Surviving Flu Season with Babies and Toddlers

There is absolutely nothing worse than when one of your little guys wakes up in the middle of the night sick. So how do you survive it with out catching their dreaded illness as well? Well, we actually have no frickin clue, but we're going to do our best to help by sharing some things we've done around our households.

Let's talk about everyone's favorite first: BOOGERS!!! Running around frustrated looking for that dang sucker thingie you received upon your baby's birth??  I swear it never fails that ours go missing and it is always as soon as we see those dreaded thick green boogies hanging from their poor red little noses.  There's a reason the hospital only give you ONE of those precious green bulbs. They are a hot commodity because they are the absolute best thing to use on your little ones noses. So what happens if you lose it? Do you go rob the hospital? Maybe. Or you could try one of these that we've found to be just as good as that green bulb sucker things (which by the way is sort of gross that we can't see the inside of it, but I digress.)

 Here we have the Fridababy Nose Frida. 

We don't know about you guys, but we think they do a terrible job of showing that you are NOT actually sucking your child's boogers directly into your mouth. That being said, this thing works like a charm and we are most definitely not being paid to say such things. It's less invasive than the green bulb and you can smile and coo at your infant while helping them get some better breathing happening.

Grossed out by the NoseFrida? You're not alone. Have you seen the Graco NasalClear Battery Operated Aspirator yet??

We received this one as a gift and thought "how silly, why does it play music, too?!" Well guess what, haters gone hate, but this thing works AMAZING!!! Michaela was born in the thick of flu season in November, and let me tell you what, this thing saved her poor little nose so many times. Now it does advertise it self as "super easy to clean" which I'm going to disagree with. Its a little gross because it basically holds the boogers in the bottom and you have to unscrew, rinse, cleanse, let it dry. But other than that this thing is gold. (And spoiler alert: the music is kind of cute.)

One more tip for helping get those dried on boogers out. Get yourself some Little Noses Saline Drops/Spray.

There are definitely other brands of this stuff out there, but this is our nasal spray of choice for our children.  Just a few drops in their nose before you use the aspirator and there will be less tears while sucking the boogies out. You're welcome! 

Now that we've got boogers out of the way, let's talk about vomit!! (It only goes down hill from here, you guys.) Our kids are still pretty little, so we don't have a TON of experience with the vomiting version of the flu, but we do have a few suggestions on what to do if your little one experiences this. Please don't forget we are not doctors, just two moms standing here in front of other moms, trying to help you not get puke all over your favorite top. (Which definitely happened to Dani over vacation, watch our latest YouTube episode to hear alllll about that fiasco!) 

When your cherub starts vomiting, you're going to want to change their diet a bit and also add back in some electrolytes. 

Pedialyte is changing the post vomit session game by introducing these freezer pops. And it's possible they've been around a while and we only stumbled upon them now, but either way, big high fives to Pedialyte and all the knock off brands. Our kids love them!!

Don't forget about the B.R.A.T. diet!

No, we are not trying to call your little ones any names.  Most pediatricians will suggest the B.R.A.T. diet of Bananas, Rice, Apple Sauce and dry Toast for kids with upset tummies.  Remember to do everything in SMALL doses because you don't want it all coming right back up on you. Also, these are not terrible things for mom to scarf down in between clean up sessions.

You didn't think we forgot about diarrhea, did you??? Blow outs are sometimes fun at the salon, but during flu season they take on a whole new meaning. What do you do when your little guy gets poop all over their onesie?? How do you avoid getting poop in their eye, or worse, all over you?  No seriously, if you guys know, please write us. 

We know we've mentioned this in past episodes, but we're putting it in writing now. 

DO NOT TAKE THE ONESIE OVER THEIR HEAD IF IT IS COVERED IN POO!!! 

STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW!!

ANSWER: You are supposed to roll the onesie down, rather than up over the head during extreme blow out situations. Once again, you are welcome. Poo in eye crisis averted. Everyone is happy.

We'd also like to remind you that the same pedialyte pops shown above help diarrhea situations just as well as they do vomit spells. Same goes for the B.R.A.T. diet. 

Okay, so last but certainly not least, THE DREADED HIGH FEVER! I don't know about you guys, but I have no interest in even discussing anal thermometers as a method of checking my kid's temperature. They are already in physical pain from the fever that has consumed their body, so while many doctors will suggest that anal thermometers are the most accurate, we prefer these other more gentle options and we are even going to GIVE ONE AWAY!!! 

The Ear Thermometer

This very simple thermometer is sold by Safety1st and has been a constant in our household.  The only issue with it is the ear piece can be a teeny bit too big for the tiniest ears, so you have to remember to be gentle. (Especially if the fever is coupled with an ear infection, ouch!)

The Under the Tongue Thermometer

We don't know how makes this one, but we do like the colors. That said, this style is definitely better suited for the older child in your life. Our 4 year old still can't keep it under her tongue, so our guess is 6 years old and up for this one. 

The Across the Forehead Doodad Thermometer

While we are certain the doodad is not listed in the title of this product, we feel it's necessary to add because we find this thing a bit tricky to use. Lots of moms swear by it, though, so we feel it is only fair to include it in case you hadn't seen them before. We've found the results to be inconsistent with this one and recommend against it.

The KINSA Smart Thermometer

The Kinsa Smart Stick Thermometer is FDA-cleared for accuracy. It’s lightweight, requires no batteries and connects directly to your smartphone for an easy temperature read in seconds.  And guess what you guys??? WE ARE GIVING ONE OF THESE AWAY just in time for flu season!! And for everyone else who doesn't win, we will be giving out a 15% off coupon code once the raffle has ended!

We want to tell you that we absolutely LOVE the Kinsa Smart Stick Thermometer.  We each received one for free from Kinsa to try and were blown away with how easy and user friendly they are! 

We hope whoever wins one loves it too. Visit our Giveaways page for more info or simply click on the rafflecopter widget below!  To follow Kinsa on social media: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Twitter - @Kinsa

Instagram - @kinsahealthbytes

Facebook - fb.com/kinsahealth

And for the full scoop on how we feel about Flu and Cold season with our kiddos, don't forget to check out our latest episode of Mamalogues!!!

Sleep!

By Kate DelPizzo

One thing every new mom is guaranteed to hear soon after her baby is born is some variation of the question, “Does he sleep?" This query can (and will) come from anyone and everyone she encounters: good friends, family, acquaintances, co-workers, other new moms; heck, I even had a total stranger at CVS ask me when I was waiting in line to buy some baby item that was designed to make my son’s gas miraculously disappear (hint: Colic Calm is magic in a little bottle).

When my son was born, I learned very quickly that he was NOT a good sleeper. His tiny eyes were always wide open, looking around the room, taking in every sight and refusing to close. He was happiest when he was surrounded by a crowd of people and fought like the dickens whenever it was time to go down for a nap or to bed at night. My reports from daycare would read as follows: "Ben napped for 20 minutes...all day."

As other new moms were exclaiming with joy that their 10 week olds were giving them 6 hour stretches at night, my little guy was waking up every 45 minutes and refusing to sleep once 4am hit unless he was being held and rocked simultaneously. It was around this time that my husband learned to excel at sleeping in motion and I got pretty good at googling "how long a person could actually go without sleep?"

By 4 months, I started doing some serious research on sleep training. I learned all about the various methods: extinction, Ferber, Sleep Lady Shuffle, Babywise, pick up put down, Pat/shush; you name it, I read about it. I joined Facebook groups about sleep training. I read about the pros and cons of sleep training. I convinced myself that I was crazy to sleep train. Five minutes later, I convinced myself that I was crazy not to sleep train. I even went so far as to get the number of a sleep consultant who touted "a good night's sleep is closer than you think."

At 5 months, when the sleep deprivation was getting real, and I was surviving on coffee and the occasional lactation smoothie, I decided to bite the bullet and call the sleep consultant. My husband and I filled out an extensive questionnaire, cleared things with the pediatrician, and booked an immediate Skype conference with the hopes of getting one step closer to that ever so coveted “good night's sleep.”

Our 60 minute consultation covered everything from temperament and nursing habits, to comfort level with different methods of sleep training and evil "sleep crutches" impacting my baby's ability to self-sooth and sleep independently. It even instilled a glimmer of hope that my restless son could (and would) eventually sleep through the night or at least for more than 45 minutes in a row.

We decided, since my son was rather persistent, to try a more extreme version of sleep training, where we would put him in his crib awake, let him cry for 45 whole minutes before entering the room to calm him down and repeat the process over again. It seemed brutal, and I was hesitant to agree, but our consultant ensured us that this method would take about 3 or 4 nights and result in his learning how to sleep independently.

On that first night, we did our typical nighttime routine (bath, lotion, pj’s, nurse), but instead of letting Ben nurse to sleep (aka evil sleep crutch), I handed him off to daddy who topped him off with a bottle and plopped him into bed... wide awake. Truth be told, I then raced out the door and immediately drove to Wendy's where I purchased a huge order of fries and a frosty. If the wine store hadn't been off limits, due to frequent breastfeeding and disinterest in pumping and dumping the liquid gold that is breast milk, it would have easily been my next stop.

I decided to call my husband and check in with him about the process. We had agreed that it would be best for me to leave the apartment after putting the baby down, because my hearing him scream would have been helpful for no one.

To my great surprise, my husband told me that the baby had "fussed" for about 10 minutes and then had fallen sleep. It was a miracle. The child who had lungs of steel, had actually fallen asleep without a major fight! 

Despite this win for our team, my husband urged me to come home to relax because "the worst was yet to come." I wish I could say that this wasn't the case, but unfortunately he was right.

That first night, Ben woke up around 1am, (an improvement from past nights). I went in to nurse him, as we had agreed to sleep train with 2 overnight feedings, fed him, and put him back down in the crib... awake. I left the bedroom and had high hopes that he would fuss for 10 minutes and return to sleep. For about 2 minutes, my delusions of grandeur were real and the baby merely "fussed".  After that, however, the lungs of steel kicked into high gear and he began to wail.

I had the immediate urge to go in and hold him, but we went through with the plan, and let him cry for 45 agonizing minutes, before my husband went in to comfort him and we began the process over again. By the end of the night Ben had cried and cried and cried and cried, my husband and I had yelled and cried and screamed and cried, but ultimately the baby had put himself to sleep.

As the process went on, each night got easier and by night 4, things were much smoother. Although Ben was still putting up a fight, he was crying less and sleeping more. My husband and I were less irritable and finally feeling slightly rested and in better spirits. Although "sleeping through the night" was still a ways away, the nights of waking up every 45 minutes were behind us for the time being (I'll save sleep regressions and nap transitions for another time).

In conclusion, I would be lying if I said this process was simple, worked immediately and made my son an amazing sleeper. It was hard, time consuming and exhausting. It made me question myself as a person and wonder if I was a horrible mom for letting my kid cry. Heck, I am sure there are several people who will read this blog and think that I am a mean mommy for sleep training my son and letting him cry at such a young age. To those people, and to all mommies in general, I say this: Being a mom is deciding on what is best for you and your child and trying your best to see it through to fruition. It isn't the same for every family and it won't always be pretty. Sometimes your kid will cry for 45 whole minutes, you will feel horrible, and end up questioning your decisions. But no matter what, as long as you love your child with all your heart and try your best, you are doing a great job.

Sleep well mommies!! ‘Til next time.

Hello and Welcome!

Hello and welcome to the Mamalogues Blog! This is the home for longer pieces about the pleasures and pitfalls of pregnancy and parenting by members of the Mamalogues community. We always aim to give you the best advice on a range of topics that we struggled to find information on during our own journeys in pregnancy and parenting. Enjoy!

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Exercise During Pregnancy

By Cassy Pressimone Beckowski

Whenever a friend asks me for pregnancy advice, “Exercise!” is my go-to answer. On more than one occasion, my enthusiasm has been met with a dubious smile or exhausted stare. And I completely get it. I remember how utterly wiped out I felt during my entire pregnancy.

But I can’t help myself. I’m convinced that exercise was the magic ingredient keeping me from falling apart – at times mentally, at times physically – during my pregnancies.

You may already be doing some guesswork about the kind of person I am. Let me assure you – I am not someone who grew up a natural-born athlete. As a middle schooler, I tried to be a sprinter because I thought it meant I’d have to do less running. In college, I started running to counterbalance the large quantities of cheese fries and ice cream on which I subsisted. I started running even more in grad school to manage stress and to make up for the half a pizza I could polish off in a sitting. And yes, I run even more now, and yes, I eat less pizza (because I have to share it with my kids), but I am by no means a fitness guru.

Nevertheless – I am a big fan of exercise during pregnancy. Here are a few of the reasons it made a big difference for me.

Exercise gave me some time to myself. When I was pregnant with my second son, I had a two-year-old at home clamoring for my attention. Those naps I had enjoyed during my first pregnancy? Those hours of watching TV with my feet up? Yeah, that never happened second time around. One of the best ways for me to actually hear myself think turned out to be exercising. For me, that often meant running. Sometimes it meant walking. Sometimes it meant yoga. Regardless, when I was exercising, I was doing something good for myself and the little guy in my abdomen, and it often gave me the space to mentally decompress that I needed.

Exercise alleviated some of my pregnancy aches and pains. I was lucky to have two healthy, low-risk pregnancies, but that does not mean that I felt great all of the time. For example, the larger my belly grew, the greater the pain in my low back – a dull, persistent ache that left me squirming in my office chair. But pelvic tilts – one of the simplest exercises out there – almost instantly made the pain go away. Some days, I would head into the bathroom at work and take a few minutes to merrily tilt away. Was it worth the occasional awkward run-ins with colleagues? You had better believe it.

Exercise empowered me. I happened to be in pretty good shape at the start of my second pregnancy, so with my OB’s approval, I kept running throughout the whole 42 weeks (you read that right). There was something about weaving belly-first through the throngs on the Wildwood Boardwalk that made me feel like a total badass (even though I’m glad there’s no video footage). And when I logged a few miles on a treadmill on my due date, I felt more confident about my impending labor. Whenever I was feeling anxious during my pregnancies, exercise always helped me to feel like I was in control.

Exercise helped me mentally prepare for labor, delivery, and everything that followed. Remember how I said I was in good shape at the start of my second pregnancy? My first pregnancy was a different story - when I found out in August that I was expecting, I had just gotten back from an amazing road trip that involved LOTS of eating. My first trimester was hot and uncomfortable, and my feeble attempts at running left me feeling drained. I ended up turning to prenatal yoga, which was a game-changer. I learned yogic breathwork (pranayama) and poses that strengthened parts of my body that I would need for labor. I practiced mindfulness that helped carry me through some pretty agonizing Pitocin-induced contractions and later helped me cope with sleepless nights as I attended to my crying infant. Also, I was able to practice prenatal yoga in my living room, thanks to a great selection of classes available on what continues to be one of my favorite websites – YogaDownload.com. 

Exercise during pregnancy motivated me after pregnancy. Taking care of a newborn (or a newborn and a toddler) is exhausting and time-consuming, and makes showering – let alone exercising – seem impossible. Because I was used to making time to exercise during my pregnancies, however, I was able to make it a priority to resume exercising once I had recovered from delivery. All of the benefits I had experienced when I exercised during pregnancy – getting some personal space, feeling healthy and in control – continued after I had my babies. And while it took way longer than I had hoped it would, I did eventually lose my baby weight. Exercise probably helped with that, too.

So now that I’ve made my case, I’ll dish out my usual pregnancy advice – while you’re expecting, consider making exercise a regular part of your self-care! Of course, you should talk to your doctor or midwife before you begin any new fitness program, and be sure to set reasonable goals and limits for yourself. I wish you and your baby a happy, healthy pregnancy!