With fall almost here, cold season isn’t far behind! Rather than waiting until everyone is already feeling like crud, take a few minutes not to update your supplies so you’re ready when those nasty bugs hit! Trust me, it’s a lot better to be over-prepared ahead of time than to have to drag your tired behind out of bed and to the store when the house is in the throes of sickness! I’ve put together a quickie checklist of a few things I like to keep on hand during the season. Check it out!
5 Things to Keep on Hand for Cold Season
*I received the Instatemp Thermometer mentioned below in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Aside from the usual medications, like fever reducer and cold meds to alleviate your symptoms, it’s a good idea to also check your supplies and make sure you these other items. My list includes:
Feel Good Essential Oils
I’m all about using essential oils in my home. During the cold season, I go through a lot of peppermint and eucalyptus EO. I add both to my diffuser to zap that “sick smell” feeling from the air. Plus these oils help open up my sinuses. I also make cold care bath salts for everyone in my family. Soaking in a tub with the aroma of tea tree, eucalyptus and mint is just heaven when you’re feeling cruddy!
Throat Soothers
I stock up on a multitude of throat-soothing supplies to ease the discomfort of a scratch throat. My must-haves include plenty of tea bags (everything from regular black tea for the morning to herbal lemon tea for night time), cough drops, and hard sour candies (the sour flavor makes you salivate more, which in turn lubricates your dry throat). You can also keep thinks like bouillion cubes or instant soup mix on hand. By keeping these things on hand during cold season, I don’t have to worry about waking up in the middle of the night feeling scratchy and having nothing to soothe me.
“Sick Day” Activities
Being sick is no fun, but I remember whenever I felt miserable, my grandparents would pull out new coloring books, Colorforms (remember those?) and other activities to make the time pass a little faster when I wasn’t napping. Next time you’re shopping on Amazon or at the store, pick up a few puzzle books, coloring books, etc to stash away for a sick day. Don’t forget to get yourself a little something! Adult coloring books are all the rage right now, so you’ll be able to find some really neat ones.
A working thermometer
I have probably a dozen thermometers in my house, but for some reason when I actually need one, I either can’t find it or I discover that it just doesn’t work anymore. This cold season, I’ll be turning to my new ARC Devices InstaTemp thermometer. I really love this thing! It can take your temperature without even touching you. Just hold it slightly away from your head (between .5 to 1.25 inches away), aim and click. Voila, temperature! It has an LCD backlight so you can even read the digital display in the dark. I love it because since it doesn’t actually touch your skin, you don’t have to worry about cross-contamination.
The thermometer is accurate without about .2 degrees but do keep in mind that your temperature is different depending on what part of the body used to measure it. For example, when I take my temp with the InstaTemp thermometer, it usually comes up at 97.6. I get the same reading with the thermometer that you swipe across your forehead. However, when I take it orally, it’s closer to 98.6. This is normal, it doesn’t mean that it’s not working right. WebMD has an excellent conversion chart to give you an idea of what your temp would be if you took it via different methods.
The ARC Devices InstaTemp retails for $39.98. You can grab it from their website or on Amazon. It even comes with a 2-year guarantee!
Heating pad AND cooling packs
I always make sure that I have enough working heating pads for the entire family AND keep a supply of cool packs in the freezer. The heat really helps when I’m dealing with an ear ache. The cold packs are perfect for headaches or those days when you’re just feeling overheated. When it’s too hot out for a heating pad I go through those cool gel packs like crazy!
Of course, I also keep all the other essentials, like medications and comfort foods on hand during cold season, but I wanted to try to give you a few things that you might not automatically think of when you’re stocking up.
Do you have any other “essentials” that help you get through cold season?
That thermometer looks really awesome. It’s definitely important to get ready for the cold season especially if you have kids! This list is pretty accurate.
It’s important to have that kind of thermometer when there are kids in the house. They make life so much easier than the kind I had to endure as a child.
Cold season is the worst! It’s so important to have things to prevent and help get over them quicker! Great post!
I usually have ginger tea when I have a scratchy throat. It does provide quick relief and it also helps with an upset stomach. I agree with you to have a working thermometer handy in the house. With my grandchildren with me 2 or 3 days in a week, it is a must that we have one that works well.
I could definitley get some throat soothers in the house. Always good to have for the just in case.
These are the best suggestions I’ve read to prepare for colds. I kept saying I was going to get a thermometer last year but I let it slip my mind. While it’s fresh on my mind, I need to order one.
I always make sure to keep a thermometer in the house. Also, I stock up on stickers and books and stuff for when the kids have to be home from being sick.
We can never keep a thermometer on hand. It’s either broken or lost. I’d like to have this one.
Since I have very sensitive skin, it can become irritated after blowing my nose so often. I find that applying coconut oil can help reduce the redness and prevent peeling. It is a must have for me.
Coconut oil really is such a wonder oil! I use it for so many things!
We always stock throat soothers at home. This time of the year is really awful due to the cold season.
My son just had a flu last month. I should buy these things so we will always be prepared.
My boys was had a cold last week due to our weather. It’s important to always have a stock of medicnes.
Thanks for the tips. This post will come in handy for many.