Our family's cold and flu season survival kit

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Cold and flu season is alive and well around here. We’ve all been battling runny noses and coughs with all the back and forth temperatures this winter. Navigating sickness really isn’t something I think about until we’re in the middle of it. I don’t know about you, but our family is constantly on the go when we’re well. But when we’re sick, everything just stops and we’re miserable. Especially when the kids have been really little and you can tell that they’re just so uncomfortable. I love how much the baby and kid space has evolved in terms of cold sickness management. You can feel free to ditch the nose bulb that typically shows up in baby care sets. They’re hard to clean and basically useless. These items are the ones you really want to keep around your house for when those cold and flu season germs show up:

Oogiebear – This little guy is one of my all-time favorite baby items. You can use this on both noses and ears and it’s so easy to clean too. The Oogiebear essentially works for boogers you can see. Its design has one end for sticky boogies and the other end for dry ones. The design also keeps it from going in too far. I love this product so much that I’ve started including it in my baby gifts to friends and family. Just a warning – they’re easy to lose, so I recommend stocking up on two or three just to be safe. These are a must when my youngest has a cold.

Nosefrida – This item was one of the hottest new baby items when Liam was born. It’s also one of the grossest things ever. But also incredibly effective. The Nosefrida does an amazing job at getting the really stuck, hard to reach, and super thick snot out of little noses. See? Totally gross. For the record, but my kids hated it as babies and toddlers, but if they’re struggling for some relief, it’s definitely worth using. Liam thinks it’s hilarious now and will often ask to use it when he has a cold. So it does come full circle.

Electric nasal aspirator – If you’re looking for something that works similarly, but with less ick factor, than bbluv’s Rino is exactly what you need. It’s battery operated and uses a continuous suction that you won’t get with a manual nasal aspirator. The Rino comes with two reusable silicone tips – one for infants and one for toddlers.

Essential oils – Although it might seem like essential oils are all the rage right now, they’ve actually been around and used by people around the world for thousands of years. There are so many different uses for oils, like improving health, pain relief and even for cleaning your house. It’s important to remember that essential oils are very concentrated and should be used in safe amounts and diluted when necessary. It’s also important to learn which essential oils are safe for kids, since not all are child-safe. When it comes to colds and sickness, our family’s favorite essential oils are lavender and tea tree because they’re both such versatile oils. Plant Therapy is my favorite line of kid-safe essential oils. Check out their blends too, like sniffle stopper and germ destroyer, which are perfect for cold and flu season.

Oil diffuser – One of my favorite ways to use essential oils is by using an oil diffuser. This way, the whole house ends up smelling so good and the entire family gets the benefit of the essential oils. When shopping for your oil diffuser, think about what size room it will be used in, if it has a timer setting or auto shut-off, and if it has a light, whether or not it can turned off or dimmed.

Air purifier – I don’t know about you, but when our family is dealing with a lot of sickness, you can just feel it in the air. It feels stale and stuffy and it even seems like the germs are still lingering around. We got the bbluv Pure air purifier this winter and I feel like it’s helped our family so much. It has an ionizer and HEPA+ filter that removes up to 99.7% of allergens and pollutants, including bacteria and viruses.

Sore throat relief – My all-time favorite remedy for a sore throat is a mug of hot tea with honey. Liam will often request a cup when he’s feeling a little under the weather. We also recently discovered Lolleez. These are great for when we’re on the go or need some extra help soothing a cough or sore throat. Not only are these pretty yummy, but they’re also non-GMO, gluten, dairy and nut free.

Oogiebear nosebalm – Chapped baby noses are the worst. They’re just about as uncomfortable as cold themselves. Oogiebear’s nosebalm is also great for chapped lips and dry skin. I started applying this on Liam’s wind-burnt cheeks after he played in the snow. I’ve also used it on my own dry knuckles and it is amazing.

Cold and cough medicine – We use over-the-counter medicine as a last resort before heading to the doctor. If all else fails and the kids are still unbelievably miserable or need some relief from all the coughing, we’ll offer a little cough medicine. Especially before sleep times, so their bodies can get some rest. This one from Hyland’s is my personal favorite. It’s homeopathic and doesn’t have any sugar or dyes in it. If you want something a little more medicinal, we also like this one.