Ayr Saline Nasal Gel

Last December, my 18 month old had a yucky, runny nose and a cough. One grandma thought it was whooping cough. The other grandma thought it would turn into pneumonia. (I'm not dissing on the grandmas. I love that they are concerned about my kids!) I decided to take Leslie in to the doctor. Diagnosis? - just your garden variety winter cold. I asked the doctor about saline drops and she said those were fine but she really recommends the saline GEL. I had never heard of the gel so I ran to WalMart (because they have EVERYTHING) and bought Ayr Saline Nasal Gel. I think it was about $3. (It's non-medicated so I had no problem using it on my baby.)

I put it on (and a little bit in) Leslie's nose for a couple of days (especially before she went to sleep). I thought it would just keep her nose from crusting over like it usually does. It did that, but I think it also helped shorten her cold. I didn't fully decide that it shortened her cold because maybe we had started using it at the tail-end of the cold and it was just a coincidence.... until now.... Leslie has a cold again and once more we are using the Ayr Saline Nasal Gel. Once again it is helping keep the crusties off her nose (yay!) and once again I think it may be shortening her cold. She seems to be going through it a lot easier than before I started putting the gel on her nose. I think I'm in love!

(P.S. I've used this stuff on my nose, too, because my nose gets dry and bloody in the winter. It works for me, too!!!)

Barf Bucket

If flu season hasn't hit your neck of the woods, beware - it'll be there soon. This little tool was shown to us by a nurse at an Enrichment Meeting in Hutchinson, Kansas. I love this tool because all you have to do is lift up the top bag, tie the top of it in a knot, and throw it away. The new layer is ready to go for the next round. If you set it on a towel to catch the drips then you don't have to touch anything germy and cleanup is a breeze. My kids have named it THE BARF BUCKET!

The last time we had the stomach flu hit our house, my oldest complained of a headache the night before. I knew we were in for it because the only time he gets a headache is when he's going to be sick. At midnight he woke up with a stomachache and I set the barf bucket on a towel by his bed. At 5:30 in the morning he still had a bad stomachache. At 6 a.m. I heard him throwing up in the bucket. By 6:15 he felt much better, took a shower, and spent the rest of the day on the couch, watching cartoons - with the barf bucket, on a towel, next to him!

To make a barf bucket, first, take an ice cream bucket or a small waste paper basket. Next, line it with a plastic bag (grocery bags work fine as long as they don't have holes in the bottom). Third, rip up a bit of newspaper and lay it in the bottom to absorb the vomit. A folded paper towel or a couple of napkins work fine, too. Repeat the entire process with another bag. I usually do three or four layers of bag/newspaper. I keep one of these at the ready at all times.

P.S. If anyone can come up with a cuter, less disgusting name than barf bucket, please let me know. The name really bugs me.