Mommy's Secret Weapon

'Tis the season for the sickies.

We had a rough few nights with Mack this week. For the first time he was totally inconsolable, thrashing around, just miserable, and not even the boobies would settle him down. He was snotty, pulling at his ears, and drooling up a storm. After a trip to the doctor and some antibiotics for an ear infection he is doing better. He is cutting a tooth, thus the drooling, and some kids get ear infections when they teeth. I had to google that because it seemed an odd connection, but I guess teething causes lots of extra saliva and mucus which can clog the eustachian tubes.

Since the sickies are a part of life in the winter, I thought I'd share my weapon of choice with you:

For older kids you can always dope them up with Zyrtec or Triaminic or Delsym, but for babies there's not much they can take medicine wise. My pediatrician recommends lots of saline nasal spray for infants and kids who don't know how to blow yet. I've found it to be much more effective than a booger sucker because it softens the snot and helps it flow out more easily.

I recommend just getting generic saline spray, not the kind specifically marketed for children, because the nozzle is wide and rounded so it doesn't poke their tender little nostrils. After squirting the magic juice up a little nose, all you have to do is wipe a few times and the kiddo will either sputter and blow the boogers out or the snot will be soft enough that they can snort it back in and clear their sinuses. Whenever Mack has a cold, I always squirt him up before he goes to sleep and he's able to breathe a lot better and stay asleep longer than if I use a booger sucker.

Sick, but oh so cute in his little santa suit! Next up on the blog: a collection of photos of Mack playing Santa Baby.