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Today, I am sharing ideas on how to help your toddler when they have a stuffy nose and can’t sleep.
“Mom? I’m So cold!” our daughter said to me, as she was bundled up in a blanket that we just happened to have in the car. There we were, sitting on the cold bleachers at the football stadium, watching her older brother play football. Two days later… she was sniffling and crying about her sore nose. I know that being cold doesn’t CAUSE a cold… but these seasons bring about a lot of stuffy noses and with that… a lot of sleepless nights.
This is a sponsored post written for Vicks Humidifiers. I was compensated and provided complimentary products for this post. All opinions are my own.
As the seasons changed, our weekends shifted from bike rides and BBQs to s’mores, pumpkin carving, and football games. We don our favorite sweaters and flannels to sip on warm cider while we combat the brisk weather and seasonal illnesses. I’m excited to say that I have partnered with Vicks to share my favorite tips to keep our kids healthy. (It helps that we use their Winter Wellness Care Package!) Vicks Humidifiers and the other items from the Winter Wellness Care Package are available at Walmart.
(Side note: I get just about everything at Walmart- they have the best prices.)
I usually don’t take the kids into the doctors for stuffy noses or colds anymore (I did when they were babies and it made it hard for them to eat), because now I know what I need to do.
First off, I try to prevent our kids from getting sick with good handwashing, avoiding germ-infested areas and using the products inside of the Vicks Winter Wellness Care Package.
Here is how we help our kids sleep when they have a stuffy nose (and what we do to prevent colds!)
Use a Humidifier to Avoid a Stuffy Nose
Ideal relative humidity level for wellness is between 40% and 60%, so we use Vicks cool and warm mist humidifiers to reach those levels. This can reduce the survival of flu viruses on surfaces and in the air. It can also increase your wellness all year round. Humidifiers are great for temporary relief of cough and congestion, so I use one in the kids’ rooms.
Add VapoPads to the Humidifier
The VapoPads are a great way to keep your family safe and comfortable. We use them with warm or cool mist humidifiers, depending on the time of year so that you can sleep better at night! You’ll love the Sleepytime Rosemary & Lavender scented vaporizers that last for up 8 hours. They really helps us rest easier too (I know my son does). One more thing: don’t forget about the classic Vick’s VaporRub. The rub always seem like such an afterthought but don’t leave yourself under any circumstances without some!
Clean your humidifier often! The Protec Cleaning Fish reduces up to 99% of odor causing bacteria, unsightly mold and algae growth versus untreated humidifier surfaces for up to 30 days – just drop in your humidifier tank!
Elevate your child’s head when they have a stuffy nose
I give our kids an extra pillow if they have a stuffy nose, to help their head stay propped up just a bit more than normal. It helps to keep them from getting so stuffy. If your child doesn’t use a pillow, put a pillow or a few towels under the side of the mattress where you child’s head goes. This will put the mattress on a slight angle, accomplishing the same goal.
Keep Track of their temperatures. I find that when the kids spike a fever, it usually happens in the evening, so I am always ready before they go to bed. You can use the Vicks® SmartTemp™ Wireless Thermometer: The Vicks® SmartTemp® Thermometer and free downloadable app makes it easy to take and track temperature readings for the entire family.
Suction out nasal secretions with a bulb syringe designed for toddlers and young children.
Keep tissues by their bed.
When our kids have a stuffy nose, they use more tissues than I probably use in a lifetime. haha!! I give them each their own little package of Puffs Plus® Lotion (extra soft for their sore nose) and they keep it by their bed.
Do you want to win this care package?
Now is your chance! Just leave a comment at the bottom with your favorite tip to keep your kids healthy. It can be one of the ones in this post or a new one. 🙂 Contest entrants are only eligible to win once per sweepstake, per household as a part of a campaign sponsored by Influence Central and must reside in the United States. This giveaway will end in 7 days (November 7th will be the last day to apply).
I give my littles elderberry syrup and nettle tea daily to amp up their immune system during the winter. And if they do come down with a case of the sniffles we continue with more doses of each and add Vicks Vapor Rub to the bottoms of their feet before bed to help them sleep better.
I like how you said to wash your hands to prevent getting sick in the first place. My son recently was complaining about not being able to sleep because of his nose. Thanks for the tips on preventing a stuffy nose.
Vitamins vitamins vitamins! Also definitely hand washing constantly, every one of my kids has their own bottle of sanitizer and a travel one. As well as tissues, boogie wipes, sanitizer wipes, and just in case, a few children’s and adult size masks like from doctors office 😁 lol. No inside pets either because they bring all kinds of stuff in. We did have an inside dog and a cat before but it just seemed like we were always getting sick and could never get rid of it no matter how many times I would disinfect the house and clean all blankets and sheets and everything that everyone touched it didn’t matter so finally we decided to leave the animals outside and give them baths regularly. not as regular as we take ours of course, but just enough so they’re taken care of basically 🙂 Also keeping your animals regularly checked at a vet. that is a good way to help keep everyone in the family sick free as well. avoiding doctors office and emergency rooms as much as possible , only go if you have to have a check up or shots or if the kids are really really sick or it’s an emergency of course. we try to refrain from visiting people in the hospital unless it’s a bad situation. If we did we would take all the precautions necessary of course but I never took my infants unless seeing the doctor for check ups. I never took them out in public when they were newborns until they got to be about two months old then we could start going out more and of course not letting anyone touch your babies because for some reason people think they can just touch your baby whenever they want LOL not cool . also when going to the store of course take advantage of those sanitizing wipes that they have when you first walk in to wipe the carts down with but it’s always better to bring your own , better safe than sorry, and if your children are small enough and they want to sit in a basket, Always use the shopping cart cover for the little ones and for the little bit bigger ones, I would let them sit in the big part of the buggy after I wipe the bottom down with sanitizing wipes and around the top of the basket and we would always wash or sanitize or both our hands after we were done. all of this sounds a little too much I know, but really when you see it ,it’s kind of like a routine and you really don’t think about it that much and it only takes a few extra seconds and just that few extra seconds could save so many sick days so much pain, days off work ,missed school , etc. also if your child has had a fever, throwing up, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, etc. you know the symptoms when your child is getting sick ,So please keep them home and take them to the doctor if necessary or if it’s something that you can care for them at home for , then please keep them home, and help them get over it at home instead of sending them to school so that everyone else’s kids can get sick and bring it home and it just keeps going around in circles to where the parents end up missing work because their kids are sick and then when the kids can go back to school then the grown-ups are sick and then they miss more work and it’s just gets so bad when all you had to do was keep your little ones home for a couple days , and please teach your children to cover their mouth when they sneeze or cough and they don’t always have to use their hands when they cover a sneeze or a cough. as you know ,there are other ways such as using your arm putting your head under your arm ,turning to the side, at least something . a tissue would be the better option but as you know most kids won’t know to hurry and go grab a tissue and sneeze into the tissue or cough into the tissue until they get older but that’s OK and also having them wash or sanitize their hands after blowing their nose or coughing into their hands or wiping their nose with their hands and all that I am surprised at how many parents send their kids to school when they’re sick I understand that you need to go to work to be able to take care of your kids especially single moms and single dad‘s it’s harder for them I do understand that I really do but I also know that it hurts everyone else very badly so just find another option instead of just sending them to school anyways I honestly can’t think of anything else to add to this I think I have actually went over and ended up ranting instead of giving advice LOL but all in all the most important things that you can do is take precautions when necessary and always always always wash your hands and sanitize your hands or which ever is necessary at that time ,they are both good and it is proven to help decrease the spread of germs hooray! Lol and I firmly believe in vitamins and vitamin C for your children is a plus on top of their regular every day vitamins and keeping them hydrated with real fruit juice not concentrated with all that sugar and water is definitely a plus thanks !
Hi thanks for your ideas “super mom” and I will really make sure to follow your suggestions as well.
When my son is sick I always use tea tree oil In the oil burner Along with his humidifier it helps
We also use essential oils for our kids! I have several roller bottle I use on them. Biggest one is the immune bomb while they are sick to help strengthen their immune system. I also diffuse peppermint, lavender, and lemon every night to help with breathing. We also use a cold/congestion roller bottle on their chest/spine to help loosen everything up when needed. When our kids are sick I always have my essential oils, multiple humidifiers throughout the house, steam showers, vapor rub,, and diffusers around 24/7. My kids really have a hard time taking zarbees because of the taste so we try to give it to them but it doesn’t always work. So these other home remedies are great and do wonders! I also give my kids a immune c plus zinc and vitamin d vitamin everyday. That also makes a huge difference. The brand we use is little critters.