7 Items To Have During Cold and Flu Season

It is hard to believe that cold and flu season is upon us once again. With school, work and play the germs are pretty unavoidable. You should always take the steps to avoid getting sick, like washing your hands and avoiding touching your face and mouth often, but if you should get sick here are the 7 items to always have on hand:

I received samples and compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

Tissues- Pretty obvious, but I can’t tell you how many times me or my kids have wound up curled on the couch with a roll of toilet paper because I don’t have a box of tissues handy. Now I keep a couple extra boxes on hand in the closet, we especially love the kind with lotion, much easier on a runny nose.

VapoRub- Vicks VapoRub™ topical ointment is a topical cough medicine with medicated vapors. It starts working quickly for children two and up as well as adults to relieve cough symptoms. It smells heavenly, my whole family loves it.

Humidifier- Flu viruses thrive in cold and dry places, making winter air the perfect breeding ground for the virus.  By keeping humidity levels in your home between 40 and 60 percent you can reduce the survival of flu viruses on surfaces and in the air. We love to use a cool mist humidifier in all of our bedrooms to reduce germs and keep our home comfortable.

We have the Mini Humidifier – which we love. Vicks also recently came out with the Vicks Sweet Dreams Cool Mist Humidifier, which I know my kids will think is so cool. The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends using a cool mist humidifier throughout the winter months to help relieve congestion and cough in children. If we are sick I love to add Vicks VapoPads®, they can be used in conjunction with Vicks Humidifiers to provide soothing Menthol or Sleepytime Rosemary & Lavender scented vapors for up to eight hours of comfort.

Thermometer- Fever can sometimes occur with a cold or the flu. It is important to monitor fever and the Vicks SmartTemp® Thermometer provides accurate readings and is compatible with a free downloadable app that makes it easy to take and track temperature readings for the whole family.

Saline Spray- I never knew about saline sprays until my pediatrician recommended them. They are a life saver during cold and flu season. With noses that are so raw from wiping them over and over again saline does a great job of loosening up congestion and making it easier to tackle those runny noses. 

Sanitizing Wipes- When one person in a family gets sick, it seems to make the rounds through everyone. I always make sure to use disinfectant wipes to wipe down my workspace daily, as well as my telephone, mouse, and keyboard.  Doorknobs and shared items like TV remotes and children’s toys are often overlooked, but are so important to keep clean and germ free.

Ingredients for chocolate chip cookies- Let’s be honest, is there anything else to make you feel better than warm chocolate chip cookies?

 How do you stay healthy during cold and flu season?