Everything's a Virus

Why do we pay for health insurance when most times babies or children are sick the Doctor just looks at them, takes their temp and tells us it's a virus and must run it's course.

I hate that! I want Doctors to have magical remedies to stop the suffering my child is experiencing. 

Well since our Doctors don't graduate from Hogwarts we need to just pay our copay and go home to take care of our little ones.

Also I thought about writing this because of the recent Tylenol recall and a few months back there was that Motrin scare leaving us to be afraid of medicine when our children have fevers and pain and need it.

So here are some things I found to help with the attack of the VIRUS. If your child has any of these symptoms there are some remedies you can use to ease everyone's frustrations:

Fever over 99F

Diarrhea or Vomiting

No Appetite

Cough

Stuffy Nose

Extreme Diaper Rash (possibly bloody or very raw)

FEVER/PAINS: Obviously you can use Infant or childrens Tylenol or Motrin but I always buy the store brand Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen Target, Walmart, Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS all have great store brands which usually go for about $5 for infant drops compared to brand names being around $9








DIARRHEA/VOMITING/NO APPETITE: Ya fun stuff. These are the worst because you feel horrible but are grossed out by cleaning it up. If baby will drink they are fine. Just avoid sugary drinks because they can make symptoms worse.
They don't necessarily have to eat, but it's best if they eat the BRAT diet:

Banana
Rice
Applesauce
Toast

 And they are supposed to drink Pedialyte or anything with Electrolytes. (Which also comes in store brands at Rite Aid and CVS) My daughter hated all the flavors. This one is flavorless and you can mix it with something or have it alone for about $6 for name brand!

They now make Popsicles for about $6 a box for name brand.




And to my surprise CVS and Walgreens make dissolving Electrolyte Strips that are flavored and hydrated your child without drinking!

These are amazing! They are $4.99 and you can go to CVS or CVS Buy Electrolyte Strips

But since kids get sick and you urgently need what you need you probably want to run to the store!

COUGH/STUFFY NOSE: Unfortunately there isn't much you can do medicine wise for these for small children and babies. You just need to use a bulb to empty their nose as often as you can and use a cool mist humidifier in their room (this Hello Kitty one comes with a night light too!). They can also drink chamomile tea.

DIAPER RASH: For girls this can be tricky because if it's an "angry" looking red it could be a yeast infection. Besides normal diaper creams/paste you can also used Hydro cortisone Cream mixed with Antifungal ointment to relieve a severe rash. You can even mix Neosporin in there too. When most Pediatricians write a prescription for a diaper rash, it is the same as mixing these together. It works like a charm. (Use this only if the rash is extremely red or skin is broken and other diaper creams aren't helping)