Stay one step ahead with alternative cold treatments for little ones

All items reviewed are available at One Step Ahead. Please check out their site; it's great one-stop shopping for busy parents.

To enter the contest, please share how you and your family currently treat colds and the flu. For example, I use a chest rub on Buttercup for congestion and give her honey to fight coughs. Also, your entry MUST include which prize you prefer: the humidier or the alternative cold remedy gift pack which includes the remaining items reviewed in the vlog.

Your entry will not count without this information, nor will it count if you tell me you want both. Oh, and U.S. entries only, please.

Entries will be accepted until midnight, EST, Feb. 11, 2009 and the winners will have four business days from the announcement date to contact me with their information or an alternate will be selected.

Additional extra entries are also available if you:
* Become a fan of Berrie Sweet Picks on Facebook
* If you are already a facebook fan of either group, let me know in a comment on my fans page for your extra entry for this contest.
* subscribe to my RSS feed and comment letting me know you did so.
* Blog about contest and link to this post.
* Non-bloggers can email three of their friends about the contest at berriesweet.info (at) gmail (dot) com and CC me on the email. Girl Scout's honor that I will never bother these sweet people. I promise!
* Grab my Berrie Sweet Picks button and place it on your blog page. I'll check!
* Follow me on Twitter! (nickname: berriesweetest)
* Tweet the contest leave a comment with your username telling me what you said to your "tweeple"!
* Vlog about the contest and post at www.newbaby.com!

Please note all entries MUST include a valid email address to be considered for the drawing! That means that well, all entries must include an email address to be considered valid. Simple enough, right? ;)

Go eco-friendly when fighting your cold

It happens every time: Buttercup gets sick and I just bide time until I get whatever little germs she is carrying passed on to me and then end up with a worse cold than she had.

But now I've got a little extra-something in my mommy-arsenal to help get me back on track sooner (since we all know that the world does not stop spinning for sick moms, although I really think it should.)

I had the opportunity to try Cold-Eeze zinc lozenges, which are clinically proven to help reduce the duration and severity of a cold by 42 percent (or within three to four days). It's the Zinc itself that helps get your immune system boosted, and it also gets your system an extra kick in helping fight infections.

But don't make the mistake like I did of waiting for a full-fledged cold hitting you before giving these a try. My sister had much better results when she started the COLD-EEZE lozenges as soon as she felt her cold coming on. She just followed the directions and took a lozenge every two-to-four hours, and she cleared her cold much faster than I did (and didn't have to call in sick to work!)

As for me, I sat at home on the couch popping Organix Cough and Sore Throat Drops like they were going out of style. And even though I would have gladly forced down anything to get rid of my cough and soothe my throat, I liked the taste of these cough drops. I also like that they are the first over-the-counter cough and sore throat drops that are Certified Organic.

Try them out for yourself the next time a cold gets the better of you. Organix are available in Organix is available in Dark Chocolate Mint flavor, Purely Peppermint, Orchard Cherry and Golden Honey Lemon.

Oh, and eco-friendly bonus alert: Even the twist wraps of each lozenge is made from fully compostable corn starch! How's that for sweet?

Vicks: Helping moms through cold and flu season

Getting sick is no fun at all, and it's actually why I'm trying to play catch-up now with my blogs, contests, and reviews! Friday Buttercup had me up until 6 a.m. with vomiting and an evil diaper rash brought on by her upset belly. And then when she started getting better on Sunday, I got whatever she had (and so did my sister!). The result was not fun.

I had what must have been a 24-hour flu bug, complete with all the bells and whistles. I think I must have slept through most of the day, and when it came time to check my temperature in the dark with Buttercup sleeping next to me on Sunday night, I could only thank Vicks Comfort Flex InSight Digital thermometer.

Instead of having to reach for the light each time and chance waking up a sleeping toddler, I was able to rely on the large color-changing display to help me determine of I had a high temp (red for readings 101.0 degrees F or higher), a mild one (99.0-100.0 degrees F), or if it had finally broken (97-98.9 degrees F).

It also takes accurate temps in as little as 8 seconds and has a memory feature to help you keep track of how you and your little ones are doing compared to the last time.

Parents of infants have the option of taking the temperature rectally, as is recommended by pediatricians, and under the arm for children four and younger. The comfort-flex tip gives you the option, and makes it a great choice of thermometer no matter the age of your child.

The Vicks Comfort Flex Insight Thermometer is available at Walmart for $9.48.

Vicks also sent a Germ Free Warm Mist Humidifier for us to try, and I immediately set it up in Buttercup's room. Here's a quick vlog of her reaction to her new Humidifier.

I used to think that humidifiers were only needed when a child was sick, but I've learned a lot since reading through the product packaging. Keeping the humidifier going in Buttercup's room will help improve her overall health during the colder months and keep her room more comfortable. And should she get a cold or the flu again, all I have to do is add a bit of Vicks VapoSteam for the added benefit of a vaporizer.

This really is an incredibly mom-friendly product, with two easy-to-change 1 gallon tanks that run for up to 24 hours (or three nights without refilling), easy to use controls and an automatic shut-off feature to help control humidity levels, and is filter free with dish-washer safe water trays! Even more important is the patented germicidal UV chamber which safely kills up to 99.999% of bacteria, mold and spores.

The result is air that is easier to breathe and proven relief from colds and flu.

The Vicks GermFree Warm Mist Humidifier (V790) has a suggested retail price for $99.99 and is available at Babies R Us, RiteAid, Meijer and other major retailers and drug chains nationwide.

Get more information at the Vicks website.