Operation Feel Better

Generally speaking my kids are healthy and for that I am grateful. For the past few years I have been fairly diligent in giving the kids vitamin D3. Except for when I don't. We get busy and I forget to make a stop to replenish our supply. So, that's when my kids get sick! Every. Damn. Time.

Kyle started with a cold last week and stayed home one day from school. He seemed to be getting better so he went back to school, but then this week it got worse. By today the cold had spread. Poor Amberly started really feeling it while she was on the softball field in the midst of a tournament. Directly after the game we headed to our neighborhood Sprouts to restock our medicine  get well cabinet.

There's a saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" but if you fail at prevention, you need to arm yourself with some effective treatments. I started to explore natural remedies and homeopathy when I became a mom. I think that is pretty common. We want to protect their little bodies from chemicals or additives that may negatively affect them. So here I share with you what we used for Operation Feel Better!

Boiron makes an entire line of homeopathic remedies and their products' effectiveness has made me a loyal customer for several years. The important thing with Coldcalm is to take it at the onset of symptoms for it to be most effective. I have found myself being able to nip a cold in the bud very effectively with Coldcalm.  HOT TIP: Always have some of this on hand to nip the cold in the bud.

All that coughing was leaving their poor throats sore. A friend told me about this particular tea from Traditional Medicinals a few months ago and it did the job. HOT TIP: They have a tea for just about everything and I love that they are organic!

This herbal dietary supplement has saved us many sleepless nights when there's a persisting cough.
And Wish Garden serious cough herbal remedy kicks in quickly! The cool thing about something working immediately for your child, it helps them remember why they need to take the "medicine" when we say so rather than trying to spend all night avoiding it. Even though the kids are not particularly fond of the taste, they will come to me with ease to get a squirt because they know it will impact how they feel. HOT TIP: I spray this under the tongue for quicker absorption, but it can be added to a cup of water.

Honey is one of nature's medicines. I give the kids a teaspoon and it reminds me of the song from Mary Poppins "A teaspoon of sugar helps the medicine go down" but of course this is the combination of both. HOT TIP: Be sure to buy organic and save our bees!

I was coming down with the cold myself and remembered reading somewhere that a swig of Apple Cider Vinegar is an effective remedy so I added a teaspoon of BRAGG organic ACV to my water several times that day. So far I've escaped the miserable symptoms the kids have suffered. The taste may be rather strong, but I got my daughter to give it a try. HOT TIP: To help the taste dilute with more warm water and add honey and lemon for a more pleasant drink

I've seen lots of tincture recipes that can ease the symptoms of a cold, but I like have some things that I can administer without any preparation and give everyone a sense of relief.

Have you tried any of these before? I bet you have some proven cold remedies of your own, please share in the comments below!