Toddlers and the cold/flu season

It's near the end of cold/flu season, however children are still managing to get sick. We as parents take preventative measures to avoid our child(ren) catching a cold but some how they manage to still catch a cold. Don't feel like a bad parent; it's very common. No matter how frequently you wash their hands, dress accordingly to the weather, stay hydrated and get the proper amount of sleep, we can't stop them from getting sick. Here are a few signs and symptoms of your wee one starting to get sick:

Watery eyes, runny/stuffy nose, bad cough, diarrhea, fever, achy ears, loss of appetite.

Raychel is almost 16 months so my fears and concerns are very different to when she was under 6 months if she started to show signs of sickness. She's a bit older , has been healthy all of her life and didn't have too many complications from 0-6 months where it's a higher risk for sick babies. They say if a child under 6 months develops a fever, call your doctor immediately.

A common sick trait for Raychel is watery, red sore eyes. Just by looking at them, it affects her whole facial expression and you can tell she's not herself. She looks very dazed and tired; just suffering. Some people would say this is a common allergy symptom but this trait is due to a cold.

When this occurs, I give her Coryzalia Cold - from the boiron line. Also, I wipe and pat her eyes with a clean, damp cloth.

Lastly, to help Raychel sleep through the night with a cold, I turn on the humidifier in her room (Thanks Rehana). It's made by Vicks and it has a section where you add Vicks vapour eucalyptus oil that releases through the mist vapour to help with breathing. It's very soothing and calming and works well for her.

Todaysparent.com states when using a humidifier for your child, it's important to keep it bacteria-free. Use distilled water when filling it up, be sure to empty all the leftover water from previous use, and clean/disinfect the water reservoir frequently.

Good luck; this season is almost done!