The weather is turning colder, which means that, unfortunately, we’re on the brink of cold and flu season. We’ve already passed one particularly nasty cold around our household, and I’m definitely not anxious for another bout.
So when Walmart asked me to put together a Cold/Flu Get Better Kit, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “What a fantastic idea!” I mean, how convenient would it be to have a small arsenal of meds and such to combat our family’s colds and flus already on hand? Usually I’m running to the store for this and that on an as needed basis, which is not only stressful and frustrating for me, but leaves the sick family member in misery far longer than necessary.
Walmart is a one-stop shop for cold/flu needs, so I made a list of my necessities and went shopping. My first stop was the pharmacy area to stock up on pain relievers and more. Here’s a list of what I bought for my kit:
- Equate Ibuprofen
- Equate Acetaminophen
- Equate Junior Strength Ibuprofen
- Equate Junior Strength Acetaminophen
- Equate DayTime/NiteTime Sinus
- Equate Nasal Spray
- Equate Children’s Multi-Symptom Cold & Fever Liquid
- Halls Cough Drops
- Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Swivel Stick
As you probably noticed, I chose the store brand Equate products in almost all instances. I’ve always been very pleased with how well they work for our needs, and choosing store brand is a simple and easy way to save in the pharmacy area.
I think all of the items are pretty straightforward for a cold and flu kit, but you might be wondering about the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Swivel Stick. I discovered these when my kids were very young while looking for something to soothe their chapped cheeks in the wintertime. It’s now a staple in my purse each winter because it’s perfect for soothing chapped skin and lips, most especially around the nose area that gets rubbed raw from tissues. And the scent is just heavenly!
Speaking of tissues, no cold and flu kit would be complete without several boxes of Kleenex. I’m a big fan of the Kleenex Cool Touch tissues — they’re so cool and soothing, and I tuck the Kleenex travel packs into purses, backpacks, sports bags, car consoles, and more.
I also picked up a couple of cans of Progresso Chicken & Dumpling soup to keep in the pantry. I think it’s safe to say that we all far prefer my homemade chicken noodle soup when we’re sick, but the Progresso will do for an easy lunch when one of us is feeling under the weather.
In my opinion, prevention is far more important that treating the symptoms once we’re sick, so I also grabbed a bottle of Bolthouse Farms C-Boost juice. The extra vitamin C will help boost my kids’ immune systems to hopefully help them fend off germs before the get sick. I also do a lot of reminding them to take extra care in washing their hands thoroughly and frequently.
One last thing I’d recommend for any cold and flu get better kit is one of these no-sew rice heating pads! We actually have several of them, keeping some in the freezer for bumps, bruises, headaches and such, and several others that we can warm in the microwave to soothe aching muscles.
What items do you keep in your cold and flu get better kit?
