It was near the top of my pre-mommy list of things I’d never do.

I’d never yell at the kids. I’d never say, “because I’m the mom, and I said so.” And I’d never make them suffer Vicks Vaporub.

So far I’ve broken two out of those three vows. The final could fall the next time the nightime sniffles hit.

According to a study published this month in Pediatrics, Vaporub does indeed work for easing stuffiness. It was a small study, granted – only 138 kids. But its results showed that Vaporub worked better than petroleum jelly or doing nothing to ease cough, congestion and sleep difficulty.

Dang. Looks like my mom was right. I hate when that happens.

Not totally right, though, because she used the wrong technique. I remember having enough VapoRub shoved up my nostrils that I couldn’t tell whether it or congestion was causing the breathing troubles. I was never sure if she was trying to help me breathe or end my snoring permanently.

Doctors now frown on that, particularly with babies. Physicians can get picky when it comes to suffocation hazards.

What concerns me about the new study, though, is the “mild irritant adverse effects” reported. I’m not sure what those were, but I do know that some of the ingredients in VapoRub can trigger asthma attacks in some people.

Given the week of hassles I’ve just gone through with Big Guy, I’m not sure I’m going to be in a rush to try it. Boots is out, too. They sleep practically on top of each other, and I don’t know of any way to corral the fumes.

That’s too bad. I was almost looking forward to taking advantage of this bit of parenting nostalgia, if for no other reason than to show the guys how bad we had it back in the day when we had to walk four miles to school, uphill both ways in the snow.

Copyright 2010 Debra Legg. All rights reserved

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