Chloe was sick again today. We stayed home and missed our usual outings. I was especially bummed to miss my workout class. I waited until the last minute to call and let them know that Chloe wouldn’t be in childcare today. I must have been hoping that she’d miraculously get better, but she was still sneezing rivers of snot and coughing as I spoke to the receptionist. Money down the drain, but the last thing I want to do is subject her to more stress, or get other children sick.

Now that Chloe is more mobile and participating in several activities and venues with lots of other children, she has gotten sick several times. Unfortunate since she spent her entire first year in almost perfect health. Now, despite my arsenal of sani-wipes and hand washings, she still catches the occasional bug. There is not much more I can do except sequester her at home (which would likely be even more unhealthy in a multitude of social and developmental ways).

Last night we made a trip to Target to re-stock a few trusty supplies that I’ve come to rely on when Chloe gets sick. Being a baby, I can’t give her the same treatment I give myself – no calming Throat Coat tea, or preventive doses of Airborne or Emergen-C. For Chloe, my go-to items are Infants’ Tylenol, Vick’s BabyRub, and California Baby Cold & Flu Bubble Bath. We also picked up one of those boxes of Kleenex with lotion and vitamin E, since I’ve been swiping her nose with every other breath. I use both the Tylenol and Vick’s sparingly, but I love the California Baby Bubble Bath. The scent of eucalyptus is very soothing and mild and it makes great bubbles. It also comes with a bubble wand. But most importantly, it rates a practically perfect score on the cosmetic safety database and it’s company has signed the compact for safe cosmetics. I’m not über diligent, but I like to choose our products wisely.

What do you do when you or your child is sick? Do you have any products to recommend, or soothing rituals to help make things better? I’d love to know!