How do you get your little one’s through a cold? I remember being given a hot water bottle and plenty of drinks. I would snuggle up on the sofa and put on my favourite film.
- Keep wrapped up, whether this is a comfy dressing gown or favourite hoody.
- Indulge in comfort food, a nice warm loaf dipped in your favourite flavour of hot soup. This is one of those times where I would let Lucas tuck into as many chips and flapjacks as he wants as long as he gets some food into him.
- I used to love warmed up fresh orange with a spoonful of honey mixed in, not only is it vitamin C but the honey really soothes a sore throat and cough. For Lucas, I make sure he drinks plenty of water and give him a spoonful of honey before bedtime.
- Lucas loves vapour rubs being massaged into his chest and on his back when he has a cold or is chesty. I also rub it onto the bottom of his feet before putting his socks on. Vicks VapoRub is perfect for relieving congestion, sore throats and coughs during colds.
- Distraction, keep their mind off it. If they are feeling up to it, make a den or keep it quieter with a cinema day. Get a blanket or duvet on the sofa and snuggle up with the curtains closed and their favourite film on.
- Have a play in the bath, the children can have fun whilst the water and steam decongest them
- Stock up on soft balm tissues for their nose
Vicks has done some consumer research and found that
• Over half (52%) of parents said that rest was the most important thing for making children feel better
• This was followed by ‘medicine’, which 40% of parents rely on
• More than a third of parents (36%) believe in the power of TLC
And when it comes to keeping children entertained:
• Three out of four (75%) British parents put on the TV or a DVD
• Over a quarter (27%) read to their children
• 1 in 10 parents get really creative; either telling jokes (8%) or even do magic tricks (2%)
Family Psychologist Corinne Sweet highlights that “one of the most powerful antidotes to sickness developing further, is parental care and concern.”
Corinne advises that “listening to a story or watching a film is a good idea, as it is soothing and promotes laughter (an immune booster). But don’t let them play video games, watch scary films or spend hours on screens. This will keep their minds over-stimulated when their immune systems need gentler stimulation and rest.”
Vicks has come up with some tricks to keep the children entertained, you can check out the #VicksTricks on YouTube
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This post is an entry for the #VicksTricks campaign