This post has been sponsored by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and 20th Century Fox. All thoughts and reviews are my own.
Oh my gosh I can’t stand winter! That’s when the majority of sickness hits my family and I hate it when my kids get sick. They’ve all 4 been sick more times than I can count this year. This past week even! Their little noses have been stuffy, they’ve coughed, had aches and pains, tummy trouble etc. It’s just been a cold but it’s been miserable and it breaks my heart. Luckily, I can treat their symptoms with some OTC medicines and some home relief ideas I have in my sick day survival kit.
Our middle daughter battled a cold all last week. She had a super stuffy nose that was running at the same time. So all she could do was keep wiping it. It was too stuffy to blow and get relief. That left her nose raw. We use Boogie Wipes to help relieve the nasal irritation but it just kept running and the nasal drainage made her sick to her stomach.
She also had a cough for a day or two. I looked through the medicines in my cabinet and decided that Children’s Robitussin® Cough & Chest Congestion would help ease the cough and congestion.
If I can’t find that I use Children’s Dimetapp® Cold & Cough instead. Both work really well to relieve the cough and help break up all the crud so she can get it out when she does cough.
I also used Children’s Advil® to help with the aches and pains and the mild sore throat she had. It works great for fever too.
Both the cold medicines and the Advil work pretty quickly to help easy the discomfort. My kids don’t love the taste of any of it but it is flavored enough that they will take either one without fighting me to do so. So I can get a dose in them and help them rest.
*It is important to remember to always read and keep the cartons for complete warnings and dosing information on Pfizer Pediatric products and to use as directed.
Along with the OTC medications I have some home treatments that always help soothe them too. For sore throat I make up 2 different mixtures. First I start by mixing a tablespoon of honey with a tsp of ground cinnamon and a squeeze of lemon juice, in a bowl. I mix it really well and then whoever has the sore throat spoons a little at a time into their mouth letting it sort of slide down their throat slowly. Kind of drizzling it in.
Once it has helped soothed their throat enough to be able to drink, about an hour later, I make the second mixture. This time I make up warm, herbal tea (one with spices is great) and add in the same mixture as before, letting them drink it slowly. If your child doesn’t like tea, you can do warm lemon water with honey and cinnamon instead. The warmth of the drink combined with the cinnamon, honey and lemon helps to soothe the throat and warm the body. It is very soothing and comforting and it tastes really good. Parents, you can use this too.
For headaches, I give the Children’s Advil® and I also have an adorable little ice pack that my mother-in-law gave me. The kids like to hold it on their head. It’s like one you see in old movies so they feel all “fancy-like” then they use it. 😀
I usually rework my schedule when they are sick so that I can snuggle up with them on the couch. We all put our pajamas on and cover up with soft, fleece blankets and pillows. I make us up some soup and our tea and we sit on the couch and eat, snuggle and watch a movie or 2 or 3 if we feel up to it. Sometimes we just snuggle up and sleep until we feel better. I think having mommy or daddy there helps them rest.
I have a few movies that we reserve as “sick day movies”. We only watch these on those days when one of us is feeling crummy. I keep everything in a large plastic container with a lid, up on a shelf, above the washer and dryer. Out of reach. When someone gets sick, down comes the box that we’ve nicknamed the “Sick Day Survival Kit“. It even has its own label hat I made with the label maker!
This week we watched The Peanuts Movie. Clay and the kids are all fans of Charlie Brown so they were happy to see that added to our list of sick day movies and excited to have something new in the box.
About The Peanuts Movie: Dream big and laugh along with good ol’ Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the beloved Peanuts gang as you’ve never seen them before — in a brand-new feature film from the imagination of Charles M. Schulz and the creators of Ice Age. Join everyone’s favorite eternal optimist, Charlie Brown, as he embarks on a heroic quest, while his beagle pal Snoopy takes to the skies to pursue his archnemesis, the Red Baron. It’s a hilarious and heartwarming adventure that proves every underdog has his day!Dream big and laugh along with good ol’ Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the beloved Peanuts gang as you’ve never seen them before — in a brand-new feature film from the imagination of Charles M. Schulz and the creators of Ice Age. Join everyone’s favorite eternal optimist, Charlie Brown, as he embarks on a heroic quest, while his beagle pal Snoopy takes to the skies to pursue his archnemesis, the Red Baron. It’s a hilarious and heartwarming adventure that proves every underdog has his day!
We laid on the couch all day watching movies. I’ve been sick too and I don’t either of us moved except to use the restroom or refresh a drink.
There’s also tissues and a thermometer in the Sick Day Survival Kit as well as vapor rub. I also keep small bottles of water on hand too that are part of my “Sick Day Survival Kit”, but those don’t go in the box.
So, my full Sick Day Survival Kit consists of:
- Bottled Water (pantry item)
- Tea (pantry item)
- Honey (pantry item)
- Lemon (pantry item)
- Cinnamon (pantry item)
- Children’s Robitussin® Cough & Chest Congestion
- Children’s Dimetapp® Cough & Cold
- Children’s Advil®
- Sore Throat Pops/Lozenges
- Nausea Bags
- Boogie Wipes
- Movies
- Tissues
- Ice Pack
- Thermometer
- Vapor rub
- Hand Sanitizer (when you’re too sick to get up and wash your hands at least you can sanitize after blowing your nose)
Each of those things come in handy when your sick. It’s especially handy to have them all in a container that I can grab quickly and keep by me on the couch when I’m sick too.
If you’d like to purchase the medicines we keep in our “sick day survival kit”, Target is offering 10% off Pfizer Pediatric products and select 20thCentury Fox DVDs through February 20, 2017 with the following Cartwheel coupon codes (valid 1/29/17 through 2/20/17) Just click the links below to access them.
o Children’s Robitussin®
o Children’s Dimetapp®
o Children’s Advil®
o Ice Age Collision Course
o The Peanuts Movie
o The Sandlot
Check out the Sick just got real.™ website and on Facebook
It’s so sad seeing any of our kids sick and just laying around feeling so badly. I do love having a “time-out” to spend the day with my babies, cuddling and watching movies, but I sure wish they never go sick. Thankfully, she seems to be on the mend and getting back to her fun loving self. I’m glad I was able to relieve most of her symptoms with help from some medicine and a little TLC.
Sick Day Survival Kit Giveaway!
While you won’t get my exact Sick Day Survival kit, One lucky reader will win the following:
$25 Target gift cardAdditional Pfizer Pediatric products [Children’s Advil® Suspension, Grape, Children’s Robitussin® Cough & Chest Congestion, Children’s Dimetapp® Cough & Cold](1) 20th Century Fox DVD (Ice Age: Collision Course OR The Sandlot OR The Peanuts Movie)
Giveaway ends 2/15/17. Ope to US only please. Winner will be notified by email at end of giveaway and must reply within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen due to time constraints of giveaway. Cinnamon Hollow is not responsible for prize fulfillment.
To enter follow the instructions in the giveaway widget below:
Do you have a Sick Day Survival Kit? What are some items you have inside or tips you have for surviving sick days?
The owners of Cinnamon Hollow and many of its authors are not doctors and this is in no way intended to be used as medical advice. We cannot be held responsible for your results. As with any product, service or supplement, use at your own risk. Always do your own research and consult with your personal physician before using.
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I am a stay-at-home- mom, living in KY with my husband and children. I’m a travel and lifestyle blogger encouraging folks to live their life one adventure at a time while also focusing on beauty, essential oils and health. From time to time I also like to showcase my adorable pets along with my family. Along with Cinnamon Hollow I can be found at The Martin Family Adventure … read more
