Ideas For My Pocket: a Support Group for Families: A Flying Start!

It’s So Sad when our darling little guys get sick! How can we help them avoid sickness and get through those frustrating viruses and infections?

Ideas Families have Tried:

1. Healthy Habits early!

I once saw the saying, “Healthy Habits give Kids a Flying Start!” How true! Way before the kids are taught some of these at school, we can get them started on great ways to stay healthy!

--A tiny glass: My Mother-in-law would start my very little babies drinking water! She kept a supply of tiny cups for just that, and offered it regularly. I firmly believe that Water is nature’s best healer. Wash germs away with good ol’ water!

Sometimes we Moms don’t keep track of how much our kids are drinking. (Other liquids do not count as water intake! Not milk, soda, or even juice.) Water will wash away toxins, keep systems regular and avoid constipation, and prevent headaches and all manner of problems.

--Water first at meals: Suzanna solved this by setting the table with a full glass of water at each place. She taught her family the importance of water and asked them to drink it up first, before their food. This, she explained to them, also prevented the problem of washing down food, thus watering down the ingestion of nutrients.

Hillary’s son got headaches! Knowing that 99% of headaches are from dehydration of the brain, she pushed the water. She urged him to carry a water bottle with him when he played his sports. Once this son saw how well it worked to drink more and not have headaches, he was convinced—and never forgot his water!

--Variety in their Diet: Try to give your family as colorful a plate as possible. That gives them the variety of nutrients plentiful in these reds, yellows, orange and green fruits and vegetables.

Ginny would start her babies on the blandest of new single baby foods, such as rice cereal and squash with a great big “Yum!!!” whenever they took a bite! She patiently got them eating well the unsweetened foods, even though she longed to give them a taste of the sweeter fruits and vegetables. That way, they were already eating well the stuff that didn’t taste as good, and become good at eating everything!

--Sweets only after a good meal. Teach that sugar is a poison that robs their bodies of nutrients, so only eat a little after a good meal of nutritious food.

-- Washing hands: Tyla sang a little song to help her kids remember to wash their hands. She would sing her song after they went potty, to remind them and get them in this great habit. Her husband Charlie was the reminder at mealtime, checking who had remembered to wash their hands. They worked at it until it became a habit.

-- Catching a cough and covering a sneeze. I love the new plan to cough and sneeze into a sleeve or arm, thus keeping hands cleaner and curbing the spread of germs across the air. We can start our very little ones doing this! And later on, after it is a habit, we can teach them why we do that!

--Plenty of rest. Enough sleep is important in warding off sickness, as is plenty of rest when fighting it. When our bodies are working hard to heal, they need other functions to rest!

--Don’t go overboard about germs! Mack’s little girl was so worried about germs that she washed her hands way too often, leaving them chapped! At one point, Mack actually took off his shoe and licked the bottom of it! It caught her attention! And horrified her, but he showed her he was just fine. He used the illustration to teach her that Heavenly Father gave us bodies that can fight germs! Yes, we do our part, but our wonderful healthy bodies can do the rest.

2. The Common Cold and Congestion

A normal baby gets a cold 10 times the first year of his life. So we moms don’t have to feel guilty. But there is much we can do to prevent and lessen the length and scope of the cold.

It is good to figure out whether we are dealing with a virus or a bacterial infection. A virus is characterized by a variety of symptoms, such as achy all over, headache, congestion, low-grade fever, etc. It does not respond to antibiotics, nor any medicine, and though we can treat the symptoms somewhat, mostly it must just run its course. A bacterial infection, however, settles in one place, such as the ears or the bladder or the chest and is usually accompanied by a higher fever. It is treated with antibiotics. While we are so grateful to antibiotics, we know that along with killing bad bacteria, they also kill good bacteria which keep yeast infections down. So we don’t want to overuse antibiotics!

Yeast is a huge challenge, both in a baby’s mouth (thrush) and on his bottom (rash). Nursing mothers must guard against yeast as it can be passed back and forth between mother and baby. Taking cranberry juice and pushing more water at the first sign of bladder infection or breast infection can help prevent the need for antibiotics and the possibility of yeast.

Sometimes a virus can lead to a secondary bacterial infection, ie when the liquid in the ear canal or drum, present with a virus, becomes infected. Some ideas to prevent this:

--Runny Nose: At the first sign of a runny nose, I use salt water to dry up the fluid in the ear canal. A solution of Very Mild Salt Water (only ½ teaspoon of salt mixed in 1 cup of warm water) in a dropper can dry up the fluid by a drop or two in each nostril. I use diaper change time for salt water drops. The salt water also helps dissipate congestion. My babies have learned to not mind the drops, and while earlier children had constant ear aches and even tubes, since I started this practice, we have had almost zero ear infections.

--Cough: At the first sign of a cough, if I start the cool mist humidifier in the baby or child’s room, by morning the cough is gone! Otherwise, it may take weeks to get over a cough. The humid air breaks up the phlegm and lets it be coughed up early and efficiently.

I also use Vicks or Mentholatum on the bottoms of their feet (covered with socks) and/or rubbed on the chest.

--Sore throat: At the first sign of a sore throat, I use a mixture of one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar mixed with one teaspoon of water. A plugged nose prevents the worst part of this remedy—the smell! Gargle the mixture then swallow, and by morning, the sore throat is gone! If a child simply will not take this, use vinegar in a salad or a stroganoff!

4. The Question of Immunizations. An excellent source of the latest findings, myths, and misconceptions about immunizations is found at http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=3382 . Use prayer for the best way to protect your family.

5. The Problem of Pain

Teething is a hard part of babyhood. Our poor little dears with their swollen gums. What do we do about the fussiness?

Lori found that a cold, peeled carrot was a wonderful tool for early teething. The firm coldness eased the pain and gave her baby something to gnaw on. It was just right for her little one to hold and calm herself with. Later on, however, when her baby had teeth already broken through, Lori had to take away the carrot since now her baby could bite little pieces off and choke!

Karen made it her policy to give baby Tylenol or Ibuprofen to her baby only when he could not sleep because of pain. During the day, distraction could help the baby deal with the discomfort. But at night, there was no activity to distract him. Further, sleeping helps healing, so the baby needs to sleep! (As does a tired mom!)

Picture a neighbor or two sharing these health tips over the back fence. We are definitely not doctors, just friends sharing what worked for them. So DO consult a doctor for any extra concern. We all must learn to trust our own feelings, make our worries a matter of prayer, and listen to promptings from the Spirit.