8 Ways to Cope with Sick Kids
I can never decide if it is better for all four kids to be sick at once, or for them to get it one after the other? For the last few days it has been one in all in, as all four of our kids got sick with a nasty viral chest infection.
Being a virus there is not much we can do about it except wait it out. While we are waiting we try and help their bodies fight it off as best we can, and try to keep our sanity at the same time. Here’s how we attempt to do that!
Ways We Cope With Sick Kids
Drink! Drink! Drink!
We always try to make sure our kids are drinking lots when they are sick but sometimes it is not easy to get a kid who is feeling miserable to keep on top of their fluid intake. If my lot are reluctant to drink I often mix up ‘special drinks’ which usually consist of water with a squeeze of lemon, some crushed ice, a slice of lemon on the side and a straw, something a little fun! We also try to keep a water bottle of sippy cup next to them all the time, and make homemade icy-poles to tempt them.
Little Snacks
One of my girls shuts up shop completely when she is unwell. She won’t drink or eat and feels a hundred times worse because of it. So along with the getting her to keep drinking I try to encourage her to keep nibbling on something small too. A little bowl of dry biscuits/crackers, dried fruit, cereal, pita chips, grapes etc right next to her as a constant reminder is helpful.
Warmth
We have discovered the magic of a heat pack. A little wheat bag warmed in the microwave can make all the aches and pains go away, at least for a little while. I’ve made up some hand sized wheat bags which are just the right size for sore ears or throats.
Make time to Snuggle
Running around after a bunch of sick kids, or juggling one sick child while you try to get everyone else to activities etc, can be hard work, but when my kids are sick often the one thing they want is someone to be with them. So making time to sit and hold their hand, or rub their back, or just snuggle on the couch can make the world of difference.
Bath or a Shower
Ideally a deep warm bath would be what I’d suggest for my kids when they have a head cold or a chest infection, but right now we don’t have a bath (yet) so a hot shower is the next best thing provided they are steady on their feet.
In Bed Activities
If our kids are really really miserably sick then we let them watch TV in our bed, or make a bed on the couch so they can watch a DVD. But even when they are sick, hours of TV isn’t really their thing so I am always armed with some other ‘in bed activities’ that they can do. Reading or being read to is always on the list, but audio books (here are some links to our favourite free downloadable audio books) also fill my kid’s insatiable love of books.
Quiet Activities
When they are on the mend, up and about, but not quite better and I really don’t want them rushing around like hooligans I give them a list of quiet activities to choose from. Things like – drawing, water colour painting, journaling, making books and writing stories, imaginative play set ups, or a little playdough.
Ipad/Ipod
I am sure the ipad and ipod were invented for when kids have to hang out in a waiting room or are sick or injured. These are the times when we relax our i-device limits and let the kids play and take their mind off feeling miserable. Here’s a few of our favourite apps –
For big kids:
Scribblenauts
Eden
Pictureka
For little kids (and big kids):
Toca Doctor (and all the rest of the Toca Boca Apps)
Puppet Workshop
Play School Art Maker
How do you cope when your kids are sick?
I’d love to hear all your best tips and words of wisdom.
Here are some more parenting posts you might like…
Hope your kids are feeling better soon. This has come just at the right time as the flu has hit out house :( thanks for the tips!!!
It must be rough with kids getting sick so often. My kids get more of the once-off vomity things, messy at the time but nothing that really hangs around. So far at least they haven’t had to miss any school because of illness. Supercute photo of your big kids though snuggled up together – hope they all get better really soon.
Our two have never been sick at the same time thankfully, not sure how I’d cope with that!
When Annie’s poorly she likes to snuggle under a blanket with hot honey and lemon drinks, whereas Ez prefers non stop hugging and carrying.
Hope everyone feels better soon x
Hope everyone is feeling better soon.
Lemon and honey tea helps. Hope everyone feels better soon!
My kids are grown now, but when they wouldn’t drink when ill, I would snip off the ends of a licorice stick and use that for a straw. It helps give water a slight taste, makes drinking seem fun and takes their minds off drinking so much. Brushing their hair and back rubs were faves are were foot massages. Using eucalyptus in your lotion helps relieve stuffy noses for awhile and makes the room smell fresher as well. Good luck. Nothing less fun than sick children. Take a few pictures, even if they are grumpy. It will remind them when they are older and occupies them when sick. I have a pic of my brother with a huge bee sting on his cheek at age 5 and it’s hilarious still. He’s 50 now!! hope they all feel better soon!