It's inevitable. At some point your sweet baby will catch a virus and become very sick.
It's heartbreaking, miserable and exhausting. The days are long, and the nights feel even longer. You and your family are in survival mode.
What Should You Do?
Here are 5 tips to help you through this challenging time with your littles.
Make (or buy) Pedialyte Popsicles!
It can be so difficult convincing your little one to eat or drink anything when they aren't feeling good. Especially in the beginning. But, we know how important it is to keep their bodies hydrated.
Fill a popsicle mold with Pedialyte. We love these Dinosaur Molds! Allow the liquid to freeze for a few hours, then offer the popsicle to your child around meal time if they are not eating, or when they are needing a little pick-me-up.
Our favorite time to enjoy this treat is during bath time for a special "popsicle bath", or outside when we need a bit of fresh air.
Create a Medicine Command Central
Having one convenient spot for all of your medicine is a game changer. This is such a simple way to keep track of the medications your child is taking, and make it easier for your partner to help without asking a million questions.
When my children were sick recently, they were rotating between Tylenol and Motrin every 2 hours. My 30lbs son also wanted to be held all day long. It was difficult to keep track of the medication in my head, and equally difficult to fumble around in our medicine cabinet for what he needed.
So, I set up a "command central" including pedialyte packets, ointments, Tylenol, Motrin, medicine dispensers, a thermometer, and a notepad and pen to help me keep track of the times I last gave each medication.
Set Up a Water Table Outside
Sometimes getting outside for a few mintues, even when your child is sick, can be a big mood booster! Something about being outside, and playing in the water flips a switch in a child's behavior.
We like to set up our water table, add these magnetic water balloons, some paint brushes, and pouring toys to the table and soak up the sun for a little while.
When my son's rash was horrible on his hands, I added oatmeal to the water table to try to help sooth the sores a little while he played.
If you can't get outside, that's okay! Open the blinds, and set up a water play area in your kitchen, or add fun toys and cups to your child's bath. A bath in the middle of the day counts as an activity (;
Give them an Oatmeal Bath
This mostly applies to children with sores and rashes, but a special bath is always a fun way to break up the day.
To make an oatmeal bath, simply
Take a cup of old fashioned oats and run it through a food processor or blender until it looks like powder.
Add the powder to a mesh laundry bag or cheese cloth. (This keeps the oatmeal from clogging your pipes when you drain the water, but still allows the oatmeal nutrients to release into the water)
Fill the bathtub with warm water then add the laundry bag.
Allow your child to take a bath as usual! Avoid soap with dyes and harsh chemicals. Moisturize after bath as well.
An oatmeal bath helped my son's painful sores while he had Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. His poor hands and feet were so blistered. An oatmeal bath provided a lot of relief for him, so we did it a couple of times a day on his worst days.
This Calmoseptine Ointment was a miracle for him as well. It began drying the blisters up within 24 hours. I could not believe the difference it made after just one day for my son.
Offer Daily Challenges
This is more of a tip for when your children are recovering after their worst days. When they are still contagious, but feeling better so they are going a bit stir crazy.
Daily challenges are a great way to give your child a purpose or job for the day. I noticed that when they felt important and successful at something, they were more cooperative, kinder to eachother, and less whiny.
A daily challenge does not have to last all day. Honestly, it is pretty much just a learning activity they have to complete together! It promotes team work, effective communication, listening skills and builds gross motor and fine motor skills.
For example, one day I challenged the kids to carry one toy, walk across the room on a balance beam, and sort that toy into the correct color container.
It was incredibly simple, but gave the kids a common goal they needed to work on together.
Other ideas:
Build a home for a stuffed animal using magnetic tiles or blocks.
Throw balls at a target
Make a "road" out of painters tape and have the kids drive one car at a time on the road to get "home"
Have one child sit in a laundry basket while the other child pushes them one direction down the hallway. Show the children how to switch places, and have the other child take a turn sitting in the basket and being pushed the opposite direction down the hallway. Ask them to count how many times they can each go down the hallway before they get tired.
Host a Toy Parade. Lay down a line of painters tape and have your children place their small action figure toys on the taped line for a "parade".
I hope these ideas are helpful to you during this challenging time! Having sick kiddos is the worst, and I am so sorry your baby isn't feeling well. I hope you find something that helps your sweet baby in this blog!
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