11 Important Things Your Sick Baby Needs

The 11 most important things you should have before baby gets sick

Having a sick baby is one of the most stressful things a new mom experiences. Having the right products on hand ahead of time prevents those last-minute panic trips to the pharmacy.

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Stock up on these 11 important things now, and you’ll thank yourself later:

• rectal thermometer
• alcohol prep wipes
• lubricant
• snot sucker
• nasal spray
• nose wipes
• quality moisturizer
• pain meds
• tools to help administer
• humidifier
• hydration aids

1. Rectal Thermometer

Rectal thermometers are the most accurate way to take baby’s temperature. These are especially important to use on newborns, when an accurate reading is a must.

Any rectal thermometer will do, but the FridaBaby Quick-Read Digital Rectal Thermometeris a game-changer. This simple, affordable product is a MUST-HAVE.

When taking rectal readings, FAST is key. Baby is probably not going to be happy about the ordeal, so the quicker you get it over with, the better.

The FridaBaby Quick-Read Digital Rectal Thermometer gives you a reading within just 10 seconds–and it’s accurate. Not only that, but it also is shaped for fool-proof insertion. It can be difficult to know exactly how far you should insert the thermometer, and this one makes that simple.

There are lots of touch-tree thermometers on the market, but none of them are very accurate OR consistent. I’ve spent big bucks on no-touch thermometers, only for them give a different reading each time with WILD inconsistencies and inaccuracies.

(For more information on taking a baby’s temperature, visit:https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/measuring-a-babys-temperature).

2. Alcohol Prep Wipes

Stock up on some alcohol prep wipes. These are great to have on hand to quickly sanitize your rectal thermometer before & after each use (just make sure the thermometer is dry before inserting it).

Sure, you can just clean it with soap and water. Honestly though, when you’re stressing in the moment about baby’s fever and what’s wrong, taking the time to sanitize things is the least of your concerns.

3. Lubricant

Don’t forget the lube for the thermometer. Any kind works. I tend to stick to your basic KY jelly. Some people even use petroleum jelly, but I find this is too thick.

4. Snot sucker

All babies experience runny noses at some point. Instead of using the old throwback bulb sucker like your mom used, you’ll thank yourself for grabbing this one ahead of time.

The famous (or infamous) Nose Frida. Most of you have probably seen this or heard of it, and if you’re thinking, “there is NO WAY I am sucking out my baby’s snot with my MOUTH,” guess what?

Your mouth will not come into contact with snot.

I promise.

There is a filter and a tube between baby’s nose and your mouth. You won’t taste snot, I promise.

This simple tool the best thing you can use to relieve your baby’s congestion. Unlike the old bulb tool, you can actually see through the clear plastic if you’re actually removing anything.

If this is just too weird, Nose Frieda has an electric version as well. I know lots of moms who prefer these, but I personally think the original is way more effective (and it won’t run out of power, AND it’s cheaper).

5. Nasal Spray

Boogie Mist is the absolute best. This is just a simple saline solution to loosen up the snot and hard boogies, but the aerosol squirt nozzle makes a HUGE difference.

Before this, I used a regular saline squirt bottle, and it was INFINITELY harder to aim the spray into the nose. My daughter used to get angry and impatient in the process. Boogie Mist just makes the entire process so much easier.

Boogie Mist also has a scented nozzle. I’m sure the purpose is to make the whole process of snot sucking a little more fun for baby. Does it actually work? Who knows, but it doesn’t hurt!

6. Nose Wipes

Boogie wipes are so handy. The texture of these makes cleaning boogies easy, and they’re saline wipes so they help clean the boogies off the face.

Crusty boogies stuck to babies nose? No problem–Boogie Wipes have you covered.

7. Quality moisturizer

After lots of nose wiping, you’ll want to have a good lotion on hand in case the nose area gets chapped.

My favorite for this purpose is CeraVe Baby Moisturizing Cream because it’s super gentle and acts as a skin protectant to protect against future nose wipes.

8. Pain meds

Pain meds are a given. Have both Tylenol and Motrin on hand.

This is in case you need to alternate them every 3 hours. If baby has a high fever, your pediatrician may advise you to do this. If you’re concerned about red dye, there are many dye-free options for both.

9. Tools to help administer medicine

You definitely want to have medicine syringes. Have a few of varying sizes on hand.

You may also want to have the Pacidose handy. Babies all take differently to medicine, but this can be handy if baby JUST WON’T take the meds.

10. Humidifier

You can use either a warm or cool mist humidifier.

The main difference is there is less risk of burns with a warm mist humidifier. However, if it’s in a safe spot where there is no risk of baby pulling at the cord and getting burned, this isn’t a problem.

Cool mist humidifiers are more popular because there’s no risk of baby getting burned with hot water. However, they do need to be cleaned more often, as they are more prone to mold build-up.

11. Hydration aids

Fevers are dehydrating. So, keeping baby hydrated is one of the most important things to focus on when caring for a sick baby. Not only is the goal to prevent dehydration, but also to push that illness out of the body.

Pedialyte helps hydrate baby if they’re not taking fluids well. *Only use this if baby is over a a year old*. I recommend getting one WITH sugar, because my daughter absolutely hated the sugar-free taste and refused to drink it—which defeated the purpose.

Popsicles are a great way to get toddlers to take in fluids. They’re sweet and tasty, which makes them more appealing than water, Pedialyte, or other fluids. They’re also cold, which helps bring the body temperature down.

Conclusion

Having all the right products on hand before baby gets sick is extremely useful.

However, when dealing with a sick baby, the absolute most important things to focus on are to make sure baby is:

1) hydrated,

and

2) getting lots of sleep.

Fevers are dehydrating, and fluids are needed to push whatever’s making baby sick out if their system. Offer up extra bottles or feedings to push, push, PUSH those fluids!

Sleep is an obvious must. They might be sleeping more than usual, which could throw off their normal sleep routine. For now, sleep is more important. Just let them sleep.

I hope this guide helps. I didn’t have all these things on hand when I needed them, and I have needed ALL of them.

Best of luck!

xoxo