To rinse or not to rinse

I received Afrin PureSea (Thank You, Afrin!!) in the mail last week to try out because of my nasal irrigation post back in January ’09 (check it out for more information on nasal irrigation).  Afrin PureSea is a hydrating nasal rinse which is supposed to promote clean nasal passages.  It is a non-medicated isotonic product and  it is 100% natural-source purified sea water; which means it’s probably better than tap water.

I was really excited about receiving my samples because wouldn’t you know it, Virginia was at the peak of allergy season and the pollen count was through the roof.  That’s the professional term folks!

Needless to say I was miserable.  My sinuses were going crazy.  I didn’t help matters any by spending a lot of time outside and not irrigating my nose regularly.  I got three samples, the Medium Stream, the Gentle Mist and the Ultra-Gentle Mist.   I immediately opened the medium stream box and tried it out!  I was so excited!

There were two parts in the box, the bottle with the fluid in it and a spout, a different color for each strength (the color matches the label).  All you do is attach the spout to the bottle and spray away.  I went to the sink, I blew my nose and I sprayed the medium stream into my nose.  It wasn’t what I’m used to; in fact, it was a very mild spray and it was sort of timed, so that if I didn’t hold down the nozzle it kept going for about a second and then it tapered off into a fine sprinkle until it was done. You can hold down the nozzle for a longer spray too.  The first thing I thought was, this would be perfect for my husband to try.  He does not have allergies but it has been so bad around here that even he, the man of steel, got a sinus infection.

For the most part, I liked the medium stream one for myself, so I thought Hubs would like the Gentle Mist one.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t willing to try it.  I think it would have been perfect though, because it’s not the mass amount of water that I use with my regular bottle so it’s not overwhelming.

Next, I tried the ultra-gentle mist bottle on my son, who is almost two.  I must interject here for a moment to say that I will never tell you to stick anything in your child’s orifices, which includes the nose, the ears, the eyes, and any other parts you can think of…  babies and small children are very fragile and you can cause accidental damage.  However, Buddy is almost two years old and he has a history of nasal problems, already!  Doesn’t that stink?   He’s gotten such bad sinus infections that they spread to his eyes and he gets pink eye.  Nasal irrigation has helped him immensely.  Of course, he is not very fond of the idea, so I only do it on a very limited basis and only as a desperate measure.

The ultra-gentle mist was very gentle (I tried it on myself first with the medium stream nozzle that I had already used), but it still had that extended one second or two misting factor, so when the flow started, he turned away and it sprayed him in the face.

The instructions say to lay the child down on their side to use the spray.  I’m sorry, but I don’t think they actually tried that with a real infant.  No child will lay down willingly and allow you to poke, prod, or otherwise do anything to them without squirming around so much it’s futile.  I stand Buddy up on a stool over the sink and tell him to open his mouth and say “ahhhh.”  Saying ahhh keeps them from inhaling the water.  This works best  if the flow is short and quick.  He’s really little so a short mist is all he really needs.  Then I use the booger sucker to clean him out and voila, he’s all set!

My final synopsis is that I would recommend this product to anyone who is contemplating using a nasal cleanser but is afraid to try the Neti Pot.  This is a perfect starter and it works very well.  My only issue with this product is that it is not refillable, so once you’ve used up all the water (which I did quickly), you have to throw away the entire thing and buy a new one.  However, it is not possible to make this item refillable as it has the pressure sprayer feature on it.  There’s probably a sanitary issue as well.

I would definitely buy this product for use on a trip, where I couldn’t take my normal accoutrements for nasal irrigation with me or for use at work when my allergies are really bad.

If you ever have a question about using such a product, you should always consult your physician.

I hope you’ve found this review helpful.  If you try it, please come back and let me know how it worked for you!

The Sippy Cup Saga

My daughter drinks more than the average Josephine; she always has.  When she turned four, I decided to step up from the standard sippy cup and move up to one with a straw.  I thought this would be an easy feat.  But, it was not a smooth transition; for me.

I went to the store and checked out the selection.  The Nuby Sippy Cup looked good and it had gotten decent reviews online.  It boasted spill-proof-ness, easy cleaning capability, and good travelability.

I bought it. And, I immediately hated it.  Let me tell you why.

First of all, the packaging was horrible!  It came in a two pack very similar to this package.   Just when you thought we were making progress in the “saving wild life” scene, you open up a Nuby Sippy Cup two-pack.  The package was made up of two, soda-sized holes, side by side, in very hard plastic, without perforations or any means of breaking apart the holes.  Any penguin that gets stuck in this sucker is a goner for sure.  I was ready to call Greenpeace!!

After conscientiously cutting up the packaging in hopes of saving a penguin or two, I took apart the sippy cup and put it in the dish washer.  When I pulled it back out, I couldn’t put it back together.  The spill proof spout is on the bottom part of the lid.  Because of the flip lid, you have to slip the straw back in through the bottom, it doesn’t go in through the top.  After much finagling, I was not able to get the spill proof spout to alight properly as it had been when it arrived.  It simply wouldn’t snap back into place!  So, I hadn’t even used it yet and already I had endangered wildlife by buying it and now I couldn’t even use it properly.  That sippy cup was not my friend! I was very disappointed.

I went to the store again.  This time, I found the Playtex Insulator Straw Sippy Cup.  It is the same idea but the package was eco-friendlier and it didn’t have as many parts on the lid.  I bought it.   This sippy cup is the best.  It still has a flip lid and a built-in straw, but the straw is only one part, not two.  And the spout is not removable.  So, when you clean it, you simply use a Q-tip to get into the nooks and crannies of the top part of the straw; the same procedure I use for standard sippy cups.  The straw part can be fully replaced and the rest of the cup is normal.  This sippy cup is portable, easy to clean, and as eco-friendly as plastic packaging can be.  The only down side to this sippy cup is that it’s not BPA free… the Nuby may have been, I don’t remember.

This review is brought to you by a mom who’s kids drink and ride.  Sippy cups should always be spill-proof.