Just as I thought the better weather was upon us here and we could bid farewell to winter colds, two of the children have come down with a nasty cough and cold.

I am not a fan of cough mixture so always try to manage by increasing fluid and riding it out.

We have found a humidifier useful in the past, and for a night time cough the thing which has consistently worked well for the whole family has been rubbing Vicks Vapour Rub into the soles of the feet and putting socks over the top. For the little ones we use the baby equivalent Snufflebabe.

For the older children something else which is useful is Kaloba. This is a herbal remedy that can be used to ease coughs, colds, runny noses, sore throats and blocked noses. The tablets are suitable for children and adults over 12 but the syrup can be used for children 6 and over, as can the oral drops. I favour these as they are sugar, wheat and gluten free as well.

These products are great to have in and can be given at the first sign of a cold to ease symptoms. The truth is that a pesky cough and cold can strike at any time of the year so it pays to be prepared. One of my worst colds was during the summer, well if you can call it summer in North Wales that is!

How about you? What have you found helpful?