Baby Colds with No Cough Medicine

So now that cold medicine is off the shelves for kids under 6, what are your strategies for easing your kids symptoms?

David of Washington, DC writes:
>>Remember that apple juice, in addition to being useful for stopped-up kid-plumbing, also helps turn the nose into a leaky faucet. E.g. if your kid has got a stuffed up nose, might try it. And if your kid is constipated with a stuffed-up nose, it’s a no-brainer!

>> According to the Penn State College of medicine, honey has as much cough fighting power as the now-disgraced cough medicine. Check the article out here.  (Remember - NO honey for babies under 12 months of age!)

>> Steam! Spend some time in the bathroom with a hot shower running or in close proximity to a vaporizer.

>> If you can, prop the baby’s mattress up so she’s sleeping on an incline. A rolled up towel under the crib mattress can do the trick.

Other ideas? Send us an email to advice@butterpies.com or click on the Send in Advice link up top!

Dealing with Deployment or an IA

Joanna of Lexington Park, Maryland writes:

My husband David is coming towards to the end of his 23-month IA, and it has been a huge learning experience for all of us. I have learned that children need a lot of reassurance that the parent who is away loves them, thinks about them and misses them. That they can’t always call, that they can’t see them for a long time so its important for them to be able to visualize that parent, who they haven’t seen for so long. This is when I decided to put photos of my husband with the children doing normal household things in the place where they would normally occur. So for example, in the kitchen, there is a picture of him sitting at the table, holding my daughter. In the living room, a picture of him on the sofa holding both children. All these are eye level for the kids. Another important thing to show that their parents have a strong relationship too. We talk alot about our relationship and make sure that there are photos of us together around for the kids to see. When we’re out doing something, we talk about daddy being there and what we’ll tell him about what we’ve been doing.

If you’re finding it hard coping on your own, assess what will make you happy. For me, I found a part-time job that I really enjoy and the kids are in school, so I get a few hours to myself to run the errands or workout or whatever on my own. Find a good babysitter and go out once a month, even if you are new to the area and have to go by yourself.

We have a big calendar wall-chart on the wall that we mark off every day with an ‘X’ and I write what we did that day. It shows time moving forward and anything that does that, is a huge help.

Bottles and Breastfeeding

Joanna of Lexington Park, Maryland writes:

From birth until 2 weeks, my daughter was happy to use both the bottle and the breast. When I went for the 2 week appointment, the doctor said to stop the bottle until 4 weeks as it would cause nipple confusion. When I tried again at 4 weeks, she refused to take the bottle and to this day never has. I never tried with my son until the 4 week mark and he never took a bottle. This makes it hard to keep breastfeeding because you get completely tied down. So, if your child is happy and doesn’t seem to have any problems accepting both the bottle and the breast, go ahead and keep bottle feeding - it’ll make breastfeeding that much easier.

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