Dec. 1, 2020

Preparing Your Home For "Typical" Cold and Flu Season

#013 - YES! The everyday cold does still exist! While we have been provided with plenty of virus prevention tips, we can't forget to prepare for the typical congestion the hits during the winter months.

In this episode, we share our top tips for helping our family with congestion.

Find show notes, transcription, and more at:

https://www.workinghomeparents.com/13

Watch Parent Pacifier Videos:

Comparing Child Nasal Sprays: https://youtu.be/7M3Q7qQqKt8

Tips To Help A Congested Baby: https://youtu.be/iLbXrozAEGM

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Transcript
Daniel Norton:

So I think the last thing anyone wants to hear is more about how to prepare for a virus.

Amanda Norton:

I agree. And it's like we still have other colds and flus that we dealing with like we do every year.

Daniel Norton:

It still exists. Yes. as well. In this episode, we're gonna share really quick the tips that we have for preparing for regular cold and flu season. Yep. So let's get into this episode.

Bumper:

Welcome to working home parents helping you find stability between client calls, and potty training. Because we're all figuring this out as we go. And now, your hosts, Amanda and Dan Norton.

Daniel Norton:

Welcome to Episode 13. You know, one of the topics that's really popped on our YouTube channel parent pacifier has been helping congested babies breathe. Yeah. You know, it seems like it's a topic that a lot of parents need, right? It just yeah, help, especially when you're a new parent? Oh, yeah. Yeah, because

Amanda Norton:

you don't want to keep hounding the doctor. I know, I was struggling with that, because I didn't want to annoy my doctor. So I would just look on YouTube. You know,

Daniel Norton:

a lot of times, it's like three in the morning. Yeah. So it's not that you aren't gonna hound them. It's just, when are you gonna get you can't call any of them at three in the morning or you try. And you're waiting like an hour for a callback or more for the on call. Exactly. So you're looking online, you're trying to figure out those things. Yep. So especially with the newborn, but I think even us as as you know, with a toddler. Yeah. It's all new faces new things. So each year things kind of change. Yeah. But also just a reminder of some of the things that we should be prepared for, because we're so focused on everything about the virus. Yeah. yet. All the other sniffles and colds and flu and all the other stuff that's existed all this time still exists. And I think a lot of us are probably, you know, having that right now, especially as we've come back together or kids go into school. Yeah, it's inevitable that you're going to have some kind of sniffles or some kind of congestion. Yes. or any of the other thousands and thousands of, you know, colds that are out there that are not what everyone is so focused on.

Amanda Norton:

Yep. So we want to start with our air purifier. This has made a big difference for us. I feel like our room has been less stuffy. And when you're already stuffy, and you're entering into a stuffy room, it just, it elevates that stuffy, annoying feeling and then you get that headache. So I feel that the air purifier is a really big plus to have. Yeah, it's

Daniel Norton:

a good resource. And I think there's been a lot of technological upgrades with these depending on what kind of price or budget you have men many of us probably already have this now especially throughout this year. But yeah, it is a good time to be able to get one amongst everything else having some kind of air purifier to to clear the air not just for getting rid of a virus but all the other germs that are starting to spread around.

Amanda Norton:

Yeah. Number two is the VIX cool Mist Humidifier. It comes with the VIX, vevo pads, actually, you got to buy that separately, but you, you put this little Vicks vapor pad, it's super strong, it's it smells really good. And it clears up your sinuses within seconds of smelling it. But we like it a lot. We use it often, especially when our son is sick. And when we're sick, it really helps getting that that nice, clean smell in the room and also the clears up your sinuses really quickly.

Daniel Norton:

Yeah, and there's a whole lot of different kinds of those. There's the hot ones too, which probably work better scent wise and do that. But I don't like having things that heat up in the space, especially with kids. Yeah, so the cool messed one, I think is really good because it does it you just got to make sure you clean it out and everything. I think we're going to probably have to do more videos on those of like, how to clean them and everything like that. Because that seems to be one of the common comments that came up within our 10 tips to help your congested baby breed video which we'll put in the show notes over at working home. parents.com slash 13.

Amanda Norton:

Yep. Number three is the Vic's shower tablet which is good. I think we found this by accident or Yeah, yeah. Because I mean I think we randomly saw it in the store and we were like wow, this come out just now like this is perfect. Because how often do you feel so much better after you take a shower, but when you put this Vic's shower tablet in it really clears up your sinuses because I know every time we feel achy and sick we always say just take a shower and you feel a little better clears you out but you adding this shower tablet makes a huge difference and then it smells up the bathroom for a few hours even.

Daniel Norton:

Yeah, when you know one of our big tips when it comes for babies helping babies with congestion is turning on the shower really hot and having your baby in the bathroom. with you to help them get decongested and help them get to sleep, you know, it's like warm and opens up their sinuses. With this, it does it even better. Yeah. You know, and for us too, if with the VIX one we seem to go in I've tried, we've tried other ones and this is going to be another video, I really want to be able to do his comparisons of like the VIX one versus the others, because obviously, fixes the name brand that everyone goes with and knows but store brands have that. We tried to CVS one lavender one and had a decent smell, but I don't think it really opened up my sinuses like that, and you didn't smell it in the entire bathroom, like you do with the Vics one, which actually is kind of nice, because even if the shower is not on the bathroom smells like that. And if you have that congestion or a slight congestion, you know, it's not gonna really break up. I don't think it's really big congestion. But having that slight one or especially for a kid who's just got a smaller nose that it might help a lot.

Amanda Norton:

Yeah. And then number four is having elderberry tablets, or the elderberry syrup. So whichever one you like, better. I know you like the tablets. I don't mind the syrup because I don't mind the taste. But the tablets are super easy because they dissolve. I would suggest ask your pediatrician if you're thinking about giving your child elderberry because I know our said not to but I know I have friends that have their kids that take it and so it just speak to you. That goes

Daniel Norton:

for everything always ever your doctors and your pediatrician always asked first to take our advice or someone else's. Always ask there first before jumping on anything like this,

Amanda Norton:

right? But a good friend of mine told me about the elderberry tablets and I found that this is really awesome and simple. You could just stick them in your bag, even when you're traveling. So they're super easy. And then when kids you know when you're able to give them to kids, it's easy for them to to dissolve and they don't have to worry about the taste It's a

Daniel Norton:

good preventative if you start to feel like that itchy scratchy throat which doesn't mean you're getting sick obviously the weather changes Yep. Which for us here in New York it's been back and forth one day it's you know 3040 degrees and the next day like today it was 60 something degrees. So it's this back and forth. And so when those things happen sometimes you just get that like itchy throat feeling because you're outside and having that definitely does seem to help because then within a few hours I just I don't feel it that much anymore.

Amanda Norton:

Yes. So it was a great great tip my friend gave number five is have your vitamin C I know I'm really bad at this I know we're really bad at this we don't keep it in the house that much but have like 500 to 1000 milligrams if you're feeling really not too great do the thousand but again talk to your doctor see if this is something that's good for you. But I know most of the tablets that you take the chewables at least are 500 milligrams try to take one or two of those a day just to keep fighting off whatever sickness that you have.

Daniel Norton:

Yeah it's also good just thinking that it's like clementines season or you know Mandarin season so having some kind of citrus oranges. I really like those around this time halos. Yeah, a lot of the brands right, those are really good. They're small. Most of them are seedless. And so they're good for kids and all that so having some of that stuff around just to boost vitamin C levels naturally without it needing to be a vitamin to is is good.

Amanda Norton:

Absolutely. Number six. the VIX chest rub

Daniel Norton:

is VIX like every other.

Amanda Norton:

Yeah. Yes. the VIX chest rub. It's the answer to everything right? Yes. But it is like a staple in a Hispanic family. Like we put Vicks on everything your your neck, your back your feet, your head. I

Daniel Norton:

mean, you name it. And I always question like, does that really work? Do you really need it? Like, I feel like you just need it where you're like on your chest. So you read it? Yeah, I

Amanda Norton:

mean, we put it everywhere. So yeah, my dad used to put the VIX on my neck and then put a sock around to keep it in. Please comment,

Daniel Norton:

if you have any weird VIX stories? Can you leave us a voice message over at working home? parents.com there's a little button that just leave us a voice message. Just tell us your Vick stories. That'll be a good episode. It

Amanda Norton:

works. It works. It's great. Okay, number seven is the Barolo, Liam, cream that you put on your nose. It's for nasal soreness, you have brought that amazing item into my life. I mean, we were dating and I remember coming over and I was really sick. And I don't even know why you would let me come over I was a mess. And my nose was getting really red and redder and redder. And you just said why don't you try this? It's really good. And then I think you sent me home with it. And it was the best thing and then you even gave me a whole new one when you guys ordered it. And it was the best thing. I love it. I even tried it on our son. It's a little strong because it is really it smells really intense. But it's so good. It's so soothing and you're just feels just so much less raw than then when you're blowing your nose 100 times so it's good. Yeah,

Daniel Norton:

I guess this was like the Irish or Italian version of your VIX. I mean, I did grow up with VIX but not quite as much as you did but I guess for me it was the I don't beryllium this little tiny white tube that you put the stuff right in your nose.

Amanda Norton:

Yeah, good stuff. It's awesome. Number eight, our cough drops and your any type of cough drops. I know I need the ones that tastes a little bit like candy cuz I can't handle the typical hauls. That's just what's the one that we like? The recalls a recoilless. Yeah, that's the one.

Daniel Norton:

Yeah, I don't like the halls. Yeah, no, no, it's if you regalos with the inside where it's like gel on the inside. Those are really, really good. And I actually got into because I had a co worker who was doing like free samples of these years back. And he brought these in and I was like, I never tried them because I was always just going with like the cheap stuff that you find like all over the place, but Rico is are kind of everywhere. Those are really good. It's like there's ones with like the honey on the inside or something. The halls

Amanda Norton:

defense ones are really tasty. That's what I would. That's what I would do the like the grapefruit and like the orange and lemon, like, those holes defense are pretty good. They taste like a little bit like candy. So

Daniel Norton:

I still go with the Rico's

Amanda Norton:

I know and I do now but yeah, like the holes has to taste like candy. The number nine is having green tea with honey. The only time that I drink tea is if I'm sick. So when you see me go into the cabinet, and I'm grabbing tea, you know, I am not feeling like myself. So yeah, but green tea and you taught me the raw honey. So not just like typical honey, but like really raw honey. That's really good.

Daniel Norton:

Yeah, I think that's it. I don't know. There's just something about it. That's really good in there. I like to get the big box from BJs we shove PJ's here, I'm sure it's like a Costco or one of the wholesale clubs that might be near you, where you get this giant box of I don't even know how many green teas are in there. And we usually split it with some family. And because there's so many, but it's like a staple that we buy every fall winter time. Because now we have just this huge box of green tea ready for inevitably when any of us gets sick. And they'll last all the way to the summer the next year. Yeah. But I like it because I also like to drink tea occasionally. Man, I'm way more of a coffee person. Yeah. But I don't just associate it with being so yeah,

Amanda Norton:

I will drink the most green tea in my entire life. Just the week I'm sick or whatever. But I can I can drink like three teas a day. And then you'll never catch me drinking tea after that. That's only when I'm sick. Number 10. I have two separate hand towels in the bathroom. We started this when when our son started to like wash his hands and use the hand towel. And when he started to get sick, so sick a lot. We started to just realize like we're all using the same hand towel. That's that's one of the reasons why we're getting sick. So we stopped that and we use two separate ones. That has been helpful. Number 11 is the zombies medic medicine that we use. Specifically the night time medicine. One is such a miracle worker. This kid he he drinks it within 15 minutes. He's usually asleep and it is great. It's amazing.

Daniel Norton:

Yeah, I mean, like you look forward to when he's congested, just so we can use this nighttime medicine. I wish we could use it all the time. Yeah, yeah.

Amanda Norton:

It's great. Um, you know, when he when he's really sick, it gets it's really hard for him to get comfortable and we keep them elevated and stuff and his bed and everything. But he when he's super stuffy, he's just very irritable, very uncomfortable. And so that medicine just helps him take helps take the edge off a little bit. And then he just falls asleep so fast. So it's good.

Daniel Norton:

Yeah, there's a lot of really good RV stuff. And that was something our doctor recommended and we had heard about, but they tend to be a little bit more natural than a lot of the lot of the other things. I mean, there's plenty of natural stuff. And of course it's you know, in a bottle, so it's not fully natural. Yeah, whatever. But I do I do think it works really well. And the nighttime one is perfect because it's so hard to get your kid to sleep when they're congested. Yes. And I'm telling you the first time we use this, he we did not expect it. We did not expect how fast it was gonna work. Within 15 minutes. It's always it's always within 15 minutes. He we gave it to him he was he had not slept in a while he not slept well because he just wakes up congested and everything. And we gave it to him. He never falls asleep anywhere but his bed right at that point is still and he had gotten that he was playing around. He was playing on the floor. And then we looked over like, looks like we looked away and look back and he was asleep on the floor. And at that point, it had never happened. Never was he maybe two. Never happened. Still doesn't happen now. But he that thing knocked him out so hard. And he hadn't really slept well in a while. It was amazed. Yeah.

Amanda Norton:

And he's 12 hours. Yes.

Daniel Norton:

So it definitely works really well. Do not use it if you need them to be awake. Yeah, not use the drowsy one. Yeah, there is the daytime one. And that one works well, yes. Like, you know, every four hours or so.

Amanda Norton:

Yeah, doing that, try sticking with it. Because we noticed that if we forget or whatever it just, it just the cold or whatever, he has lingers a little longer. So just try to stick to it, you know, really use it up every four hours, you know, as per your doctor recommendation. But use it be consistent with it, and you'll see a difference for sure. Okay, number 12 are the nose sprays. So we just bought the zombies nose spray. But we had the little remedies nose spray? And what did you think because you actually did a

Daniel Norton:

video on there on perivascular. We did a video where it I tested them both on myself, actually, we use the little remedies, but I wanted to try and see you know, one, as a parent, I want to be able to test how the sensation of these and this is really the stronger like the the stronger spray bottle where you can kind of press it and it goes a little deeper than like the little drops. Yes. And it's one of those ones where you can also instead of just spray you can flush the nose out with which I don't really like so we haven't really done that. But I wanted to test it on myself. And they actually both are pretty good. And they actually had both had two different styles of sprays when it came out. So you can go check that out. We'll link that up also in the show notes. It's kind of funny, because I'm, you know, spraying my own nose on camera, which is weird. Weird. But I want to do those kind of tests. But yeah, it's having that that kind of thing just ready. And not having to wait to go out when they're sick. Just having that kind of around. Especially if you see it because right now, you never know what you're not going to get. You don't see it's like you got to get it when you see it.

Amanda Norton:

That is your phrase, by the way. Yeah. And I totally live by it now. Okay, number 13 is the xyq cam, no spray. So for adults, we use the Zai cam, no spray, you got me into that. And it really made a difference. I used to just use the standard no spray the Walmart brand or the CVS brand. And I would it would satisfy me it would clear me out for like a few minutes but then it wouldn't last I always had to be it. Remember I was addicted to no spray. You think that was the weirdest thing but like

Daniel Norton:

just like the salience of it's just not it's not gonna for an adult it's not really going to stay. There's definitely more it's more of a gel this I can Yes, it's a gel and I think it's Medicaid. And it really depends. Yeah, but it goes up far and stays there. It kind of sticks. Yes. So it works for a much longer period of time long time. That's a really good one. Especially if you're going to get on a zoom call or you're getting on meetings where you have to go into the office, or anything like that. Having some kind of spray like that is good because it lasts a little longer. Yeah. And you you know, you don't have to like turn off here. Your camera or something just to spray so no spray, but again, ask your doctor before you use it. Some of these things just have many medication and stuff in it.

Amanda Norton:

Yep. Number 14 is going back to the chest rubs. Yes, rubs. Number 14 going back to the chest rub. We just bought this Arby's chest rub. My friend told me about it. And it's funny when I bought it, I opened it and I was like, This is so small. I'm only gonna I'm gonna use this in five minutes and I texted my friend and she was like you only use a little bit and she was right. It was so strong for this little bottle. So we only used it like once or twice on our sun and it definitely cleared him out. He he he thought the smell was a little strong. So just really don't use a lot on that for sure. the VIX one I went I go a little crazy because I feel like the smell is not that strong. Didn't we try the baby? Vicks rub baby

Daniel Norton:

wasn't strong. We use that when he was a newborn just because I didn't want to try using the adult one. It just felt a little too strong so that we did the baby one. And that's what we suggest for babies. It has more of a like a lavender lavender ish. kind of smell. But and and just so you know, this podcast is not sponsored by Vic's or zombies. But if anyone is listening, we're open to it. Yeah. Although it seems like it is because every other is Victor's Arby's.

Amanda Norton:

Okay, number 15 are the boogie wipes. Those have been great.

Daniel Norton:

Although he doesn't like he doesn't like

Amanda Norton:

him. Now. He used to like them, but he feels like he's being wiped on his face with a wipe, wipe be and so he's like, No

Daniel Norton:

way I

Amanda Norton:

don't want that. But let me tell you if you can try to really try to get your kids to use that because you blow their nose 70,000 times when they're sick. And those bogie waves, they have the aloe in it. They're soft, they're moist, they're moist, they're good.

Daniel Norton:

So if your kid can really stick to using them, those are better than regular tissues. So well they have the say lean in it. Yeah. So that that wipe is it's just like if you already using a saline spray, and then you have the wipe it just whatever you can do to get that congestion. It's hard when they're young, really hard because they can't tell you and they don't know why. It's like,

Amanda Norton:

yeah, very tough. Number 16 is preparing your food pantry. So stock up your food pantry with Pedialyte, even the Pedialyte ice pops, which we found out we're really good. And so we have a whole bunch and regular

Daniel Norton:

ice pumps. It's pretty terrible. I know they don't taste that he didn't like it, but it's good to have it in case they are getting dehydrated.

Amanda Norton:

Yes, Gatorade is a big one. So stock and soups. So stock up your start preparing your pantries now so that when you're feeling awful, you don't have to think about going to the store, you just have it. So start start this, start this preparation early. Like in September, whenever you see your soups, your favorite soups, your favorite gatorades are on sale, grab them, and then just keep them in a food pantry stocked. Number seven, you don't have a number 17. That's it. So well. That's all we have. If you can think of anything else that you guys want to share with us, please send us a message on our website.

Daniel Norton:

So reach out on Instagram. Yes, at working home parents.

Amanda Norton:

Definitely. We would love to hear what you have to say. And just some cool tips or some cool products that you use that really work for your family.

Daniel Norton:

Yeah, that would be great to know and be able to share with others. What are some of the tips that maybe we didn't share today that you have?

Amanda Norton:

Well, if you haven't already, please hit that subscribe button so you won't miss an episode and consider maybe leaving us an honest review over on Apple iTunes. We'd

Daniel Norton:

greatly appreciate that as it helps getting us out to more people. Thank you so much for listening. And hey, if you want the show notes of everything that we mentioned here the transcription and more head over to working home parents.com slash 13. We look forward to chatting with you in our next episode.

Bumper:

Thank you for listening to working home parents find show notes links mentioned Mr at working home parents.com