Babes and Kids

Pros:  This is a small, waterless vaporizer that plugs into the wall.  It comes with small vapor pads that you slide into the vaporizer, in the middle of the product.  The bottom part of the vaporizer is a night light which is convenient if you use one in your child's room. The night light part has a sensor and only turns on when the overhead light goes off. The top part has a vent that lets out the vapors which quickly fill the room.  

I really like that this is a soothing product, great for congestion and colds, but doesn't medicate.  It contains a blend of menthol, eucalyptus, camphor, lavender, and chamomile.  Here's a bit of a breakdown as to what they are and their benefit:

Menthol:  Derived from peppermint oil and is known to help soothe sinus and throat irritation.

Eucalyptus: Comes from the Eucalyptus plant and is known to help soothe sore throats, and relieve nose and chest congestion.

Camphor: This herb comes from a Camphor tree and helps stimulate cold receptors in the mucous membranes, which in turn helps to soothe the nose.

Lavender:  Known for it's calming and soothing abilities

Chamomile: This herb, like lavender helps to calm and soothe.

I notice a big difference in both of the boys breathing and coughing when I plug this vaporizer in at night if they have a cold.  If I even walk in the room, I notice I can breathe better and the calming effect it has.  

The small pads that you put in the product last up to 8 hours, which is great for night time, and the plug rotates around to accomodate other things you may have plugged into the outlet.  

Cons:  The nightlight is quite bright, brighter than the other night lights we usually keep in the boy's rooms.  It hasn't been a problem for us, but I could see it being one for a child who may be a light sleeper.  It also can become overpowering if you use this in a small room.  Rowan is in a tiny room right now, and I almost need to keep the door open when we use these because the smell almost seems to be too much.  The pads last 8 hours, but in a bit larger room, it seems like they don't last as long.  You can buy refills for this product, but if you use these often, the price adds up fast as it is about $5-6 for a 5 pack refill.  We only use them when the boys have colds so the cost of it isn't too big of a deal.  

The Bottom Line:  Good compact waterless vaporizer for colds.

Price:  $7-9 for vaporizer, Around $5-6 for a 5 pack refill

Where to Buy:  Walgreens, CVS, Target

Marshall (my DH) came home with an e-mail the other day about Vicks VapoRub.  

The e-mail stated this:

As many of you may already know, my 10 month old has asthma.  He's been on steroids, singulair granuals, and a few different albuterols for breathing treatments.  Some nights when he has a cold he doesn't get a lot of sleep due to coughing and wheezing.  (I don't get much sleep either.)  When Marsh brought this e-mail home, I read through it and decided to give it a try.  I am so pleasantly surprised with how well it works!  Rowan did stop coughing in about 5 minutes.  About 4 hours later, he was up coughing again.  I reapplied the rub to his feet and again he stopped coughing and slept restful the rest of the night.  We've now done this a few nights in a row and it has worked like a charm.  Pretty incredible, huh?  We are using the baby rub too which just has soothing ingredients and is safe for babies 3 months and older.  I might get some of the regular vaporub just to keep on hand though.  It gives me peace of mind to use something like this to calm Rowan's wheezing and coughing rather than an albuterol with a steroid in it.  I'm sure if we used the original vaporub it would stop his coughing for the entire night.

Supposedly this works on adults too, and I am definitely going to try it the next time I get a cold with a cough.