Here's to sniffles and boogers!

Wet gooey noses are all the rage in our home this week. Khym caught the virus at school, passed it on to his archenemy Kliven and then Kliven to Korby. Aaahh..that all too familiar routine! While i spent most of the day wiping noses, I did my checklist when it comes to treating colds:

• Time off from school.  CHECK!
• Saline nose drops to soften dried mucus.  CHECK!
• Humidification to help clear nasal passages.  ERRR..NOT YET SINCE NO.2 WORKED JUST FINE!
• Petroleum jelly or a similar ointment, spread lightly on the rims of the nostrils and under the nose to help prevent chapping and soreness.  CHECK!
• Elevation of the head of the crib or bed to make breathing easier.  CHECK!
• Warm slippers or slipper socks; when the feet are cold, the redistribution of blood flow can lead to a stuffy nose.  CHECK!
• Decongestants, but only if prescribed by the doctor; they tend to be ineffective in young children.  CHECK!

SECONDARY OPTIONS (only if really necessary):

• Cough medicine for dry cough, only if prescribed by the doctor.
• Non-aspirin fever reducer, but only if fever is high.  
• Antibiotics.  Only if secondary bacterial infection (such as middle ear infection or pneumonia develops).  Antibiotics are not effective against cold viruses.

This nasal spray saved me and my kids' noses from all the hassles.  It's affordable too!!

Kliven once had a chronic cold that lingered for weeks even a month. See pic below. And we later found out that it was all about our family dog, Dude and his stinky fur.  We don't have a dog now and i have no plans of owning pets in the future, not when my kids are this little.  I'm standing up against possible allergies.

Oh those days..!

I then later found out that sore eyes are so "IN" this part of town. 

I flinched and hoped my kids won't get it.  Red, gooey, itchy sore eyes are so much trouble for little kids.  Let's just save them for adults shall we?  But for now, I'm back to picking boogers!  An eew job but a mother's gotta do what she's gotta do :)