Sickness & Kids MEGA Mom-Hack List!

The dreaded flu bug 🤪🤣🙈 Is there much worse than when one of your kids starts coughing or puking and you just KNOW it's only a matter of time until another one bites the dust...

After I added our second baby, and realized how quickly sickness can sweep through the house and get passed around (and around and around), I have been slowly working on learning how get those bugs out of my house FAST!

Here are a few things I've learned over the years-->

1. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best! With kids it's almost impossible to keep them from passing bugs around, BUT, getting sick and recovering also helps build their immune system, so as much as it sucks, I prepare for everyone to get whatever bug is going through the household.

2. Double down on vitamins! As soon as one of my kids even starts to LOOK sick I give them an extra dose of vitamin C (I use the EO infused chewable vitamin C from Young Living), I give them a probiotic, and a nice shot of Ningxia Red. We always make sure to continue their multivitamins too! I've also used echinacea and elderberry syrup!

3. Change the bed sheets! Get those germs out of there and try to change the bed sheets often! Also spray them down with a gentle disinfectant in between; I use Thieves cleaner as it's safe for use around my kiddos.

4. Apply kid-friendly essential oils; Like Sniffle Ease on their chest for colds, TummyGize on their tummy for gas or nausea, Thieves on their feet as a booster, etc.

5. Air out your home! If at all possible try to get your child out in the fresh air and also air out your home! Even in the freezing cold weather you ask? Yeah... sometimes! ESPECIALLY if there's a pop of sun.

6. Avoid sugar! Sickness feeds off sugar so even though it might be tempting to soothe your child with something sweet, try to keep them on simple and healthy foods.

7. Drink lukewarm fluids; it's less likely for them to upset an already bubbly tummy if they're room temperature.

8. Use a humidifier or diffuser to circulate good stuff in the air! I like to use Breath Again, Purification, Thieves, Raven, or Pine.

9. Grab yourself some elderberry! If you haven't heard about Elderberry before mama, you're missing out! It's a great way to boost your immune system and we love the gummies and liquid from Elderberry Queen! (She's local to MN so I'm totally partial 🤣)

10. Attach an empty Kleenex box to a fresh one with rubber bands; that way your child can throw their used tissue in the empty box and you won't have a bunch of boogers floating around.

11. Keep them warm! I don't know if your kids are like mine, but they never want to wear socks! This is especially important while sick, so make sure they keep those tootsies toasty!

12. Apply chest rub to the bottoms of their feet. Awhile back I heard an old wives tale that if you apply vapor rub to the bottoms of your feet and put socks over the top it helps draw out the sickness. Many, many people swear by this method and given that fact that so many nerve endings are in your feet it actually makes sense so I slather my kids in Thieves Chest Rub and slip their socks over the top!

If you are interested in any of the Young Living goodies I mentioned- check out my HonestlyEssentials page!

With love & health,