Mom Jean Confessions: Top Ten Ways to Ward off Germs x Kroger

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., Campbell’s® , Lipton, Premium Crackers, Theraflu and TYLENOL®. All opinions are mine alone. #SickDaySolutions #CollectiveBias

Well moms, we did it. The fall school semester is behind us, and we made it out alive. My son only managed to bring home two colds, no ear infections, and no fevers – so I’m calling it a win. This time last year, we’d experienced our first of many reoccurring ear infections which I’m guessing was a combo of moving to a new city and starting preschool for the first time – the perfect recipe for a germ disaster. Now with a new baby, we are extra cognizant of needing to protect our family from the dreaded cold season among us. I’ve listed the “Top Ten Ways to Ward off Germs” when you have a new baby in the home, plus some fun things to do with the kiddos on those dreaded sick days. We love having a Kroger Signature store just around the corner to swing by and snag all our sick day must-haves.

1) Scrub-a-dub-dub

Pretty sure I’m stating the obvious here, but it’s a lot harder than you think getting a tiny human to wash their hands – let alone wash them well. Luckily once Garrett started school, he got in the good habit of washing his hands. If you have a hard time with this – I’ve found that buying a cute hand soap like the Star Wars Yoda one we have in Garrett’s bathroom helps. Or just taking them to the store and letting them pick out a scent can be a fun reminder to wash their hands more.

2) Handsitizer

So I have a niece who, instead of saying hand sanitizer, would say “handsitizer” when she was little. Naturally we all thought it was adorable and it stuck ?  I always have my favorite handsitizer in my diaper bag, Babyganics Alcohol-Free On-The-Go Foaming Hand Sanitizer, at the ready.

3) Eat Your Veggies

Ok, so I have to admit, I totally have one of those kids who loves veggies and eats broccoli like it’s candy. Not only that, he literally will eat the ones even adults hate – lima beans, brussel sprouts, asparagus, the list goes on. But I realize he’s an anomaly and other kids avoid eating their veggies like the plague. Plus, when you’re sick it’s the last thing you want to eat. Growing up, my mom always made us Campbell’s® Tomato Soup topped with Nabisco Premium Crackers. I recently did the same for my son when we were all sick over Thanksgiving break and he loved it.

<< Cover Your Mouth I swear I'm not exaggerating when I say that I tell my son this easily 50 times a day (not counting the times I'm just telling him to be quiet). It sounds like an easy enough task, but I think they just look at it as yet another annoying thing mom is asking them to do ?. I've found that over explaining the fact that if they don't cover their mouth, then all the germ particles in their body get spread to their friends like a gross layer of goop. Maybe I overdid it there, but they get the point. 5) An Apple a Day Yes, I know this one seems old school, but I'm sticking to it. You should see this kid down a green apple - which he totally got from me, cuz it grosses everyone else out. He got my sour-loving tastes buds and I love it. 6) Take Your Gummies I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I totally steal my kid's gummie vitamins from time to time. Oh you know you've done it too ?. He loves them and actually gets upset when I (gasp) forget to give them to him. But we're human and just slightly busy juggling a new baby, so vitamins don't always get taken everyday. So recently we all came down with a run of the mill cold, and I was so thankful we made a Kroger run and loaded up on Theraflu for the hubs and me, it’s literally the only brand we take for relief without a prescription.

For Garrett, we’ve always gone with Children’s TYLENOL® in the grape flavored liquid for those yucky multi-symptom colds. What’s great, is it temporarily relieves a snotty nose/headache, quiets coughs and of course reduces fever. It wasn’t always easy to get him to take medicine (in fact, it was incredibly stress-inducing), but once we found this grape flavor it was a serious game-changer ?.

7) Clean Freak

So, to clarify – I am not Mrs. Clean. Mrs. Clean is my mother. That woman would clean a dumpster just for the pure satisfaction of it. Ok, not really, but she seriously loves to clean. Despite her many attempts in my formative years, the cleaning bug did not rub off on me (sorry mom ?). I’m so appreciative of the times she comes to visit and helps clean around the house, and keeps us all germ free – oh yah, she’s a bit of a germaphobe from running a daycare when I was little. She may be onto something cuz the woman literally never gets sick. Lucky.

8) Sleep Tight

As much as sleep is a sore subject right now (I’m convinced Charlotte is trying to kill me slowly), it really is key to keeping your immunities up. We try to fit in naps when we can, and Garrett is on a much better bedtime schedule now that he’s dropped napping altogether. We’ve gotten Charlotte’s daytime schedule down pat, but just say a little prayer for us that I’ll get her to sleep more than 2 hours at a time again ?.

Until then, I do what I can to support my own well-being. Cuz if mama ain’t well, no one is. I was so excited when I discovered Lipton’s new line of herbal supplement teas. Each one is a combo of 3 botanicals, expertly sourced and blended with essential oils known for their wellness benefits. I’ve added a cup of their Bedtime Bliss, a mix of chamomile, mint, and orange peels, to my nightly self-care routine. What’s even better is, it’s caffeine free – which is so perfect for this breast-feeding mama.

9) Kissy Face

I still remember when Garrett’s pediatrician told us to get in the habit of kissing the back of his head so that we wouldn’t accidentally kiss his face/mouth when we were ever sick. I sort of rolled my eyes at the time, like seriously, no one’s gonna tell me I can’t kiss my baby. But now as a second time mom, I kinda see their point. It’s bad enough Garrett sneezes, coughs, and just generally breathes directly in Charlotte’s face – the least I can do is try not to spread all my mama germs on her. But c’mon, how can I resist those kissable chubby cheeks?!?

10) A Breath of Fresh Air

And, when all else fails, just grab the whole fam and head outside. You’d be surprised what a little fresh air can do to heal the soul.

If you do find yourself cooped up indoors for days at a time, here are some fun things to do with kids on those dreaded sick days:

– Play board games. We just got Yeti in my Spaghetti and Pop the Pig for Christmas, which are sure to come in handy the next time we’re all laid up with a cold.

– Craft time. We’ve really gotten into doing crafts together as Garrett’s gotten older. I love Target’s dollar section or Hobby Lobby’s half off sale to stock up on crafts for a sick day.

– Baked goods. This one’s always a crowd pleaser, cuz it’s not only fun but you get some yummy treats to munch on all day. Our favorite thing to bake together are Krusteaz honey cornbread muffins. They’re super easy to make, and I add my own touch of sugar/brown sugar on top that makes them super addicting.

Campbell’s® – © 2018 CSC LP Lipton – © 2018 Unilever Theraflu – Read and follow label directions. Theraflu is for use in adults 12 years and older. Use products only as directed. TYLENOL® – ® Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. 2017. Use products only as directed. The makers of TYLENOL® remind you to use only one medicine with acetaminophen at a time.