‘Tis the season…for all of your kids to get sick simultaneously! || Feel-Good Fixes for the Flu

Gosh, wouldn’t it be the BEST to experience the holiday season with every single child in your family healthy, happy… and (I’ll say it again) HEALTHY?! A mom can dream, right? Unfortunately, this time of year more than any other, kids are prone to germs and getting sick, with cold and flu viruses abounding. With four kids, we are bound to have at least one of them sick at any given time during the winter season.

As a mom, it is SO hard to see my kids sick and feeling under the weather. I am a fixer by nature and want to find a solution for everything, including my kids’ symptoms! Luckily, I have found a few tricks that help ease the symptoms of the flu, including trusty menthol rub. When my daughter was sick recently, this was the only remedy that worked for her cold and flu symptoms.

Here are some of my FAVORITE feel-good fixes for the flu:

  1. Menthol rubs: When a nasty cold hits. there’s almost nothing that can be done beyond making yourself (or your littles) as comfy as possible and masking or decreasing the symptoms just a bit. Over the years, I’ve found menthol rubs are an almost immediate mood lifter and nose clearer for my kiddos! I rub just a bit on their back and chest, to help with their coughs so they can sleep better. Works wonders!!!! 

2. Sleep it off: Sometimes the only cure for an illness is to kick back, relax, and get as much sleep as possible. For us mamas, naps (or even a good night’s sleep!) aren’t always in the cards, BUT when you’re sick, it’s extremely important for both your physical and mental health to stay under those covers and simply sleep it off. Try and aim for a minimum of 8 hours of sleep a night! 

3. Drink up! Water really is our best friend. I know I preach about the benefits of staying hydrated over and over again, but it is one of our best allies in the fight for good health, so drink lots of water or other electrolyte-filled drinks to make sure your body doesn’t get dehydrated. Becoming dehydrated while battling an illness can lead to some pretty serious side effects, so it’s extremely important to drink up even if it doesn’t sound extremely appealing. 

4. Heat up a Hot Toddy! While this drink is originally made with a bit of whiskey, I like to make an alcohol-free version that both me and my kids can enjoy!  

  • 1 cup hot water
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 bag of your favorite tea

Although there may be no science backing this little home remedy, this is my go-to every time I’m sick, and I SWEAR it speeds up the healing process and makes my throat less sore. And it also clears my sinuses right up! 

5. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em: Sometimes there’s just really nothing you can do for a cold or flu but wait it out. When that’s the case, I believe the best remedy is some good cuddles, a cozy blanket, and several binge worthy shows + movies on repeat. A little R&R does the mind and the body good?especially when you or your kiddos are sick! 

Here are some other feel-good remedies you can try:

  • Snuggle with a heating pad and a good book.
  • Listen to your favorite music playlist.
  • Write a card to a friend.
  • Start a gratitude journal and list what you are thankful for.
  • Ask for a back rub or foot rub from your spouse or kiddos.
  • Do a soothing face mask.
  • Eat chicken noodle soup or warm chicken broth.
  • Call your best friend for sympathy!
  • Nap, nap, nap.
  • Cozy up with some of your favorite comfy aloe socks – who knows if this helps at all, but it’ll make you feel good! My kids and I all love these babies!

What are YOUR feel-good, go-to remedies for when you or your kids are sick?!  Let me know!

Xoxo,

Heidi

Related reading:

Stressed Out?
Sleep Is Overrated. Not.
Macros vs Micros: The Macro Myth Busted!
What?s for dinner? White Chicken Chili in the Slow Cooker!

6 Responses

  1. Hello eveyone, I?m writting from Spain.
    I give you a tip for cough, especially terrible night cough, it works on many occasions, consistsin cut an onion in 4-6 pieces. Let it all night on the bedside table near the face to breathe its fumes. It can be used in little children where it is contraindicated other remedies
    Forgive if my English is not correct at all, I’m trying to improve!.

    I would love to visit you, I follow the television program, I love it!

    Regards, XOXO

    Cristina

  2. Heidi, you should check out Young Living Essential Oils. it is all natural and their RC and Thieves is the best thing i have found for respiratory illness or just helps opens up your lungs even for workouts. Just one whiff and even someone with COPD got relief. this is the site for RC https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/products/rc-essential-oil. i was skeptical as well but it really works and gets me through long rough workouts Being a mom and grandmother, i know there is nothing more heartbreaking than your child being sick and not being able to make them feel better.Hope your babies get better soon

  3. boil water over the stove with a couple of drops of pure oregano oil(got mine at sprouts) and stand over it taking deep breaths. Clears up sinuses and helps detoxify the body. Although it is not advertised you can also add a drop to pure OJ and drink it to help flush the toxins out of your body and follow it with drinking plenty of water. Love essential oils and both of my kids ended up with the flu on Christmas this year. I diffused oils in their room at night along with using the vick?s Vapor run on their chests to help with their coughs.

  4. Heidi–
    Plz plz do not use Vicks! The toxins that go in from it:( I used on my kids until I began my essential oils journey—NOT promoting, just a thought. You work so hard to get what you have (bodywise) on the outside, and eat so well (for the inside)–need to look at what certain things still are putting into our bodies that we think are good.

  5. My boys love when I rub Vicks on their chest, backs and bottoms of their feet. My grandma and Mom would do that when I was sick and I always felt better. My grandma would also squeeze 1/2 lime over a tablespoon of honey and have me drink it straight up like that to help with coughing.

  6. I have questions about app I bought. Can you please tell me who I can email questions to? Hope everyone feels better.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

CHOOSE A DATE: