I’m still trying to get over that flu that has been going around. Pretty much got the kids past it, but I’m still suffering some. But I’m up and around enough now to share some of the things I did to make my kids more comfortable.

I did use Tylenol to help with fevers; high as they were I didn’t see a better option. I prefer to limit that as much as possible. And my daughter ended up on an antibiotic because her fevers continued too long, too high, and she developed an ear infection. I really, REALLY hate using antibiotics unless they’re necessary. Seemed reasonable enough this time. Only the second time in her life she’s needed them.

Cool compresses are good for fever also, but this time they really weren’t enough.

The rice bag is a favorite of mine if you need some warmth. This was great for my daughter’s ear infection, and it helped me too when I was just dealing with chills and body aches. It’s a cloth bag that has been filled about halfway with rice and sewn shut. Mine is a lightweight denim, and then a second bag over it of terrycloth. The second bag is not sewn shut, so it can be washed without getting the rice wet.

The rice bag goes into the microwave for 4-5 minutes or so, then stays warm a pretty good amount of time. For my daughter’s ear infection her pediatrician recommended moist heat, so I wrapped the bag in a plastic grocery bag to protect it from dampness, then a towel, then gave her a damp, warm washcloth. The rice bag helped it to stay warm longer than it would have otherwise. If you’ve ever tried to get a nice damp heat to something, you know that it can be a bit of a pain to keep the heat up.

Having everyone sick made me realize that I really need more than one rice bag in the house. They are really easy to make, so I suppose I should just pull out the sewing machine one of these days, find a sturdy enough cloth and go at it. Might even throw in some dried lavendar or something for a nice scent.

Airborne is pretty popular in my home too. We throw it into smoothies so that we don’t have to taste it, and there’s just this slight fizziness to the smoothies. And of course all the fruits and such in the smoothie are really good for you anyhow.

We used honey for the kids’ coughs. It’s been recommended by the FDA that cough medicines really shouldn’t be used for children, and apparently honey is more effective. It has also been suggested that cough medicines aren’t too effective on adults either. I have to admit, I loved the taste of honey as a kid, but taking a spoonful of it now just isn’t that appealling. A small taste is much better.

Tea tree oil is a favorite for congestion. Most often we put a few drops along the rim of the tub while showering; the tea tree oil then evaporates enough to have an impact on congestion along with the steam of the shower. I’ve used it cautiously in baths, and you do have to be careful. Too much irritates the skin in some rather tender areas, in my experience. A couple drops is plenty.

Baths work really well for calming sick kids. I don’t do them too cool, even with fevers. It’s amazing, though, what a bath with some bubbles can do to cheer up a kid who has been feeling miserable all day.

Let’s not forget the classic, homemade chicken soup. Except this time it was turkey soup that I had stocked in the freezer. Still a great comfort for everyone.

And of course, drink plenty of fluids. When the kids are sick is one of the few times that I don’t fuss if they just want juice all day. They’re drinking and that’s important.

My son is being really reluctant to be potty trained. He’s about to turn 3, and just not quite ready to take that final step. He uses it at bedtime or during dinner as an excuse to leave the table, but any other time is a battle.

I thought a couple weeks ago I had found his key. He loves the color blue, and had been telling me he wanted ‘blue candy’ for going potty. Fine, if it works to get him trained that’s good enough for me. I found gummy blue sharks, cut them up a little because the whole thing would be too long, and he seemed happy.

For a week or two. Then he said it needed to be ‘blue balls’ (never mind the jokes). One of my sisters happened to have a container of blue jelly beans, excess from a gift basket she had customized. He was really delighted with those, again for a couple weeks.

Now we’re dealing with the disinterest again. He doesn’t care if he’s wet. Worse, he doesn’t care if he’s pooped his diapers, then screams about the ‘fire butt’. He’s stubborn.

But I do so look forward to not having the waste of diapers. They’ve been one of the battles for us, environmentally speaking. You see, my husband is completely against cloth diapers, and not into the alternatives, such as gDiapers. We didn’t hear about those until several months ago anyhow. I don’t win every environmental discussion in the house, although I do try!

We’ve finally decided that it’s just going to take picking a couple days when my husband is off and hauling our son to the potty every hour or so. It’s going to be when my husband can be home because I’ve tried this one before, and there were more tears involved than I like to deal with alone.

But I think my son is about ready to get serious. He’s not ready to just do it on his own, but the idea of ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ underpants really appeals to him. With any lucky, the combination of the reward for using the potty each time, being taken to it regularly and the reward when he’s doing well enough of picking his own underpants will finally get the job done.

Another tactic we’ve considered is letting him roam the backyard freely for much of a day. We’re in southern California, after all, and even right now we’ve been having days warm enough for that. I’ve heard that it can greatly help kids to be aware of what their body is doing. I’m too much of a wimp to want to clean that up in the house, though. My husband has been working on gardening activities, so there’s be plenty of supervision.

Technorati Tags: potty training, diapers, toddlers, kids

It’s been a long day. Really it has more to do with last night being a long night, only because my son didn’t feel much like sleeping. And of course if he doesn’t sleep, neither do my husband and I, until he quiets down.

But we all know how much harder it is to be patient when you’re really, really tired. And that’s been today. Thank goodness my daughter is old enough I can just tell her that Mommy needs a little more quiet today, and she will somewhat comply. Not perfectly, since she’s only 5, but it helps.

A part of how I coped today was by declaring it a lazy day. I worried less about how much the television was on. The rules on that are normally strict enough to ensure lots of creative play. They’re back to ‘off’ again, and the play is wilder and louder, but I got a lot of relative peace.

And do you know how much fun it is seeing kids figuring out what is recyclable on their own? Very cute. They’re getting the idea that I need just a little me time, and playing well together.

Kids are expensive. No one can argue that. But they can also be tough on the environment, especially with how fast they go through clothes.

There are a few things you can do so that your kids’ clothing needs don’t overwhelm your budget too much as you take the environment into consideration.

1. Go used.

In my family we do a lot of hand me downs. This is easiest with infants and toddlers, of course, since at those ages the kids don’t care too much about what they wear.

But hand me downs get more challenging as kids get older. For one thing, kids tend to stain or otherwise damage clothing more as they get older. More challenging is that a sense of fashion often begins to develop.

Fancier dresses are particularly easy to find used for little girls. My daughter has rarely had a brand new holiday dress, but you wouldn’t know it to look at them. Many holiday outfits get worn once or twice by a child before they are outgrown, so the selection in resale shops can be quite attractive.

When hand me downs aren’t sufficient, thrift and resale shops can help fill in the gaps. These are still great sources for used clothing, and sometimes even clothes that have never been worn. You can even find things that are currently in style or have the right brand names when that’s an issue. Or just talk to the kids about why brand really shouldn’t matter, whichever suits your parenting style.

And of course, any clothes that are still in wearable condition you should hand down or send to the thrift shop when your kids are done with them.

2. Set aside play clothes.

My kids can be really, really hard on their clothes. So are most kids. What can really help is to pick some clothes that are quite simply going to be ruined. These are the clothes the kids can do messy art projects in, play in the dirt or otherwise play rough.

3. Master the art of stain fighting.

I’ve written before on removing stains. I think all parents have to deal with this one. No matter how carefully you try to protect the good clothes, stains happen. Kids are often just messy creatures.

There are of course the usual stain fighters available at the grocery store, but there are many more natural products you can use as well. You can buy products at natural food stores that do a fair job of stain removal, or look in the kitchen cabinets.

A product I like to use is Simple Green. It’s available at many grocery or Target-type department stores. It’s nontoxic and biodegradable, so meets a lot of my standards for a good cleaning product.

Liquid dish soap does fairly well on a lot of stains, for example. You can combine it with baking soda to make a paste and have it sit for a while if you need a little extra power, but for most of my daughter’s clothes, I just do a presoak in the kitchen sink with dish soap and water. It helps give the dirtier clothes a fair shot at coming clean.

Sunlight can also fade a lot of stains. This is great to know if you already have a clothesline.

White vinegar is also good for many stains. Many people also use it with their detergent in the washing machine. The scent fades away as the clothes dry.

For many stains, the key is to make sure that you catch them before the first time through the wash, and most especially before any time in the dryer. Heat can set the stains.

4. Buy organic if the budget allows.

Considering the cost of most organic clothes, this really won’t work for every family. But it’s worth mentioning. Besides, I figure that using used clothes means your clothes are pretty green right there.

5. Think about how many outfits the kids really need.

I’ve struggled with this one often enough myself. A lot of the problem relates to underestimating how many outfits grandparents will give as gifts. These things add up so fast. I’ve learned to really limit how much I buy in advance of need.

Your kids’ clothes closet may not be the first place you think to look as you work towards a more environmentally friendly life, but it’s a great place to work on making a difference. Some of the greener options even save money, which is near and dear to many a parent’s heart.

Technorati Tags: kids clothes, green wardrobe, stain removal