surviving baby's first cold

we've been dealing with a sick little babe over here!  Brady caught his first cold and it has been a doozy! we left him in the church nursery for the first time last weekend and by Tuesday evening he was so congested and coughing up his little lungs.. breaks my heart!  I'm running on about eleven hours of sleep over the last five days, but I think we are seeing the light!  I ended up taking Brady back to the doctor on Friday to make sure the congestion wasn't in his chest and sure enough he now has an ear infection (so many eye rolls!). we've dealt with colds and sniffles with the big girls, but I think Brady is much younger than the girls ever were when they caught their first cold.

ANYway.

I've come up with a handful of 'must-haves' for surviving Brady's first cold, and I think my fellow mamas will appreciate these!  as always, I'm open and welcome other remedies and resources!  

number one.

nosiboo pro nasal aspirator

YOU GUYS.  this thing changed.my.life.  when we received the nosiboo pro to try a while back I was kind of skeptical.  its the cutest thing I've ever seen.. sort of looks like a little bear.  never would I think that this thing would be the best snot sucker ever invented.  I, personally, don't have the lung capacity to manually suck the really nasty thick stuff- I make Jordan do it because he seems to be pretty productive with it. BUT, add the electric component and I'm golden. this has truly been such an awesome device to have on hand, not just for Brady, but for the big girls, too! no one was actually sick when we received the nosiboo pro so I didn't see the real value in it until Jordan, pulled it out in the middle of the night to give it a whirl on our stuffy headed baby.  I woke up the next morning to the cute little bear sitting on my counter..along with his report of "this thing is AMAZING."

since infants do not breathe out of their mouths, having a stuffy nose has been the culprit for lack of sleep in the majority of my motherhood life! this helps combat the sleepless nights but also allows Brady to be able to successfully nurse/take a bottle without having to unlatch and relatch to breathe in between.. hello gassy tummy! bottom line.. new moms, seasoned moms.. looking for a gift for a mom!!  you need it.  I promise you won't be disappointed.  this product runs you about $149 on amazon.. but alas, the friendly folks at nosiboo pro have offered a special discount for my readers!!  

use code AMBER017 for 20% off at check out on amazon!

number two.

cool mist humidifier

hands down one of my favorite + must have baby items.  for safety reasons, the cool mist option is better for children versus the warm mist humidifiers that allows risk in burning if the humidifier is touched or tipped over.  the cool mist adds moisture to the air to help ease cough and congestion while the baby sleeps.

be sure to keep your humidifier clean! I refer to this post for the how-to of proper cleaning 

number three.

simple saline

a stuffy nose can be 'de-stuffed' a couple of different ways.  saline mist/drops are awesome ways to break up the snot and hopefully allow the snot to be removed easier AND allow the babe to be able to sneeze it out, too!  I usually will spray this in each nostril before I use the nosiboo, but then also will spray it here and there without sucking anything from his nose.  I've been giving Brady a steamy bath every night to help break up the mucus as well!  very similarly to how the cool mist humidifier works!

number four. 

gentle face wipes

there are a billion options for these on the market.  and they are all equally awesome at getting the job done.  poor Brady has a raw nose because its literally a faucet at the moment, so I have these on had in every room in the house. I am quick to grab a paper towel (even with Kleenex sitting right next to the stand..) so I have gotten into the habit of having them close by to gently wipe away snot and drool.. along with his poor watery eyes.

number five. 

thermometer

we have the ear thermometer and think it works well, but when it comes to infant fevers we don't need to mess around.  the 'original' version (meaning .. before they came out with one million + one options on the market) is appropriate for infants mainly because you can take their temperature rectally which offers a true reading (in my opinion) of how his temperature is running.  our ear thermometer has the habit of running a few points off after taking multiple checks in a row.

number six. 

essential oils

it can be rather controversial, using oils on my infant, but there isn't a lot to offer as far as over the counter remedies for a baby. so, I sought out an old friend, Jayme over at citrus + cedar, for her advice.  I briefly attempted oils while I was pregnant with Baker and couldn't get the hang of it at all and here I am again with Brady.  I think being educated is a huge component of remaining consistent with oils and Jayme has been an amazing textbook of knowledge about whats safe/appropriate for me and my family.  I am not oily by any means.. in fact, I'm terrible at it and Jayme probably thinks I'm insane + annoying for the amount of information I'm asking of her to share. 

when Brady came down with a cold I asked for her guidance in finding something for relief of this horrible congestion.

congestion for infants blend: 

-1 drop frankincense

supports a healthy inflammatory response, cellular health, & immune system. super helpful with congestion, mood, skin imperfections, overall health. perfectly safe and effective for little babes.. I mean there must be a reason why they put in on Baby Jesus :)

-1 drop cardamom

aids in congestion, emotional balance, fevers, stomach issues. 

-add in 2 tablespoons of fractionated coconut oil or fill the rest of the 10 ml roller bottle.  

(I have been using these roller bottles for all my little blends and they are awesome and cheap.)

when using oils, dilution is a MUST, especially for infants and kiddos. for infants, 1 drop is all you are going to need, heavily diluted with 2 tablespoons of fractionated coconut oil.  these diluted oil blends are best applied to the bottoms of their feet because that is where the skin is the thickest and has the most nerve endings.

for the record.. these dilution ratios are below the recommended amount- playing it extra safe over here! for more info in oils.. I am not to person to ask!  its Jayme!  check out citrus + cedar, instead!

OKAY mamas! what am I missing??  what are your go-to's for your sick little babes! 

thank you to nosiboo for the sponsorship of this post!  all options expressed are my own.