It happened again. I can't even believe it. This Winter has been a nasty one at my house, and now we are getting in to Spring. My kids have been sick a ton, which never happens! Miss M is sick again. She started with a yucky cough on Monday and woke up this morning with a stuffy nose as well. Blech.
There are many ways to prevent and fight off colds. Here are just a few of my favorite tips.
- Wash your hands well and often. Of course! With kids this means about every ten seconds as you go between the two :) Keep a good hand lotion nearby!
- Drink lots of fluids. Again, a no brainer, but I still forget to do it. When I'm sick, I don't feel like drinking anything really. It's a bit of a challenge to get Miss M to drink when she's not feeling well either. Water is best to stay hydrated and flush out the cold bugs. We aren't big on juice around here, but sometimes water just sounds blah when you have a cold. Just look for 100% juice with lower sugar. You can also add a little water since most juices are pretty concentrated. Miss M will gobble up juice popsicles, and the cold soothes a sore throat.
- doTerra essential oils. My favorite one for fighting off and preventing sickness at my house is called On Guard. It is a blend of wild orange, clove bud, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus, and rosemary essential oils. It is antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal as well. I like to diffuse it in my home so everyone benefits. You can also dilute a drop in fractionated coconut oil and rub on the bottom of your feet or your little one's feet. Added benefit - it smells wonderful. The second one I love is Breathe. It is a blend of laurel leaf, peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, lemon, and ravensara. I diluted a drop in some coconut oil and rubbed it on Miss M's throat and chest last night and her coughing stopped so she could sleep. This morning I did the same thing and she has nearly stopped coughing.
- Garlic. Garlic has been used for thousands of years as a natural remedy. It has antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. I love garlic, but Miss M, won't just eat a clove of garlic or drink a lemon-garlic-honey concoction. I just add a little extra to some dishes she already likes.
- Gargle with warm salt water. It does the trick for me when I feel a sore throat coming on, but not for Miss M yet. She's too young to get the whole idea and would probably just drink the salt water or spit it out.
- Get plenty of rest. It's hard to rest when there is so much to do, but one day resting is better than a few days feeling crummy while trying to get stuff done. For Miss M, that means some TV time. It's not my fav solution, but the girl won't stay down otherwise. We are currently watching Cars.
What are your best cold-fighting tips?
I love this! Mom and dad both had colds while they were here, (we think Clayton passed his on to them). We came home at the tail end of it all, but if I come down with something, I have a few more lines of defense now.
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of garlic. I also really like using a vaporizer with menthol over night. And, Shower Soothers are my FAVORITE when I have a cold. I have recently become a fan of Airborne to help improve my immune system in the first place. And, last but not least, I LOVE Throat Coat Lemon Echinacea herbal tea (I think it's by Organic Naturals or something like that). It is SO soothing to a scratchy throat and actually tastes delicious!