Winter Wellness Tips

I attended a wonderful event today and got to listen to Dr. Meg Meeker talk about how to prepare ourselves and our kids for the cold and flu season. Dr. Meg has four children and has been a pediatrician for 25 years.  No one wants their holidays derailed by a sick child so the information she provided was very timely.

Dr. Meg had few must have’s on her list of what all parents should have at home in preparation for cold and flu season.

1. Tylenol
2. Motrin
3. Saline nose drops (especially for kids under one)
4. Ear Aspirator
 (I didn’t even know these existed! It’s like a bulb syringe, but with a pointier tip)
4. Thermometer

We got to learn about the new Vicks Behind the Ear thermometer while we were at Finale today.  Dr. Meg explained that the different places we take a temperature reading vary based on how close it is to blood vessels.  Behind the Ear provides a more accurate reading as it’s close to major blood vessels. ( I have been using the temporal (forehead) thermometer for the past few years, but I never felt that it was super accurate.) The Vicks thermometer has a memory that stores the last eight readings so you can see if a fever is rising, or hopefully falling, in your child.  It’s also color coded to you know that if the light blinks red, it’s time to call the pediatrician.

Dr. Meg shared a few other helpful tips today in dealing with fevers in little kids.

-keeping kids hydrated is very important
       -offer Pedialyte, (no Gatorade for kids under 2) mix it with a little juice if your kids don’t like the taste
-tepid baths are helpful, be nice and don’t put kids into a cold bath.
-use a vaporizer for kids that have a nasty, barking cough, which offers more moisture in the air than a standard humidifier.
-clean toys with an antibacterial cleaner
-change toothbrushes at least once a month, more if they are sick.
-WASH HANDS!

I asked Dr. Meg after the presentation if she has any natural remedies that she relies on.  She said she likes both Zycam and the Airborne products, as both Zinc and Echinacea have both been proven to reduce the duration of colds and flues. She wasn’t familiar with Elderberry Syrup so I am still on my own hoping that it is helping us stay healthy.

I was also provided a copy of Dr. Meg’s book 10 Habits of Happy Mothers.