Friday 1 March 2013

Sleep Easy, Breathe Easy (Olbas review)

Before heading to sunnier climes, I was invited to attend an Olbas Round-table event, hosted by sleep expert and child paediatrician, Kathleen McGrath. Now Pickle hasn't always been the best sleeper.  Kathleen (who has also worked with The Sleep Council) gave advice that was logical and common-sense, but sometimes it's good to hear from someone "qualified" that I was doing the right thing. Since a couple of weeks before Christmas, Pickle began to Sleep Through The Night. Yes, this deserves capital letters, as I'd previously been surviving on less than six hours of broken sleep each and every night!

Any disruption to Pickle's sleep not only means we could both be cranky in the morning, but also that his recovery process will be longer. While he has a pretty good constitution, he has been prone to the odd cold, and is only just learning to blow his nose. Snot Suckers are fantastic - I'm sure there's a more official/marketing preferred name, but that's what I'm going with - we have a basic one, which looks like a miniature turkey baster. Totally gross, but strangely satisfying at the same time - a few other trusted Mummies agree, so it's not just me, OK! I've known of and used Olbas Oil with Pickle, placing a few drops on the corners of his cotbed sheets, as well as in his humidifier.

Made with a combination of essential pure plant oils, such as eucalyptus, mint, clove, juniper-berry and cajuput, Olbas products are formulated to help noses large and small breathe easy and aid in a good night sleep. What I didn't realise was the variety of products in the Olbas range. As well as the usual Oil, there is a lower strength version for children, an Inhaler, Pastilles and Lozenges, a liquid for the Bath (from 3-years old... so I might be pinching some of this for my own use) and Tissues (though I've been warned to make sure these aren't the only tissues in my bag if I'm caught short at a public toilet sans toilet paper - eyes wincing at the thought).


Here are Kathleen’s Sleep Easy, Breathe Easy tips...



And while we are in Oz, Pickle has had a night or two with a stuffy nose after catching a chill post-swimming or just from getting caught in the rain (it is the wet-season after all) - so I am very glad I decided to pack the Olbas Oil in our luggage.

I'd love to know any other suggestions you have to help kids with blocked noses? Or just assisting them to sleep better generally?

Cheers, KangaRue :)

Disclosure: Sponsored post, though all views are my own.

3 comments:

  1. I remember my brother & sister-in-law hiring / buying a steam ventilator thingy for my niece's bedroom when she was little and stuffed up. The oil sounds like an easier option!

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  2. We had a humidifier in the UK also, and the Olbas in that worked wonders. Not as necessary to have one here though.

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  3. In London we had a humidifier (the steam thing you're talking about) and the Olbas Oil in that works wonders. Not as necessary to have it here though.

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