Just as the first big snowstorm of the year was heading toward Wisconsin, our first bad baby cold of winter was also developing at our house. I'm not talking just any baby cold, think more like the daycare plague level. When we heard the first sneezes and coughs over the monitor during Baby Z's nap time, my husband and I looked at each other with scared eyes but neither of us wanted to acknowledge out loud what might be brewing in there.
The sniffles progressed to faucet level drainage and sneezes that produced more lime green mucus than seemed like could fit in her head. If we didn't swoop in and wipe it quickly enough, she was happy to lick it off her upper lip. Her swollen red eyes made her look just pitiful, but we were lucky enough to not have to deal with anything more than a very low fever.
Knowing how to treat a baby cold is always such a tough call. The medicines we've become accustomed to as an adult are a no-go with babies, and for some reason ga-ga doesn't fully communicate everything that's bothering her. So we pulled out all our natural remedies that we've gone to in the past or heard from other families.
We sucked a lot of snot for several days. I never knew that my excellent lung capacity was really preparing me for snot sucking mama days. We prefer a squirt of saline paired with the NoseFrida. Baby Z hates the saline but seems to settle in for the actual sucking part. We think she finds it relieving and knows it will help.
We received a ton of LuSa products when Baby Z was born and they became our go-to treatment option. The petroleum free Chest Rub right before naps and bedtime seemed to both calm her and help her breath better. We rubbed it on the soles of her feet before putting on socks, as well as on her chest. After a few days of the snot faucet, her poor nose was red and raw even though we had tried to use saline wipes most of the time. The LuSa Chin and Cheek Balm seemed to sooth it and helped calm the redness.
Essential oils in a diffuser are common place in our home and we alternated a diffuser with peppermint, lemon, and lavender with a humidifier to help keep the air moist. Baby Z also got to join us in the bathroom while we took showers so she'd benefit from breathing the warm, moist air. She found playing with the toilet paper roll was an added bonus.
After a few days of extra snuggles, fluids, and all of our home remedies, Baby Z seems to be over the worst of it. The only problem now is that she's lovingly shared her germs with mom and dad. I'm sitting here thinking I may need to call Grandma to come suck my snot.
Any good remedies that work at your house that we should try out next time? Let us in know the comments!
