Colds are no fun for anyone, but they're particularly uncomfortable for infants. And, as any mom who has every wrestled a baby with a bulb aspirator can tell you, they're not much better for parents either!

The Graco Nasal Clear Nasel Aspirator steps in to remedy this prevailing, snot sucking battle. This battery operated aspirator allows the parent to easily control the amount of suction used, making the experience more comfortable for everyone involved. It comes with two different, soft, silicone tips - one for smaller newborn nostrils and one for older babies. It also features twelve different children's songs to help distract and soothe your ailing little one. The clear cup on the bottom collects mucous in an easy to examine way, so you'll be able to evaluate the level and type of congestion with which your child is dealing.

The Nasal Clear aspirator generally retails for $25, but you can pick one up on Amazon for about $17.50, 30% off the regular price. - Jenn

It's that time of year again. The tissues-everywhere-and-kids-full-of-snot time of year. For most adults and older children, this time of year is a nuisance, but for infants, the sicknesses that tend to come with the winter months can be far worse. One of the nastier illnesses making the rounds right now is RSV, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus. Sadly, I know this from experience; my three-month-old and the infant of a friend have both been to the hospital with cases in the last two weeks.

While RSV presents typical cold symptoms in most people, including runny nose and a cough, the virus is pretty nasty for babies. Because they are so small, babies (especially those under six months of age) have a more difficult time fighting the virus. They are more likely to develop more severe symptoms such as a high fever and upper and/or lower respiratory tract infections, like bronchiolitis (a viral respiratory disease) or pneumonia.

Because RSV is a virus, there is no treatment other than to help alleviate the symptoms of the illness. This can be done by propping up the baby's head while sleeping and using a bulb nasal aspirator or Nosefrida to keep mucus from nasal passages. Humidifiers can help the baby to clear congestion, and medications such as Tylenol or Motrin may be suggested by the pediatrician to help control any fever that arises. More severe symptoms may require a visit to the hospital for the baby to be placed on oxygen and receive additional breathing treatments.

So how can you keep RSV out of your home in the first place? Because RSV is fairly contagious through casual contact, starting with a period about three days before symptoms even appear, it is hard not to catch RSV. However, like with most illnesses, frequent hand washing is said to be the most effective way to keep the RSV virus at bay.

More information about RSV can be found from the Centers for Disease Control and WebMD. If your child shows symptoms of a cold that continue to get worse, keep the possibility of RSV in mind and seek the advice of baby's pediatrician. - Sara I.