In the Nick of Time: Cold and Flu Season Essentials + A Giveaway

This is a sponsored post written for Vicks Humidifiers. I was compensated and provided complimentary products for this post. All opinions are my own. All of the products I mention today that we use and love will be grouped together in a giveaway at the bottom of this post!

Like me, most of my friends who are parents all know that when cooler temperatures roll around, their kids turn into ticking time bombs just waiting to get sick. Helloooo to my favorite season (fall) but hello as well to canceled plans via lots of seasonal illnesses for everybody (parents and kiddos alike).

A few weeks ago I ran over to Kansas City to pick up my best friend for a weekend visit, and when we got home around midnight I heard my infant coughing a deep cough like I’d never heard from her before; It’s incredible how mamas can  differentiate coughs just like they can with cries. My husband woke up and reported that her cold went from a typical snotty baby cold to a really deep, concerning cold within just a few hours. Her cough didn’t seem to affect her sleep, so we agreed that we’d reassess her condition in the morning.

At 4:30 she woke up to eat, but she could barely nurse due to her nose congestion and deep cough. Thankfully she fell back asleep relatively quick, but now I was the one who was extremely unsettled listening to her cough in her sleep the way she was. With little ones, especially ones who cannot talk yet, it’s so hard to tell if their colds are just viral infections or something more serious.

I wanted to help her and didn’t know what to do; I’d never seen or heard her this sick before. I remembered that I’d received the Vicks® Winter Wellness Care Package just two days prior (very fortunate timing), so I flipped on our living room light and cracked open the box at 5 a.m. on a Saturday.

Jamie heard me awake, so he came to see what on Earth I was doing. He sat down with me and helped me dig everything out. I just prayed that something in there would give Sadie a bit of relief until we could get her to the doctor, if need be.

We pulled out a brand new Vicks® Mini Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier as well as insertable Vicks® VapoPads and a water-sanitizing fish (Protec Cleaning Fish) to go into the tank; This fish reduces up to 99% of odor causing bacteria, unsightly mold and algae growth versus untreated humidifier surfaces for up to 30 days. We exchanged our old humidifier for this new one, and were really happy to immediately smell what a difference the Vicks® VapoPads made. The sanitizing fish also gave us peace of mind that the water vapor being emitted was clean like it should be.

We also found the Vicks® Humidity Monitor that Jamie read up on and set up in her room. Having proper humidity levels in the home can reduce the survival of flu viruses on surfaces and in the air.

Finally, I was happy to find more Vicks® VapoRub™ Topical Ointment (a staple in this house that I put on Hadley and Sadie’s chests when they have colds) and a brand new thermometer (the Vicks® SmartTemp™ Wireless Thermometer) that actually works with an app to record a load of helpful info for the whole family (of course there’s an app for that, right?)

Back to Sadie – We did end up taking her to the doctor that day and then again three days later because her cold was lingering still. One of the doctor’s top recommendations was to be sure we had a clean humidifier that we ran consistently when she’s in her room. Knowing that we had just received the Vicks® Wellness Package made me breathe a big sigh of relief that I was doing everything on my end to help her rid her lingering cold.

When it comes to preparing for cold and flu season, I received the best, most practical advice before Jamie deployed last year. A friend told me to identify all kind of health aides (humidifier, medicine, vapor rub, and more) and have it all on hand at the beginning of the season. She said that illnesses often rear their head out of the blue, and the last thing one will want to do is run out to grab essentials. Having them already on hand is key when preparing for the inevitable.

Between MOPS, the church nursery, and preschool, both of my girls are in childcare rooms often, and that doesn’t even include routine outings to our children’s museum and other indoor play places. Knowing what’s surely coming (viral infections of sorts), we’re happy that we have the Vicks® Mini Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier on hand, as well as other essentials from Vicks® for when we need them.

You can shop for your own Vicks® Mini Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier at Walmart by clicking here.

Giveaway!

I’ve teamed up with Vicks® to give away one Winter Wellness Care Package box to one Whimsical September reader so that your family can be prepared as well when potential illness roams into your home.

This box will include:

Vicks® Mini Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier (in blue, green or pink)
Vicks® SmartTemp™ Wireless Thermometer
Protec Humidifier Antimicrobial Cleaning Fish
Vicks® VapoPads
Vicks® Humidity Monitor
Puffs Plus® Lotion
Vicks® VapoRub™ Topical Ointment

Approximate Retail Value: $132

Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. Good luck! A winner will be announced on November 23rd.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest entrants are only eligible to win once per sweepstake, per household as a part of a campaign sponsored by Influence Central and must reside in the United States. Giveaway entry period will close on November 22nd, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. EST.