10 Hot Tips When Your Child Has a Cold

It seems like this winter was extra long. Maybe it was the fact that we got no snow that made it seem like the gray, cold weather was dragging on longer than normal. Or maybe it was the fact that we definitely got sick a few more times than we did last year… Regardless, we’re very excited about the weather warming up and spring flowers poking out of the ground, finally.

This last cold that went through our house was a doozy. It started with the 9 month-old, who had a terrible cough and sore throat, and ran a low temperature for a few days. The day he stopped drinking anything, we went in to the doctor to make sure we weren’t missing anything. By a few days later, big sister and Dad had caught the cold too, though I was still feeling fine. After a few days of taking it easy, the cold turned to pneumonia for our *almost* 3 year-old, and a sinus infection in Dad. The story was the same each time one of them was at the doctor – its a cold – you have to ride that part out. (Though they had antibiotics for the pneumonia and sinus infection).

With all the boogies and coughing going on, I was glad to have some tried and true stuff to help keep the kiddies comfortable while they were riding out the cold. In fact, for a recent baby shower, I gifted the parents a set of these items because they are so handy, and eventually, baby will get sick. Unfortunately there is no way around that, so we can at least try to help them be more comfortable while they build their immune system.

Here’s the stuff I keep handy whenever a cold shows up in our house. These are just comfort items, and nothing here is used with the purpose of curing – just easing the symptoms. Please remember, nothing here is meant to replace the advice of a medical doctor. Nothing here is meant to diagnose, treat, or prevent a medical condition.

1. Baby Frida Humidifier

I’ve tried out a number of humidifiers but I like this the most for 2 reasons. First, it unplugs at the base, rather than the wall. This makes it easier to bring over to the sink to clean. I don’t have to reach behind the baby-proofed shelves to unplug it and plug it back in. Second, I can drop essential oils right into the tank, rather than needing a little pad or a separate diffuser. I also love that it is easy to clean. (I soak everything with a vinegar solution once a week, then scrub it and rinse it out. I use this and these to get in every nook and cranny). I keep meaning to add this to my list of baby items I love – it is seriously my favorite.

2. Essential Oil

This stuff smells amazing and we find that it really helps open up our sinuses and help with congestion. We drop it in our humidifiers at night when we go to sleep.

3. Stuffy Nose and Cough Bubble Bath

My kiddos have pretty sensitive skin, and this stuff is gentle enough to not cause any reactions for them. It helps loosen up all the gunk in their noses and get them nice and runny and breathing better before bed. They don’t know that their fun bubble bath is about more than getting clean. They are having too much fun playing in the bubbles to care about their runny nose or coughing.

4. Maty’s Chest Rub

After a nice warm bath, we get kiddos into pajamas and slather this on their chest, back and feet. It smells nice, helps them breathe, and seems to help them calm down, thanks to the lavender.

5. Snot Sucker

Honestly, each cold makes an electric aspirator look more and more appealing, but this is pretty great. Once you get over the “ick” factor, you’ll probably agree that it’s better than a bulb. Now that my toddler is learning to blow her nose, it helps her see the snot that gets sucked out. We can say “this was in your nose. When you can blow your nose, and get the boogies in the tissue, we won’t have to suck them out anymore.” All the parts are washable, and the filters do a good job stopping the gunk before there’s a risk of inhaling anything. I’ve never had anything slip through! Saline drops also help keep the nasal passages moist and the snot a little runnier so your kiddo isn’t so uncomfortable. (Other than having the drops put in!).

6. Thermometer

Even if you’re not treating a temperature with medicine, kids are wiggly. Sometimes you just need to know for your peace of mind. This thermometer is super fast and doesn’t need to be stuck under an arm, in an ear, or dragged across a forehead. We were keeping this in our travel medicine bag, but now it is our go-to because it is just so easy to use.

7. Medicine

How you treat symptoms in your house will be a very personal choice, made in conjunction with conversations with your doctor. In our house, we don’t tend to give Tylenol or Motrin unless the temperature (typically below 101.4, but confirm with your doctor) and/or other symptoms seem to be really distressing our child and keeping them from sleeping. We also will sometimes give them an OTC cough medicine (baby or kids), though it depends on the doctor’s advice. For example, the advice we got when our daughter had pneumonia was to avoid cough medicine because coughing was going to help her expel the gunky congestion in her lungs. Always speak with your child’s doctor before administering medicine.

8. Other Tips

Similar to using a humidifier, running a hot shower and sitting in the bathroom with your little one can help calm down the coughing and get the sinuses running and opening. All the warm, humid air can really help. Bring some books or toys, put down some towels so the floor doesn’t get too slick, and hang out for 20 minutes or so. You could also try slightly elevating the mattress by sticking a folded towel under the mattress so the child’s head is a little higher. Keep an eye that they don’t wind up upside down when they wiggle in their sleep. Safe sleeping is the most important thing.

When your child has a sore throat, they likely will be less interested in drinking, but might not be able to tell you that it hurts. They also probably can’t understand why it is even more important to be drinking even more for now! Do your best to make drinking more fun. Try using a special cup or crazy straw, bust out the juice, try popsicles or Jello. Also, you can try offering water-dense fruits and vegetables, like watermelon, grapes, oranges, or zucchini.

9. Save the tissues!

I can’t take credit for this, but also don’t remember where I heard this advice. It has saved us countless boxes of tissues, though, so I have to share! Just like a toddler with a roll of toilet paper, tissues are just too fun to leave in the box. Instead of offering your increasingly independent toddler tissues, offer them some washcloths. They can use that to wipe their nose with, repeatedly. I swear, the night my daughter was up crying for tissue every 3 seconds, everyone slept better once she had a “special tissue” to sleep with all night and use whenever she needed. No more needing to call us, or be up and down to the tissue box and trashcan on her own a hundred times after being tucked in.

10. Remember to take care of yourself too!

While you’re face-to-face with a snotty, sneezing, tired little kid who needs extra love and comfort from you while they don’t feel good, it’s even more important to remember to do what you can to stay healthy. Get as much sleep as you can, eat lots of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, drink lots of water and other healthy liquids. We also take a probiotic and multivitamin, and sometimes another immune system supplement.

Good luck! While we hate seeing our little ones sick, they have to build their immune system somehow. These things have been helpful for our family, and hopefully something here can be helpful for yours as well. Do you have an electric aspirator? Is it worth it?!