That photo has nothing to do with my entry but I love it anyway because that is the look of sheer anticipation and joy. Pearl is a typical Beagle in that she is cute but also an awful, horrible, no-good day dog. However, if there is ever anything I can do to get her to calm down and behave herself for a few minutes, it’s while I am busy filling up her Kong toy with peanut butter.
When I mentioned that Breanna was waking up every night because her cough kept her from sleeping, a few people suggested that I put Vicks Vapor Rub on her feet at bed time. I had actually heard that before, but had always thought it was an old wive’s tale, right up there with not raising your arms overheard while pregnant because you’ll strangle your unborn baby with the umbilical cord (yes, I was told this once). I didn’t think it would actually do anything and was reluctant to try it because I knew you weren’t supposed to use the rub on a young child’s chest because the camphor is too strong for their lungs and could cause seizures, blablabladeathandmayhem.
And you know, while I know safety standards evolve, that’s one of those things that makes me stop and ask, “really?” Because I don’t know about you, but I spent a great deal of my childhood with Vicks on my chest so I could breathe at night during cold and flu attacks and I never had a seizure, died, or grew a second head. Sometimes I wonder how the human race has survived at all!
Anyway! After a bit of research I determined that putting the rub on Breanna’s feet wouldn’t endanger her health and, depending on who you asked, it would either help her or do diddly squat to keep her cough at bay. The thing is, although I had heard of the theory before, people leaving comments on my blog and emailing me were actual people who had tried it, not just some anecdotal story about someone’s best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend who heard from this guy who knows this kid who’s going with the girl (Ferris Bueller ahoy!) who tried it out and had it work. I figured I had little to lose and a whole evening of peace to gain, so why not?
I put a thin layer on, stuck her socks on, and got her into bed. She fell asleep easily and quickly, and then proceeded to sleep. For hours! She did not wake up coughing. I had an entire evening where I only had to listen to the breeze blowing through my brain. It was so relaxing and I was able to unwind. The best part was that Breanna also needed that sleep; she woke up so much more refreshed this morning, having finally gotten a good night of sleep again. I am a total believer.
She’s currently sleeping with about half a jar of vapor rub on each foot. This stuff is awesome. It’s the only reason I was able to watch a special night of Criminal Minds, drink two cups of tea, and read more of the very excellent Slumdog Millionaire which is, not surprisingly, even more excellent than the movie was.
Hope your Sunday evening was relaxing and cough-free too!
I bought a container of that Vicks Vapor Rub a couple months ago just to have it handy the next time I got a cold. The theory sounds strange but I’ll try anything to get a few extra hours of good sleep.
Interesting about the Vicks-on-feet! I wonder whether the reason is that it still reaches the airways but at a lower dose? Here in Australia, when i was in elementary school, if you had a cold your mum would put eucalyptus oil on your handkerchief (25 years ago we still carried hankies!) which at least soothed the psyche if not the chest.
Just remembered a fantastic quirky book, Marjorie Bligh’s Homely Hints on Everything, by an eccentric Tasmanian housewife extraordinaire, which advises putting cloves of garlic in your children’s socks over winter to ward off viruses… I think it mentions that after a few days the kids’ breath (and the rest of them??) starts to smell of garlic so maybe it just encourages all the other viral laden kids to keep their distance?
i have heard that Vicks on the feet thing too – however, fyi – I have used Vicks on the chest of my little one – i just mix 1 part Vicks with 3 parts Vaseline to dilute.
English Lavender or Lavandula angustifolia is I feel by far the most effective of the natural sleep remedies. You have the choice of placing a bunch in a little water for the whole bedroom or placing a few seeds and flowers within your pillows. Either way will both aide relaxation during the day and promote a peaceful sleep at night.
I would be wary of putting so much vaporub ANYWHERE on Beanna’s body, because of the Camphor that might be released during the night as a vapour. Small amounts are fine, but half a jar seems a little worring.
‘Wake Forest University’, in the January 2009 issue of Chest, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, suggests that Vicks VapoRub compound used to relieve symptoms of cough and congestion, may instead create respiratory distress in infants and small children. The study reports that the product may stimulate mucus production and airway inflammation, which can have severe effects on the breathing of infants and young children because of the small size of their airways.
Natural is always best.
G
Gary: Seriously? I was pretty sure that people would know that I wasn’t literally putting half a jar per foot on my child. People who read my blog regularly know when I am kidding/exaggerating.
There is no danger to using Vicks on the feet of young kids, which is why it’s recommended in the first place.
Also, while Lavender may be delightful for promoting a peaceful sleep it doesn’t do a darn thing to stop a kid with a horrible cold from coughing all night long.
Thanks anyway.
Vtg – The garlic makes me laugh! Maybe it is indeed just because it keeps sick people away from you! I love garlic when I’m sick, a raw clove eaten by itself really helps a sore throat – you just have to brush your teeth for an hour afterwards! 😀
Ok, the Vicks thing is true. It works. I thought people were nuts, but I did it and I actually slept through the night! As for Pearl, she looks a LOT like my Jack. He is also sweet…and OH SO BAD!
CJs last blog post..Recession At Its Finest
Sherry.
I’ve only just started reading your blog, so i’m just getting a handle on your sense of humour. Plus spending 20 years in science has tended to blunt my ‘subtlety meter’ a little.
Glad that Breanna’s ok.
BTW, I got your blog from Twitter. I can also see why my friend Jem (JeremySpiller) is addicted to it. Since he ‘promoted’ it when we last all met in Beaconsfield, i’ve seen just how addictive it can be.
The ‘Garden Wall’ of the 21st century you might say!
G
Gary – Fair enough! My sense of humor is often very sarcastic and/or dry, and frequently tongue in cheek. I know that doesn’t always come across easily in text when you haven’t been around here long. 🙂