Kids and Colds- Great Tips for Moms from It's Hip Hop, Baby!

It's winter and yes...cold season is upon us. I am always looking for great tips for making a bad winter cold more bearable. Especially when our cute little babies infect the entire household and everyone gets sick.

After some searching, I found a good article in January 2009 Parents Magazine titled, "Cold Season Survival Guide."

Some of the tips were pretty generic and often followed by most moms: prop up your child when they're sleeping- moisten the air with a humidifier- keep your child hydrated- wash hands frequently- and make sure your children get enough sleep. A bit obvious. But here were a few tips that I thought were worth writing about.

1. HONEY HELPS THE COUGH: for children 1 year and older, Parents Magazine says, "Recent studies show that honey is better than cough medicine for relieving coughs and helping sick child sleep better." According to researcher Ian Paul, M.D., dark honeys, such as buckwheat, may work best because they're higher in antioxidants. They say-- give a half a teaspoon to children ages 1 to 5 and 1 teaspoon to children ages 6 to 11. But never give honey to a baby under the age of 1; they can get botulism from bacteria in honey.

2. HOW TO LOOSEN UP CLOGGED MUCUS: Parents Magazine says, "Loosen up clogged mucus with a few drops of saline solution, then suck it out with a suction bulb.

PERSONAL TIP: my cousin once gave me a great tip for getting hardened mucus out of a child's nose. She said to roll a q-tip in a little Vaseline, smooth the Vaseline on the q-tip and do a sweep in your child's nose. Works like a charm :)

SMART PRODUCTS PARENTS MAGAZINE RECOMMENDS:

NOSEFRIDA
www.nosefrida.com $15
-They say it safely removes mucus with an aspirator you use outside of the nose

SINUCLEANSE KIDS MIST
www.sinucleanse.com $15
-a spray that washes away excess mucus

NOZIN NASAL SANITIZER
www.nozin.com $15
-a swab that you rub on the inside of your child's nose and helps reduce the risk of getting cold- causing germs for up to 8 hours.

NEILMED NASAMIST
www.neilmed.com $7
-saline spray to soothe red noses

BREATHE RIGHT KIDS NASAL STRIPS
www.amazon.com $6 to $8
-adhesive strips that gently lift nasal passages so your child can breathe better at night.

I have to say, I've never used any of the products mentioned above by Parents but they all look like great cold solutions. I will be checking them out. We have a long winter ahead!