Conquering Your Baby's Cold...

Last Monday morning my little man started coughing and sneezing and by Monday night we were in full "he has a cold" territory!  Then of course he turns into the biggest cuddle bug on the planet and he is just so cute that I can't help giving him a thousand kisses-- which then left me on Tuesday morning in "I have a cold now, too" territory!  Our house was the place to be (or not) last week!  I'll take him getting me sick any day verses me getting him sick (that's what happened last time).  The horrible guilt you feel is the worst!!!  Ugh, lets just say it's enough to make you legitimately try to seriously quarantine yourself at the slightest glimpse of a cold...

Pre Josiah, anytime I felt a sign of getting a cold I had a "go to" blend of medications (usually something that involves Tylenol Cold and Dayquil) that I would take to kick it before it got serious.  But now, because I'm nursing, I didn't take any meds to attempt speeding up recovery and guess what!?  We survived!  

I realize that this post isn't for everyone, but at some point in life you may have to deal with a sniffle-y baby so these are just things that got Josiah and I through.  Also to my fellow parents/nanny's out there- please feel free to comment anything that you have done that may help me and my little man, or other parents and nanny's out next time the sniffles come to town!  Thanks for your help in advance!       

I coated myself in Vicks Vapor Rub!  I also rubbed a generous amount onto Jojo's feet and put his socks on and that helped him tremendously.  

Add 2-3 drops of eucalyptus oil to the water at bath-time.  And anytime anyone was taking a shower in our house we hung out with Jojo in the bathroom.  The steam really helped clear him up and allowed him to breath better.

I Vaselined our noses constantly so they wouldn't get chapped- so we looked miserable aaaand shiny (but it worked)!

We whipped out the vaporizer and stuck a Vicks Vapo-pad into it.  It was so helpful getting the baby through the night.  I also propped him up on pillows to help his nose drain better.  This only lasted until he fell asleep, but I noticed it helped. 

Vitamins were a must!  I take a few different daily multi-vitamins regularly that offer a few different things.  And on top of that I took some Airborne and extra vitamin C.  I also made sure Jojo took all of his vitamins too.  His taste awful!  Like a metallic chalky taste and he makes the funniest faces but he gets through and I nurse him right after to help get the taste out of his mouth (I don't know that I NEED to do that, but I feel bad).  Haha.  By the way, his infant vitamins stain EVERYTHING!!!  And I've discovered that regular dish soap and cold water get them out (Oxi Clean and Bleach didn't work for me), but don't let the stain sit for too long.  

We both drank lots of fluids!  Teas and coffee don't count (I wish they did).  For Jojo we gave him water or warm broth in a sippie cup throughout the day.  I also made some chicken noodle stew (I like my soups really loaded with lots of goodness so they end up out of soup territory) and I pureed some for Jojo to eat as well!  If you want the recipe just comment below to let me know!

Honey and lemons!  I took some all natural honey and lemon lozenges that Charlie found at Walgreens the last time Josiah and I were sick.  I also made myself some of my favorite lemon tea:

Squeeze of half a Lemon

1 Tbsp (or to taste) of Honey

A pinch of Cinnamon

Put everything into an 8oz mug and top it off with hot water.  

It's actually really yummy, it's super good for your body in general, it is great at revving up your metabolism in the morning, and in my recent state it was especially great at soothing my sore throat.  

*Side Note* For a while I drank this lemon tea every morning and my skin never looked better.  I should do that again...

Thanks for stopping by today and I pray good health over you and your family!  

Love,

Michelle