Welcome back to the trenches. Now that my brain has finally caught back up, here are the rest of my hacks for surviving the sniffles—just a little more on the crunchy side. Part 1 was all about the logistics, but these hacks are my favorite for actually making my kiddos feel better.
1. Mullein Leaf Extract
I don’t know about you, but that seal-like cough that they get in the middle of the night just hurts my heart. You just know how tight their throat is, how hard their little lungs are working, and how much it hurts just to breathe. And if that wasn’t hard enough, getting them to take anything is a nightmare on top of all that.
What we do instead: Put a Mullein Leaf tincture into a small amount of water and drink it at the very first sign (that scratchy throat is always the first clue) of a cold.
My girls actually drink it like champs in just water. But you could add it to juice or another liquid to help mask the earthy tea taste. Mullein is a gentle, natural expectorant to soothe irritated airways, thin out stubborn mucus, and support upper respiratory health naturally.
But from my experience, I think it lessens the blow of a cold. And when you are a mom of three, you don’t have time to get sick. My mom and I have recently made our own tincture with mullein and echinacea. I’ll spill the tea on that when it’s done extracting.
(Reminder: This is not medical advice. I’m just telling you what I do with my family.)
2. KidScents “SniffleEase” Essential Oil Blend
Getting a good night’s sleep is hard when you are stuffy and can’t breathe out of your nose.
What we do instead: I use 2-3 drops of SniffleEase from Young Living on their chest at nighttime right before they go to bed.
It’s pre-formulated for kids (2+) so you don’t have to dilute it. It’s made without synthetic perfumes, dyes, or artificial colors. The smell opens up their airways for easy breathing at night.
3. The Pineapple Core & Honey Cough Syrup
After that seal-like barking cough goes away, that annoying dry tickle cough enters the chat. My kids could be fine all day and as soon as their head hits the pillow that annoying dry tickle cough starts. It keeps them up at night. It keeps you up at night.
What we do instead: Grab a pineapple from the store and cut it up as you normally would. Pineapple is high in Vitamin C, Fiber and Manganese. But instead of throwing away the core, cut it up as well and put it in a separate clean glass jar. I add a cinnamon stick and 5-6 cloves. Then top it with local honey. Let it sit on your counter, loosely covered, and watch the magic happen. It should start to bubble a little bit. Burp it every day. After about 3-4 days, put it in the refrigerator. I give it to my kids (age 1+) a few times a day.
Bromelain is found in the pineapple core and helps thin mucus and soothe a cough. Honey naturally coats and soothes an irritated throat, acts as a gentle cough suppressant, and has immune-boosting properties. Cinnamon is warming, antiviral, and improves circulation. Clove fights germs, reduces pain, and helps clear phlegm. Fermentation process support gut health, and helps the immune system. And if that wasn’t enough, it also tastes great and my kids actually want to take it!
(Reminder: This is not medical advice. I’m just telling you what I do with my family.)
Well…Bye. May your coffee be strong and your toddlers’ tantrums be short!