Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored partnership with Hyland’s 4 Kids, however we would not partner with a business we did not feel brought value to our readers. Opinions expressed by our writer are 100% authentic and she is only one of several moms on our team who regularly use and enthusiastically endorse Hyland’s 4 Kids Cough N’ Cold.
If your kids are like mine it goes a little like this…
First, they stop eating. Then they get overly sensitive about, well, everything. Then they get snuggly and take an unexpected nap. Next thing you know you’re holding a 55 lb. 5-year-old who is sobbing because his sister looked at him. You look in his eyes and it clicks – he’s getting sick. Ugh.
What now? Daniel Tiger says “Rest is best” (thank the Lord for Daniel Tiger, am I right?) so we change into comfy clothes and get them snuggled up on the couch. Then we watch, and we wait. And we wait and we watch (and we pray it’s not the stomach bug).
I’m not the type to rush to the doctor the second my kiddo has a sniffle, but I am all about early detection and empowering their little bodies (and our big ones) to do what they were made to do. I have often felt conflicted when I would take one of them to the doctor for a cold or a virus of some sort and we’d leave with three different prescriptions for their tiny bodies, so I started looking for some other options to try as a first line of defense. You see, I’m not anti-medicine at all, I’d just like for it to be a part of the solution and not the whole solution. I like to give my body (and those of my kids) a chance to use it’s own immunity to fight first, and when it needs help I like to do so as naturally as possible.
Incidentally, one desperate night of sleepless coughing fits for my 3 year old, I found help in our medicine cabinet. I had been given a number of Hyland’s samples at a baby event and I had never even bothered to open the package and read the label. It turns out, it was exactly what I was looking for – a low dose, natural approach to treating the symptoms. Whether you partner with your doctor as soon as the symptoms start or whether you wait and watch like me, it’s good to have resources at home that you feel good about giving your kids.
Hyland’s offers a complete line of products like this, from ear drops (LOVE!) to teething tablets (a must for the 2AM teething wake-up) and for the upcoming cold/flu season the 4Kids Cold & Cough (which happens to not be full of dyes and artificial flavors, but still tastes good enough that they don’t spit it out). I also really appreciate that with each product there is an online reference available for what’s in it and what it’s for plus how to determine when you might need more than what their product offers. If you are a Costco shopper you have probably seen the combo pack that includes one bottle for the daytime symptoms and another for nighttime with some additional calming elements to help with sleeplessness (it’s like they read my mama mind!).
A Wanna-be Natural Mama’s Cold & Flu Survival Kit
- Natural vapo-rub, for “magic socks”. There’s some sort of hocus-pocus that says applying this to the feet keeps kiddos coughs at bay in the night, so we tried it, and it works.
- An otoscope. Yep, $15 on Amazon and you can see if they have an ear infection all by yourself.
- Coconut oil, for tender noses from lots of tissues.
- Hyland’s 4Kids. These days we use the Ear Drops, Cold & Cough, and Cough Syrup.**
- Thermometer. You choose the kind you are most comfortable with, but my kids fevers are totally visible in their cheeks and eyes, so I know without even checking most of the time.
- Honey cough drops.
- Humidifier.
**Disclaimer: Consult Medical Professional before use. Always read and follow label directions. *The uses for our products are based on traditional homeopathic practice. They have not been reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration.
The last five years have held a lot of helpless moments for me, but having the right tools in my tool bag makes all the difference – and I don’t feel guilty about one of them.