Nanny to Mommy

As the seasons change, the risk of catching a virus increases. Cold and flu viruses, along with other respiratory infections, are more common during certain times of the year, especially in colder months.

It’s essential to take proactive steps to protect yourself from these seasonal threats. By boosting your immune system and incorporating simple preventative tools into your daily routine, you can significantly reduce your chances of getting sick.

In this article, we’ll explore practical ways to keep viruses at bay and ensure you breathe easily throughout the year.

Spring is often celebrated as a season of renewal and rejuvenation, with flowers blooming, temperature rising, and nature coming back to life. However, for many, spring is synonymous with allergies, a time when airborne pollens and molds can turn the joys of the season into a sneezing, sniffling, and itching nightmare.

Allergies are complex and can vary widely from person to person, making the management of symptoms equally intricate. In this comprehensive guide, we'll unravel the mystery behind spring allergies and provide you with effective strategies to manage them so you can enjoy the outdoors, and indoors, with greater ease.

I received free products in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.

My family and I are allergy sufferers. If you read my blog regularly, then you already know that my daughter and I suffer the most. And since we stay at home more often and are stuck in the house more during the wintertime, controlling the airborne particles in our house is so important. Did you know that you can experience allergies year-round? You may notice watery eyes and runny noses more in the Spring and Fall. Experts are predicting that the 2013 allergy season to last longer this year, well into October and November, depending on the climate where you live. Earlier this year, CNN listed the Top 10 Worst U.S. Cities for Allergy Sufferers – is your city on the list? Thankfully mine is not, but that doesn't mean I haven't noticed them acting up.
Some tips to help reduce in door allergens include washing bedding more frequently, removing shoes at the door, washing hands & face as soon as you come in door, and of course changing your air filters.



The Filtrete Healthy Living Filter captures up to 93 percent of airborne particles, like: pollen, smoke particles, pet dander, household dust, smog contamination, dust mite debris, lint, mold spores, bacteria, particles that can carry viruses (compared to basic pleated filters for the capture of 0.3 to 1.0 micron particles) from the air passing through the filter.

Make sure to check out this video on the importance of changing your filter:


About the Filtrete Healthy Living Filter, MPR 1900:
• Ideal for allergens and small particles like bacteria and virus.
• Captures up to 93 percent of large airborne particles, such as household dust, pollen, mold spores and dust mite debris, from the air passing through the filter
• Captures 4X times more microscopic particles, such as smoke, smog, pet dander and particles that can carry bacteria and viruses, than ordinary pleated filters*
• Last up to three months
• Find them at Lowe’s, Target, Walmart, Costco and your local hardware store; find a location near you by visiting FindMyFiltreteFilter.com.
• MSRP: $19.99-$21.99

Make sure to keep up with Filtrete:
• Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/Filtrete
• Twitter: @Filtrete
• You can register to receive seasonal e-newsletters featuring special offers, filter change reminders, better home living tips and more by visiting our website, www.Filtrete.com.

I received free products in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.

As a member of the Children’s Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit. No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.



With back to school season starting and summer coming to a close, I can feel fall in the air. I think that is because the pollen count has been a little higher (nothing like in the spring), but still enough that my eyes and nose are noticing.

With the second allergy season of the year kicking up, it is important to keep these Back to School Allergy Tips in mind.

1. Be sure to have Children’s Claritin, the #1 pediatrician-recommended non-drowsy allergy brand, on hand!

2. Multi-vitamins are building blocks to having a strong immune system. Make taking a multi-vitamin part of your child’s daily routine.

3. Let there be light! Mold doesn't like sunlight, so try to keep your curtains open during the day. Should be easy during the summer months!

4. Did you know that most pillows trap allergens, dust mites, and bacteria? Monitor the cleanliness of the pillow your child with allergies sleeps on and replace if necessary.

5. Back to school season means lots of laundry for many moms. Be sure to remove laundry from the washing machine promptly. Allowing wet clothes to sit in the washer means mold can quickly grow there.

6. Monitor pollen counts and adjust outdoor before and after school activities accordingly. Dry, windy days can be particularly high in pollen.

7. Showering or bathing at the end of the day as opposed to the morning can be helpful in removing allergens from body surfaces and hair.

8. Stay hydrated! Always send your child to school with a bottle of water. Drinking lots of clear fluids through the day can help get rid of toxins and flush out body.

9. Peak pollen production typically occurs in early morning, so try to plan outside activities at other times of the day.

P.S. Vote for Play with Children’s Claritin & KaBOOM!

As a member of the Children’s Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit. No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.

Please Vote For Us! :D

I am a member of Children's Claritin Mom Crew. As a member I may receive promotional items to facilitate some posts. All opinions are my own.

Seasonal allergies are bad enough when you have to cope with them on your own behalf, but when your kids are struggling with the same thing, it’s another level of difficulty entirely.

Typically, kids are more susceptible to summer allergies and will get heavier symptoms like sneezing, respiratory issues and nasal drainage, which can mean a lot of frustration for them.

At that point, it becomes imperative that you get your child’s symptoms under control, for both their sanity and your own. Most kids will tolerate a certain amount of sniffling and sneezing, but after a while, it can start to affect their mood and temperament.

1. Vitamin C — Kiwis, oranges and strawberries are all high in vitamin-C and they’re easy sells for your kids. In addition to being great for your child’s immune system, vitamin-C has an anti-inflammatory element that can reduce nasal and sinus irritation, thereby cutting reducing sneezing and other symptoms.

You can get vitamin-C supplements, but chances are you can get your recommended daily dose from just eating the aforementioned foods.

2. Drink water and turn on the air conditioning — If you’ve been stingy with the air conditioning, now would probably be a good time to turn it up and cool things down a bit.

Not only will you and your family be more comfortable, but air conditioning can actually reduce the effect of allergies in your home and cause you to have fewer symptoms when you’re indoors.

If you can do that while also encouraging your suffering child to drink more water, these two strategies alone have the potential to provide a significant amount of relief.

3. Aromatherapy and a vaporizer — Aromatherapy using a vaporizer can help ease nasal allergies due to pollen, and it can often do so in a quick manner. Vaporizers do a better job of getting the helpful scents from herbs and essential oils into the air, which can help alleviate the symptoms of summer allergies.

While you can still use aromatherapy without the vaporizer, it’s a helpful solution, particularly during the summer months, since it eliminates the need for burning a hot candle.

4. Calcium and Magnesium — Loading up kids with supplements isn’t a good idea, though in the case of calcium and magnesium, it will be helpful during allergy season. You can easily find a gummy version of the calcium supplement, and while magnesium might require a little more digging, you can likely find a gummy version of that as well.

Aim for about 250mg of calcium and 125mg of magnesium twice a day during the peak of allergy season.

5. Keep them Comfy

You don’t want to see your child robbed of their enjoyment of the summer months, so do what you can to keep them comfortable, especially while they’re in the house.

Protecting them when they’re playing outside will be a bit more tricky, but if you can play your cards right indoors, dealing with the symptoms that come when in direct contact with pollen will be much easier.

Keep your kids safe this summer; Make sure to download your Preparedness Checklist!:



How are you going to keep the kiddos safe this summer?