‘Tis the Season for Sick Kids…
‘Tis the season. No, not THAT season. That’s come and gone. ‘Tis the season for sick kids. It seems like it’s one sickness after another this time of year. If one kid’s not sick, another one is! So I thought it’d be fitting to check in our B-Inspired Bloggers to see how those creative mamas survive when they have sick kids…
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How do you survive sick kids, Mamas?
1. Try to Be Selfless & Sympathetic – “I have a hard time being sympathetic, so I have to constantly remind myself to not think, “Just suck it up.” I’m also not a touchy-freely person, so I have to pray for selflessness when they are clingy and whiny. You asked for honesty, right?” Becky from This Reading Mama
2. Take It Easy, Mama! – “I find I have to change my attitude. I like to be busy and I hate when my son watches too much TV so when I realize he’s really sick I just have to relax and find a show I can sit down and watch with him.” Melanie from Raise A Boy
3. Stay in Bed – “Ugh. Sick toddlers are no fun, and sick TWIN toddlers are a unique brand of torture! Last time we all had a nasty cold together we ‘marooned’ ourselves in our king-sized bed with piles of books, snacks, toys, and a few DVDs. When we were feeling a bit better, we moved the snuggle-pad to a blanket fort in the living room.” Stephanie from Twodaloo
4. Try a “Spoonful of Sugar” – “My biggest challenge with sick kids is getting them to take their medicine. Out of desperation I came up with a solution that worked perfectly for us. I couldn’t get the kids to drink the medicine from the dropper or the little cup that came with the bottle but if I poured it into the ‘turtle cup’ (a mug with a crazy looking turtle on it), added a tablespoon or 2 of apple juice and a sprinkle of sugar and gave them a straw to drink it with, they downed it in a matter of seconds. Mary Poppins was right-a spoonful of sugar does make the medicine go down.” Heather from Small Fry & Co.
5. Laugh! – “We both plop on the couch, surrounded by pillow piles, a stack of cartoon DVDs, a bowl of popcorn followed by a ‘herd’ of hugs and a ‘gaggle’ of kisses! I find that laughter can truly be the best medicine!” Julie from Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk
6. Sensory Play – “I tend to dig into our sensory play stash on days like [that] and let them have lots of free-play with fun materials to help keep their minds off their ailments. And we never change out of our PJs!” Stephanie fromTwodaloo
7. Build a Tent – “[We play in] small tents with flashlights (sometimes we put a DVD player in the tent with their favorite movie on).” Sheila from Pennies of Time
8. Keep Them Close – “The last time my daughter was very sick we set up a little resting station for her in the living room with a small mattress, some stuffed animal friends, board books, pillow and blankets. The station was set up so that we could be close by instead of on a different floor of the house and I could easily comfort her when needed while still giving her some cozy space to rest and do some quiet play.” Ariadne from Positive Parenting Connection
9. Understand Their Limitations – “When Goblin is properly ill (ie. with a temperature) he doesn’t want to be kept busy. He just wants to flop on us and watch TV all day, and that is fine. When it’s just a cold we try and carry on as normal (obviously minus play dates). As he is recovering from an illness he finds it harder to regulate his temper and often plays more violently with toys so I need to find things that are less frustrating for him and won’t hurt if he throws them. So we break out the play dough or rainbow rice, and we read lots of books.” The Monko from Taming the Goblin
10. Hang Out on the Couch – “My girls know that if they are sick the grab their pillow and head for the couch (during the day). They hang out their with their books and toys and get the rest they need, where I can see them. Taking the time to share a quick cuddle is as healing as any medicine, in my books.” Jennifer from Kitchen Counter Chronicles
11. Let Them Have Baths – “[We have lots of] baths with plenty of toys (may be an hour long depending on the sickness).” Sheila from Pennies of Time
12. Build a Nest – “When my kids are in that ‘I’m sick and want to lay around all day’ mode, I let them ‘build a nest’ on the living room floor with blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals. They think it’s cool and it isolates their germs, too.” Krissy from B-Inspired Mama
13. Try An Icy Drink – “Home made chicken soup is the best. for drink a little frozen lemon lime Gatorade. this is great for sore throats as well.” Ms. Faith from Ms. Faith’s Funhouse
14. Watch Movies – “My oldest usually likes to watch movies but still plays during the day. He may go to bed early.” Jaime from Frogs & Snails & Puppy Dog Tails
15. Play & READ! – “Sensory play is a great distraction for my kids – so are new art supplies and techniques, and fun books.” MaryAnne from Mama Smiles
16. Try to Still Get Outside – “I still try and get him outside but often I’ll use our patapum sling or the bike trailer rather than getting him to walk.” The Monko from Taming the Goblin
17. There’s Always Chicken Noodle Soup – “Nico just spent the day on me watching his shows or up in his bed sleeping. He tried to play with his train a few times but coughed too much from moving, so he came back to me. He sleeps and eats when he wants and normally I try to offer good choices, but he tends to just have soup (chicken noodles).” Valerie from Glittering Muffins
18. Drink Special Tea – “If he’s just got a cold, we carry on as usual but with a bit more handwashing than normal. He also gets more tea than usual. I drink a lot of green tea and my son always wants some. I find making tea for him to be a hassle (get out the herbal kid tea, steep, cool, sit with him while he drinks it so it’s not a mess) so he normally doesn’t get much unless he’s ill. We are also going to start incorporating Elderberry syrup into our routine to prevent illness (and then up the dose if we do get sick).” Carissa from Carissa’s Creativity Space
19. Popsicles! – “Juice Pops! My son wouldn’t eat or drink anything but I knew he needed something. So I froze orange juice in Popsicle molds and he loved eating his juice pops.” Melanie from Raise A Boy
20. Don’t Forget The Handwashing – “Wash your hands! Wash your hands! Wash your hands! That’s our mantra!” Andie from Crayon Freckles
So what is a sick day like at your house? How do you deal with sick kids?
More Parenting Tips from B-Inspired Mama:
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