When we enrolled Evan in daycare, we were told by parents to expect him to be sick for the first 3, 4, 5 years of his life. Of course, I figured there were would be some sickness with all the germs flying around, but I didn’t know they meant it literally.
Since enrollment in September 2025 (on his birthday), his cold has not stopped— it was constant, persistent and never ending! I felt like we had MAYBE two good weeks where he didn’t have a runny nose .
I don’t think Evan really had a fever in his first year of life. We know other factors are also at play here:
- Evan’s teeth didn’t really come in until 8/9 months and felt like all 8 appeared overnight
- walking, touching, and licking everything!
Our Cold Survival Kit: Items We Used Daily:
Here are the essential items we keep stocked and ready to go in our cold arsenal:
- Boogie wipes for the win because the runny nose is non stop!
- Boogie Micro-Mist Saline Inhaler – it has served a dual purpose– Evan’s toy that he likes to put on his own face so it’s not a struggle to try to spray him. (We stock up on Boogie Micro-Mist Saline Refills)
- Little Remedies Saline Drops & Frida Baby Nose Frida Saline Mist Spray (Always use saline before suctioning to help loosen the mucus)
- Humidifier – we got one in my third trimester when my congestion got so bad! We repurposed the cold humidifier for Evan; I try not to use it because I am paranoid about mold growing in there!
- Both types of nose suckers (Evan HATES these snd screams bloody murder when we do it on him)
- Frida Nose Sucker – MVP for getting the snot out! I used to get really grossed out seeing the snot come out so we only started using it after he turned 1. Many moms have raved about it, but I finally experienced the joy of clearing out my child’s nasal cavity of the snot that he doesn’t know how to get out!
- Electric Baby Nose Sucker / Nasal Aspirator – we used this for most of his first year because he didn’t really get sick
- Do’s and Don’ts of your Baby Nasal Aspirator
- My husband figured out the best way to pin him down is between our legs with his arms under each of our legs
- If we get desperate, we will resort to this: Baby Nasal Syringe – it seems like it would be the most effective, but Evan would hate it and run away from us
- Zarbee’s Soothing balm – we can’t really tell its effectiveness, but we use it on his foot before he goes to bed when he’s very congested
I’m sure there are more things that i am not remembering. It is absolutely exhausting and heartbreaking to see them sick, but having these items on hand makes those 4 AM wake-ups just a little less miserable. What is the one non-negotiable cold item in your nursery?
Hey, New Mom! 
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