Well, now that OTC medicines for children are verboten (and some folks are recommending avoiding them for older children, as well), what can we do?
I know it’s hard to watch your kids sniffle and suffer, but there are some natural remedies that will help alleviate the worst, and we can simply suffer through the rest of it with them.
An ounce of prevention…
Don’t catch a cold in the first place.
I know. We’re germy people. But let me tell you something… when I lived in Dubai, I caught every darned thing I’d never had before in my life, including strep. We disinfect too much. While a sterile house sounds good in theory, in practice, you are depriving yourself and your kids the exposure we all need to build up immunities. Dump out that disinfectant hand soap and use natural cleansers in the kitchen.
Teach your kids how to cough.
Weird, I know. But if we’d all stop coughing into our hands and cover our mouths with our arms instead, we’d stop passing around so many germs. Wash your hands frequently. Teach your kids to use tissues, not sleeves and fingers.
Home remedies
Often, what we want is to relieve our children’s suffering while the cold runs its course. Take it from me: I don’t remember the discomfort of being sick… I remember the care and love my parents gave me while I was sick. My dad used to bring me these special pastille candies to soothe my throat, and would lovingly toast bread and butter it just right. They would tuck the covers up around me extra tight, and sit with a hand on my forehead while the thermometer percolated. So fresh squeezed orange juice, hot water with honey and lemon, special foods and special care alleviate symptoms as well as OTC medicine can–probably better. A steamy bathroom or a hot shower for a stuffed up kid will work wonders.
What do you do when someone you love gets sick?
A hearty slathering of Vicks Vapo Rub and a cool mist humidfire by bedside when my little one gets congested. Also, I try to Netflix or borrow from the library some movies he hasn’t seen.
Your so right, I’ve never thought about coughing and sneezing into my sleeve. I’m embarassed to admit but I don’t wash my hands all the time, but I never get sick and neither do my kids.