CHILDREN DO NOT MERELY SNEEZE– THEY SNEEZE IN YOUR FACE!
It’s that lovely time of year again where everyone seems to be stricken with some sort of cough, cold or flu. I was reminded of this while on a plane heading home for the holidays. Nothing like the continuous symphony of coughing and sneezing in a tight enclosed space thousands of feet in the air to make one a quick germaphobe. There is also nothing quite like the constant coughing and sneezing in your face by a helpless and “does not know any better,” baby.
I am not an “expert” on staying well. However, I will say that before leaving my preschool job, I had about a month of accumulated personal time (recently converted from just “sick time”) that I had to use up before I left. I do not usually call in sick. Knock on wood. So, I wanted to share with all of my nanny comrades in sickness some of my tips on staying well during germ warfare.
- The OBVIOUS: Wash your hands (A LOT), eat healthy, drink plenty of fluids and try to get at least 8 hours of sleep. I told you that it was obvious!
- MORNING DRINK: I have three choices; A. green tea , B. EMERGEN-C, and/or C. lemon cayenne pepper tea. To make lemon cayenne pepper tea you squeeze half a lemon into hot water and a dash or three of cayenne pepper. Side note: I used to think that my grandfather was nuts for drinking anything with cayenne pepper in it. Lemon cayenne pepper tea is rough to drink BUT the stuff works, especially for throat issues.
- WELLNESS FORMULA or COLD SNAP Herbal Supplements: Here is the part of the blog where you will probably call me a hippie and I am fine with that. When I first heard of these so called, “herbal pills,” from a person at Whole Foods no less, I thought the same thing. Heck, one of the tag-lines of these supplements says For a Righteous Chi! You can call me whatever you want to but you have to try these things first. I find that either one of these supplements works and I recommend buying them from Amazon and NOT Whole Foods ☺. Take throughout the day as directed on bottle.
- AT NIGHT: To add to my hippie flare, here is another suggestion. If you have an essential oil diffuser, you can diffuse some sort of immune support essential oil blend at night. Whether you have a diffuser or not, just get enough sleep!
I know that I just gave you an everything but the kitchen sink of wellness routines, but these all work for me. I try to do all of these steps until I am fairly sure I am free and clear from getting sick. If you have any wellness tips of your own that you would like to share with the group, please leave a comment!
Angela Raschke, nanny and preschool teacher extraordinaire has been working with children forever and is known to be highly outgoing, creative, and innovative. She currently holds her MA in Art Education and is working for one of our awesome San Diego families, taking care of an adorable baby boy!
