It’s common knowledge that once your baby starts nursery and/or pre-school, they will be subjected to germs. I saw this first hand during my nursery tours. They were all amazing facilities, with fully qualified staff, taking care of gorgeous babies and hilarious toddlers. I walked around each one with a single thought in my head ‘For the love of God – someone get me a wet wipe!’.
I am an Anti-bac Mum. I have hand sanitisers and packets of wipes, all over my home. Even my car and my handbag have a well stocked stash. The snotty noses and sticky fingers were making me sweat. Can I wipe a child that isn’t my own? I’m not sure of the rules on that.
Colds, fevers, coughs and sickness bugs are rife in these places. Since our girl started, it’s been one thing after another. She attends nursery on a Thursday morning, will invariably catch something, then spend the rest of the week recovering. We are on a repeat cycle. It is not fun.
So here I am again tonight, with my poorly girl. There is nothing worse than a sick child. To see your little one suffer and not be able to rush to their aid and fix it is horrible. Before kids, I thought a cold, was handled with a pack of Beechams and a box of tissues. A fever much the same. A cough needed the help of a syrup. It was simple, for every problem, there was a solution.
Use Calpol, was the extent of my knowledge, at first. Little did I know, that at that point, I had so much to learn. Calpol is there and excellent for a myriad of issues. Infant Nurofen – I didn’t even know that existed. Then there are the vapour rubs, just for babies. Vapour plug in devices that come with a night light. Oils for bedding and clothes. It would also appear, that no mother worth their salt, battled a cold without the armour of a humidifier. What the shitting hell was that?
I found myself once again at the mercy of Mr Google and my mummy friends, to guide me through. In short the choice is rather extensive. You can get warm or cool mist humidifiers, ones with or without night lights, auto shut off functions etc. Some humidifiers are small and sleek, so work well, within a baby nursery. Some of the more robust units, would require storage when not in use. My only reservation was that, I didn’t like the thought of an appliance, running all night unattended in my daughter’s room. They all essentially add moisture to the air, which can ease symptoms, of coughing and reduce congestion in colds.
So off I trundle to the man behind the purse in our house. I have my research. I make my case. I’m ready to order this bad boy, to make colds and coughs, easier to get through going forward.
Case dismissed.
My husband looked at the products and the research and heard me out. Then he made his argument “I have asthma, I can’t have moisture being added to the air, we need to think of something else”.
Alrighty then.
Armed with my Calpol, my plug in vapour/night light and menthol oils, I prepare for another long night.