It’s that time of year again. Little Man already has a runny nose, it won’t belong before the germs set in and the littlies get their first colds. Along with the colds come sleepless nights and overtired mums and dads.
Parents lose up to 72 hours of
sleep a year, equivalent to nine night’s sleep, when their children have a
simple snuffle – with mums more than twice as likely as dads to have a disturbed
night, according to a survey of 2,000 UK parents for infant decongestant Olbas
for Children.
Although Dads will argue that their nights are equally disturbed.
So what do you do if your child is keeping you awake at night while they are poorly with a cold?
My top tips would be;
- Use a decongestant, it’s the first thing I reach for and often works long enough for the child to fall asleep. I use a couple of drops of Olbas for Children on a tissue beside their bed or I put the tissue inside their pillow case.
- I also make sure the bedroom is well ventilated, it may be cold but hot stuffy rooms can make them feel so much worse.
- Make sure you give your child plenty of fluid to help keep them from dehydration. Water or juice is best.
- Finally, I raise the head of the bed, I do this by adding a rolled up blanket under the mattress, or sometimes just adding and extra pillow will help. By doing this the airway is kept more open and if the child can breathe easier then they will sleep easier. This is not advisable for a child under one year.
A poorly child will also benefit from baby or junior paracetamol to keep their temperature down and aid recovery.
So as the weather gets colder and the germs spread, all we can do is brace ourselves for the sleepless nights and hope they recover quickly. Sadly, statistics say that child can suffer up to ten colds a year.
Not a sponsored post, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
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