15 Must-Have Cold & Flu Season Products for Kids
Cold and flu season is creeping upon all of us. Maybe that's what Jon Snow from Game of Thrones meant when he said "Winter is coming." OK, not exactly, but that's probably what moms are thinking. It is fun to embrace fall, sure. There's Halloween, pumpkin-spiced everything, cozy sweaters, and bonfires. But with the crisp, colorful leaves come the cold air and sneezes, coughs, and fevers. And once one child has it, it tends to get around quickly. This is why prevention is vital. Flu shots are available from doctors and pharmacies, and there's a bunch of natural remedies to help with symptoms. But there's no way to always be able to prevent it.
It's important for parents to be prepared. To make sure medicine cabinets are appropriately stocked, we found some of the most useful children's cold and flu products out there. Because we can never have nice things, colds can manifest a bunch of ways. It can give kids (and babies) runny noses, stuffy noses, coughs, and sore throats. Some of the products we found cater to specific symptoms, while others tackle them all at once. There's not just medicine either, though that's important -- and it's also important to check with the family doctor before giving kiddos any kind of medication. We tried to think of the things parents may need that they wouldn't normally have as stocked. That includes things like straws, cough lollipops, fever rags, and aloe tissues. If some of these are used for when the big kids (ahem, adults) in the house get sick, if they get sick, we won't tell. Here's to getting through flu season as seamlessly as possible.
Colds can cause stuffy noses or coughing. This particular rub from Maty's is made with petroleum, menthol, and hydrogenated oil to help with breathing in a safe way.
During cold and flu season, it’s not uncommon for kids to have sore throats. Soothe their itchy or scratchy throats with Lolleez organic throat soothing pops. Made with pectin and organic honey, these lollipops provide soothing relief (and the watermelon, strawberry, and orange mango flavors are irresistible).
Thermometers are a must. They can be a good indicator of how a kid is feeling when LO might not be able to communicate it. This high-tech one can get the numbers instantaneously.
There's nothing worse than waking up with a sore throat. Having throat spray handy can help let everyone get some more sleep (both mom and kid.) At least until the doctor visit.
Runny noses mean lots of tissues. For some reason, kids tend to you one whole tissue per nose wipe, which can result in lots of tissues wasted and a sore nose and lip. Avoid that with gentle saline nose wipes like these.
Whether a child has the flu, sniffles, or sore throat, having the energy or pain tolerance to drink normally can be tough. Straws can make it easy to swallow and even drink while laying down.
It's hard to give babies and toddlers medicine as is, let alone in a regular spoon that'll spill. But if it's in one of these easy-to-measure ones, life will be a whole lot less messy.
Speaking of stuffy noses, Mucinex is a good thing to have in the medicine cabinet for both kids and adults, but this children's version comes with double-duty liquids. One helps cold symptoms for the daytime and another for at night. Because colds don't care what time it is.
Blowing noses isn't always easy with little ones. Suck out their congestion as much as possible with a nasal aspirator.
Soothe coughs and help decongest stuffy chests and noses with a cool mist humidifier. This one can last for up to 33 hours and fills medium-sized rooms efficiently.
OK, so we couldn't miss having Vicks "baby rub" on the list. The regular version has been a remedy for cold relief for many years, but the company recently made a version formulated for babies aged 3 months and older.
Parents know when their kids are burning up, whether by a thermometer or back-of-hand touch. Cooling pads like these from FridaBaby can provide relief to a feverish body fighting off infection.
Sick babies take baths, too. Make it count with a body wash from Johnson's that doubles as a stuffy nose clearer. It's made especially, and safely, for them.
Tissue boxes work well at home, but they're hard to carry on-the-go. Stock up on travel tissues to be ready for sneezes and runny noses in the car or at the doctor.
And the one thing we can't avoid about colds are the germs. Minimize the fam's exposure to germs as much as possible by sanitizing everyone's hands frequently.
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