No more cold medicine!
So, cough medicine is bad for our little ones. Not surprisingly, of course. I have rarely given my children cough medicine because they haven’t *knock on wood* had bad coughs. I do give cold medicine for stuffy noses, though. It seemed to work. Maybe I was wrong. I likely won’t give it anymore since pseudo ephedrine is hard to find and the “new formula” really doesn’t seem to work at all.
I will look to more natural method of unstuffy-ing those little stuffy noses!
Saline nose drops (Little Noses makes one) works well. It has a horrible aftertaste when it hits the back of the throat, though. Also, have you ever tried to put liquid in your child’s nose? If so, you have probably ended up covered in said liquid plus a generous helping of snot. If the saline nose drops work for you and your child without unnecessary mess and trauma, then they are a great solution to cold medicine. If not, there are a few other things to try. (Note, I’m speaking of saline nose drop and not medicated nasal spray.)
Vapor rub is another safe alternative to children’s cold medicine. It clear up stuffy noses quickly. Be sure to never put it in your or your child’s nostrils. Use it on the chest and leave clothing loose.
Try a vaporizer with a little vapor medicine in the medicine cup. Humidifiers trickle steam into a room and help to open the nose and calm a cough.
Give your child a warm bath or snuggle them in the bathroom while the shower runs hot and creates lots of steam. Don’t put them in the hot shower, of course, but keep them close to the outside of the shower door so that they can get the quick effects of the steam.
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