If your house is anything like ours, the childrens' cold and flu season has arrived with a vengeance and you've got a revolving door of illness--or are miraculously staving it off. Somehow, it always catches us off guard, and we're scrambling to
stock our medicine cabinets, drawers, and kids' rooms with everything they need to make it through another round of the coughs, the sniffles, or worse.
We're excited to be working with our newest sponsor
Drip Drop, which is a cool new medical hydration solution--you know, like elecctrolytes for kids that they actually like drinking--and we're especially intrigued because it's as effective as IV therapy in the hospital, just without the needles. Because argh--shudder to think.
Here, we rounded-up 7 of our favorite cold and flu season must-haves if you've got kids in the house.
[Don't miss an exclusive giveaway and big discount for our readers below!]
1. For non-medical treatment: Crane Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
Humidifiers are a must-have, especially during these super dry winter months, and are a smart way to get kids relief without medicine. These animal humidifiers from Crane are perfect for nurseries and kids' rooms. They've got an animal for every taste (we love the penguin!), all of which are nice and quiet so not to disturb your child's rest. Or at least, the rest you hope they will be getting.
2. For wiping noses: Boogie Wipes
As much as we stock up on regular tissues (sometimes with lotion), we love how well Boogie Wipes work at taking care of those extra challenging nasal uh...situations. They may seem a little frivolous until you actually use them and realize how terrific they are. Plus, they smell great, so kids aren't batting you away from their nose nearly as often.
3. For the easiest temperature taking: Veratemp Baby Thermometer
While a thermometer is probably one of your original baby shower gift registry items, The Veratemp has completely reinvented the thermometer. It allows you to get accurate readings without even touching your baby's forehead or underarm. Just aim at a child's head about two inches away--we've been thrilled with the results. And our kids, more so.
4. For easy rehydration: Drip Drop
If you've ever tried to get a dehydrated kids to take a rehydrating beverage, then you know why parents are excited to find one that works really well and tastes good. The idea came to Dr. Dolhun while he was working in Guatemala and needed a quick solution for treating dehydrated cholera patients. He played around with the formula to make it something kids would enjoy drinking (because obviously nothing works if kids won't take it in the first place), and that's how
Drip Drop came about. In other words, if it was effective for a Cholera epidemic you can be pretty sure it will work for your kids. Especially to keep them hydrated before anything gets worse.
It even works so well, it's now used by pediatricians all over the country. Definitely worth keeping some on hand in the medicine cabinet.
5. For nasal congestion: Nose Frida Nasal Aspirator
We were one of the very first sites to discover the slightly bizarre but miraculous Nose Frida "Snot Sucker" and we still love it all these years later. It might look a little intimidating, and the idea of using your own suction to remove your child's snot is a little disconcerting. But it's truly one of the best, most effective nasal aspirators we've ever tried. Yes, we've tried it. And we like it. There's a reason so many parents swear by it.
6. For frequent handwashing: BabyGanics Foaming Handsoap
We all know that hand washing is the number one thing you can do to prevent germs from spreading. And we're big fans of good old regular hand soap rather than antibacterial soaps for all sorts of reasons. While we've recommended lots of great
hand soaps for kids, one of our favorites remains the Foaming Hand Soap from BabyGanics, which is made from a slew of natural ingredients. And the foam makes it much less messier for little hands to wash on their very own.
7. For medicine-free relief: Zarbees
Every parent knows that awful feeling of having a child who can't sleep because of a cold, which is why we really like Zarbees products that offer relief without drugs. The line including a terrific
natural cough syrup with honey that we always have in our homes, and the new
Zarbees Natural Sleep made with melatonin (no drugs), and safe for kids over 3 when they need help getting the rest they need to get them all better, fast
.
EXTRA COOL: WIN IT! Our sponsor Drip Drop is giving away a huge prize pack for one lucky Cool Mom Picks reader that includes a 3-month supply of Drip Drop as well as a few other awesome products--including quite a few of our own favorite cold and flu must-haves. To enter, just head over to their website for details, enter your email and you're done. Trust us, it's easy!
SPECIAL OFFER: Cool Mom Picks readers will save 20% off a box of Drip Drop with promo code CoolMomPicks. 
