumps head to toe? Yay go me!"

My poor husband is not getting away from all the ill health worries either.  He has been having a long term health issue which although was not as sinister as we first feared, is proving to be a continual worry.  Hospital appointments continue as they try to diagnose his problem and the doctors are not holding back when they talk about potential problems if they don't resolve it.  He has some invasive tests coming up and I hope with all my heart they get to the bottom of it all.


The girls are all having their share of germs and whatnot too.  Megan is asthmatic and her condition has been getting worse.  It was only when she re-arranged her room in her shared house at university that she discovered a possible cause of her worsening chest condition.  Behind her bed was thick black mould spewing spores into the air right next to her head as she slept.  Luckily with some bleach, a heater and some good ventilation her room was cleaned up and we're hoping the asthma will improve.


As for me, I haven't slept through the night for over three weeks with poorly children to contend with.  I'm coughing and have a sore throat but I don't have the luxury to indulge my poorliness.  But that it a parents' lot, to put their bugs on hold while they deal with everyone elses'!


So this year, all I want for Christmas is five healthy kids and a healthy husband so we can enjoy our family time together!  Failing that, a supply of Calpol, Covonia and Ibuprofen will do the trick!

Sterimar

I know a lot of fellow Mummy Bloggers who are now devotees of Sterimar.  I seen blog posts, read reviews and replied to tweets regarding the joys of nasal hygiene.  So when I was contacted to trial Sterimar for myself, I was keen to get in on this exciting new product!  Like most households, we are blighted by colds all year round, and there is nothing sadder than a snuffling baby struggling to feed and sleep.  Sterimar sounded like a real solution to an age old problem.

I received two 50ml cans (approx 150 sprays) of Sterimar Baby and a zip up bag, ready to begin our own test Inside the Wendy House.   I set about finding out more information regarding Sterimar and how it works.

Sterimar is a pure, gentle and natural sea water nasal spray that is completely drug and preservative free.  Used daily, it moisturises and clears the nasal passages to relieve the dry, stuffy symptoms of hayfever, rhinitis, colds, sinusitis and other nasal conditions.  It can also relieve congestion and blocked noses associated with heavy colds or chronic rhinitis.  There are no side effects or withdrawal symptoms from its use.  It provides natural relief and restores nasal breathing.  It allows the nose to work efficiently as the first line of defense against airborne contaminants.  It protects us from pollution, smoke, dust and from microbes, so a healthy nasal lining can help keep us protected from these foreign bodies.

The health benefits of sea water have been recognised for centuries.  The water used in Sterimar is collected from deep waters off the Northern coast of France to guarantee its purity.  It is then filtered, diluted and microbiologically controlled to produce an aseptic sea water solution.  It is isotonic meaning it has the same salt levels as cells in the human body, so it does not interfere with our own delicate balance and is extremely gentle and natural  in working with the body.

Sterimar Baby is suitable from 3 months old and can be used to help keep baby's nasal passages clear and unblocked.  Babies can't blow their own noses so any congestion interferes with their breathing and feeding.  Sterimar offers a natural way to assist them.  The nozzle is specifically designed for safety and cannot be inserted too far up the nose.  The gentle low pressure spray is comfortable and prevents inhalation.  It is easy to apply, even when battling a wriggly toddler.


So...armed with all the science and the benefits of this product which is used and loved by millions of people worldwide, I was ready to test it.  I have to confess though, I was more than a little bit trepidated about squirting the English Channel up my son's nose!!  There is just something about noses that gets me a little wobbly!!  So I decided to try it out on myself first.  I was amazed that the refreshing squirt was most pleasant.  It wasn't the eye-watering experience I expected which I feared would leave me feeling like I'd inhaled a swimming pool.  Instead it was fresh and cleansing and I felt that I could breathe better.  Feeling confident now I set upon my 8 year old to practice using it on somebody else before trying it on its intended user Freddy.  With a lot of giggling, we sprayed up both her nostrils.  She said, quite eloquently "You know when you've eaten a mint and you breathe in and it feels all fresh?  Well this is what this feels like!"  So, thumbs up from her!

It is important to wash the nozzle with hot soapy water between uses to reduce any risk of cross contamination, which we did.  Then we used it on Freddy.  I sat him down with his head tilted and gave a little spray with the nozzle just inside his tiny nostril.  We repeated on the other side, then gave his nose a little wipe.  He was unable to verbalise his opinion, but he was unphased,  quite happy and ran off to play.  He has been a bit snuffly so I'll be interested to see if it makes a difference to him at bedtime.

I could definitely be a convert to nasal hygiene, the Sterimar way!!  My 19 year old daughter suffers from  hayfever every year.  I will recommend she gives it a try.  It's a much nicer alternative to the chemical medications on the market.  I'd be interested to see if it makes a difference for her.  Definitely something not to be sniffed at!!!

Sterimar is available at Boots, Lloyds and Superdrug and from other independent and supermarket pharmacies.