LIFESTYLE, PARENTING

The best solution to cold and flu

It is said that the toughest phase of being a parent is during the initial 1 year. I completely agree to the same. This is the time when the baby can’t move much, talk or have any strong opinions. A lot of people think it is easy to take care of them now. But the truth is that with no communication at all. it becomes almost impossible to understand what the little one is going through or what problem he/she is facing. Yes, I am talking about the most dreaded cold and flu.

As a parent, my worst nightmare has been the time when my little girl would be down with cold and flu. As a result of the same, she wouldn’t take feed, would always be cranky and moreover would be very restless. It is quite obvious for a child under a year to face the same because they mostly breathe through their nose, and congestion disturbs it.

 

Any child suffering from the same faces these symptoms ,

  • Sleep deprivation – Nasal congestion does not allow a child to sleep peacefully and therefore the kids get deprived of sleep and feel drowsy the following day. This also causes children to be extremely moody at times.

  • Crankiness – Children get extremely cranky because of the discomfort caused due to nasal congestion. It’s like an obstruction when they breathe, which can be very uncomfortable specially for children under 1.

  • Difficulty in eating – Due to nasal congestion, children tend to avoid eating or find it difficult or eat. This can often be very stressful for new parents.

  • Obligatory nose breathers – Children between the age group of 0 – 1-year-old are obligatory nose breathers. When they suffer from Nasal congestion, they have difficulty in breathing. With such small children it specially becomes very difficult to control the situation..

These are a few common symptoms that little ones go through. I was sailing in the same boat until sometime back when my friend suggested me to use steam or a nebuliser  . It proved to be such a magic for us. Finally even with cold and flu, my baby slept well and there as nothing more that I wanted…

Speaking of my personal experience, this is extremely safe for kids under 1, however, proper dosage should be given when it comes to nebulisation. I although still prefer steam and nothing else .

FEW BENEFITS OF USING STEAM TO TREAT COLD AND FLU

1. It’s completely, 100% natural.

The number one benefit? Steam therapy is absolutely natural.  In fact, it’s about as close to nature as you can get, since our bodies are made up of 50-60% water and steam is just droplets of water.  That being said, as with anything involving hot water, caution does need to be used.  Traditional methods of steam therapy are fine for adults or older teens but when using steam therapy for babies and children with stuffy noses and coughs, a steam vaporiser unit is recommended.
Vaporisers have the added advantage of being able to run for 12-14 hours overnight, delivering a consistent flow of warm, humidified air into the child’s room to help ease congestion and allow a better night’s sleep.

2. It’s cheap… or almost free

Here’s a hot tip: excluding the cost of the water and the electricity to heat it, you can’t beat steam therapy for economy when treating colds.
This is especially true of the most basic ‘hot water out of the tap, in a bowl, head covered with a towel’ method (see ‘How to use steam therapy’ below).  But even if you invest in a personal hand-held vapour inhaler or a warm steam vaporiser unit (which use no more electricity than a kettle or a toaster), these are purchases which will last many cold and flu seasons and hundreds of colds, paying for themselves over and over as the cost of cold & flu medications continues to rise.

3. It’s tried and tested for many years

Steam therapy, or steam inhalation, is the method of introducing warm moist air into the lungs via the nose and throat for therapeutic benefit.  But we are far from the first culture to have thought of it.

It is nothing new if you go back to the history of it but something that has been around and tested for thousands of years. Clearly, easy to beleive that it is absolutely safe .

Well, I hope you found this blog to be useful and if you did then please let me know in the comments below.
Till the next time
HAPPY PARENTING

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