Sick of It

Every child will get sick eventually, and there's very little any parent can do about it but be prepared. We had a vicious circle of germs in our family earlier this month, and it all started at the library with a simple kiss from a two year old girl to our first born. Now whether this girl likes younger men, or why she's kissing strangers in public places is none of my concern. What that little Jezebel did was infect my son with a nasty cold, that had him sniffling through a box of tissues every 24 hours. We did our best to keep Gwo Gwo from infecting Mui Mui, but even teaching him to kiss Mui Mui no higher than her feet, was not a strong enough preventive measure to keep the germs from her little nose, and she was sniffling and sneezing a few days after. So what can you do to prevent having to quarantine your own family? Unfortunately, asides form constantly washing hands and surfaces, very little. Think of getting sick as a vitamin which makes them stronger. It kicks up their antibodies and immune system, so it isn't an entirely bad thing. The best you can do is be prepared. Even though medicine can't cure the common cold, The following should make things more bearable on their road to recovery:

• Little Noses – saline drops that get shot directly up the nose to lessen congestion. Read the directions on the box of other brands; this brand doesn't ask you to keep them on their back for any extended period of time after application. Once you try and apply it, you'll understand why this is important.
• Infant/Toddler Motrin – this is recommended by our Pediatrician as a more effective fever reducer than Tylenol. It comes in either infant (under two years old) and toddler (over two) dosages.
• Pedialyte - the Gatorade of baby drinks. Give them plenty of this to keep them hydrated in case of forceful expulsion of fluids (i.e. vomiting and/or diarrhea).
• PediaCare Gentle Vapors - it's a menthol room vaporizer and nightlight in one. Very effective in filling up a room with soothing "blend of aromatic ingredients," but the bright blue nightlight you can't turn off, can keep a curious toddler up at night. Plug it in behind a piece of furniture to hide the light – the scent should still be just as effective.

Even with all this, baby germs are not confined to babies. One of the things worse than having a sick child is being sicker than the child you have to take care of. And worse than that Is to be the nursing Mom, who can't take anything to alleviate her sickly symptoms. So what Daddy took was:

• Airborne – who knows if this stuff really works. You take these dissolving tablets made out of all natural ingredients to prevent cold germs from taking root. They've worked for me in the past (or did they?), but not this time. And if they're all natural, why does it say on the label to not take it if you're nursing?
• Nighttime Tylenol Cold – sleep is the most reliable crutch to help you get better. Taking any sort of nighttime drug early enough in the nighttime to knock you out so you get at least 8 hours of straight sleep will probably be more beneficial than anything.
• Juice – lots of it, to keep your fluids intake high, and keep up with that Vitamin C. Of course, take juices high in Vitamin C; carrot juice probably won't be as beneficial.

Hopefully, the family will be back on its feet, or crawling, or doing tummy time, in no time.