Happy Crazy Sniffly New Year

Started off this new year a little crazy with a sick toddler but some of my tried and true go to’s are the following: 

• Humidifier (Dreo & Safety First) 

• Portable nebulizer (Amazon brand & Frida Baby)

• Saline for nebulizer

• Thermometer & pulse oximeter 

• Zarbee’s Baby soothing chest rub 

• Hyland’s Mucus & Cold Relief

• Honest baby nose wipes

Dreo vs Safety First

• We were gifted the safety first humidifier for our baby shower and I used it from my third trimester until now (baby is turning 2!). While I love it, it’s not my favorite to clean since the entire thing doesn’t lift open. It’s more of a spout opening where you pour water into so it’s pretty challenging to actually scrub. We have a bit of calcification but nothing that a little distilled white vinegar can’t solve. 

• I recently borrowed a smart Dreo humidifier from my sister in law while out of town and it’s been a game changer. The whole top section comes off so you can fill AND clean it easily. It’s been helping not just our little one with his cold but also for my allergies throughout the night. 

Portable Nebulizer 

• We were gifted a portable nebulizer from my mother in law last year and it’s been amazing. We had to repurchase on Amazon last year though. My only gripe is that if your little picks at the opening/metal mesh, it can easily scratch it. Once that mesh is damaged, it becomes obsolete. The ones we've had from Amazon are currently unavailable. So I picked up the Frida Baby version from Target and it’s been really good so far. We’ve had it for a few days now and I can confirm that it does hold a better charge than the Amazon one. It also has a plastic casing around the metal mesh which is also set in a little deeper. My little one has scratched at it and I don’t think he’ll be able to damage it unless he prods it with something pointy. The only downside is that it doesn’t come with a lot of attachments or even a case like the Amazon one but it’s not a huge biggie for us. 

Saline Drops

• We’ve tried quite a few different saline sprays but upon testing it out and asking my brother in law who is an RT, we’ve opted to just use saline drops for the nebulizer. Our reasoning for this is because the saline sprays (even the ones marked for newborn) come out rather harshly. We’ve tried the boogie version and it’s great but not really worth the price since it runs out rather quickly. 

Thermometer & Pulse Oximeter

• We have both a rectal and no touch thermometer. Rectal thermometers are way more accurate but not always convenient especially during toddlerhood. The rectal thermometer that we’ve had for more than a year now is the Frida Baby one. My only grip with it is the plastic carrying case for it isn’t very sturdy so after a few drops it doesn’t really close well. We have an infrared thermometer that I got off amazon and it’s been great. I would say that it’s pretty accurate for the most part and way more convenient to use on the go or at night. After a hospital stay last year, we opted in getting a pulse oximeter off Amazon right away. It’s been easy to use and really handy especially throughout the night when the congestion seems to hit the hardest. We use it on my little one’s big toe since he takes it off right away if it’s clipped onto his thumb. Just make to align it properly so you can get a good read. Otherwise, it’ll still read but it’ll have a lower reading. 

Some of the other items that we’ve used are the Zarbee’s baby soothing chest rub, Hyland’s mucus and cold daytime medicine and honest nose wipes. The eucalyptus rub is great. It’s comparable to Vicks but way lighter. I’m not too worried about reapplying or if he touches it since it’s so light yet effective. Not going to go into the medication since nothing is ever recommended for those two and under for cold/cough. You can take it at your own personal discretion lol. The nose wipes isn’t necessary but it is convenient and I can confirm that it does not sting after multiple uses!