Every year, around the time the temperatures stay chilly long enough to say "winter is here," my kids begin to show signs of the season. These can be a tickle in their throat or a persistent cough, which are almost always short lived but are a nuisance nonetheless.
A few weeks ago, I reached out to my friends at Zarbee's Naturals to tell them how much I love their brand and how grateful I am to be able to have them as my go-to products for seasonal wellness (true story). Today, I'm thrilled to partner with them to bring you a few tips that have helped me be prepared when cough season decides to pay a visit to my kids. Plus, I'm excited to be able to do a giveaway (details below) of some of my favorite wellness essentials.
It's especially important to keep my family healthy during the winter months, because with three kids dry, itchy coughs always seem to last a while in the house. For this reason, some of the things that have become part of our winter wellness routines are:
- Get lots of vitamin C, from food sources if you can.
One of my favorite ways to provide an extra dose of vitamin C to my family is to make a Sunshine smoothie. Simply blend some orange juice, pineapple, bunch of spinach, and ice in a blender and serve. As you know, smoothies are a terrific snack and a great way to get an extra serving of fruits and veggies -all loaded with antioxidants and vitamins! - Try natural cough and throat relief products first.
My grandmother used to have a little bag of honey candies by her nightstand for nights she had persistent coughing symptoms from that tickle in her throat. Continuing to cough only made it worse so she'd sit up and soothe her throat with a lozenge.This is a little tradition that I continue at my home. In the middle of the night, when I can hear my 10-year old daughter coughing from her room, I get up and bring a Zarbee's 99% Honey Cough Soother to her. I sit up with her until the cough soother has dissolved, and typically by that time her throat isn't raspy and she's able to lay back down and get back to sleep. I love using the soothers for myself and for my kids because they're made with honey and natural mint flavors.
- Humidify the room.
In winter, the dry air from the heater can make cold and cough symptoms worse on my kids so I like to moisten the air in the room with a humidifier. So, thirty minutes before my kids go to bed, I use a humidifier to add moisture to the air and make the room more comfortable to sleep in.
More often than not, I just want to make my kids' evenings comfortable when they are not feeling their best. For dinner, I may make our favorite Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe, and then we sit back and relax. Whenever I can, I opt for natural remedies as part of our winter wellness routine. I even keep a pack in my purse along with an orange or clementine in winter!
What are some of your favorite natural remedies when the kiddos are not feeling their best?
WIN A WINTER WELLNESS GIFT PACK!
Would you love to try out some of my favorite winter wellness remedies? One lucky winner will win a Zarbee's 99% Honey Cough Soothers and Winter wellness gift pack, which includes a humidifier.
- What are some of your favorite natural remedies when the kiddos are not feeling their best? -Leave a comment below.
- Sweepstakes ends 1/22/16 at 11:59pm.
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From time to time, I work with awesome companies to develop recipes for this website. Today's post was brought to you by Zarbee's Naturals. All opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that encourage my creativity
Cristina says
My favorite go-to remedy is to diffuse some eucalyptus oil in my kids’ bedrooms and my bedroom. It smells wonderful and helps you breathe. If I run out of eucalyptus then I often have peppermint and the tried and true lavender oil on hand.
LaTanya says
plenty of fluids, rest, and tea with honey
grace says
we do alot of natural remedies … honey and lemon and also taking lots of vit c and echinacea plus zinc and elderberry. thanks for the chance to win this!
Alana says
Mmm…. chicken soup in the crockpot. We cook a full chicken for dinner on the BBQ with sweet potatoes, roasted red peppers and broccoli. Then I put the carcass in the crockpot with water, onions, celery and carrots (and a pinch of salt for flavour) overnight and for the next day (about 16 hours). The longer it’s cooking in there the more nutrients we get from the bones. Once I take the bones out I add lots of zucchini and any other veggies around. Sometimes I cook some small pasta to add to it later. My little ones (including my 8 month old) love this soup and so do us big ones. Such a feel good meal and so healthy!!
Kelli Fury says
When my children are sick we always drink plenty of orange juice, eats lots of homemade chicken noodle soup, and use all natural chest rub. I even put this on my babies feet as it helps with congestion and cough. This is an old wives tale but it seems to help.