There’s no way around it: once you reach mid-January, cold and flu season is at its peak. And to make matters worse, by this point in the winter, being cooped up inside with small children for the day is basically the stuff nightmares are made of. Many of our Denver days are too snowy to go to the park, or too cold to put on the 82 layers required to go to the car, only to take them off to get in the carseat then put them all on again when you reach your destination… you catch my drift. And just when you think you can’t feel any more trapped inside, BAM, your kid gets sick. But onward we trudge, mamas!
It may be you or your small humans who are sick, or it may be your friends, or heck, it may be all of the above, but one thing’s for sure -my family is currently in the trenches. My three-year-old missed school this week with a nasty cough + the stomach bug (going on day 6: SOS), and out of the 9 kids in his preschool class, only 5 were present… YIKES!
It’s pretty much a guarantee: At some point this winter (or perhaps more than once), you’ll be home with a sick kiddo, so make sure you’re prepared with these five must-have sick kid survival items:
Tylenol or Motrin
Just go ahead and go to Costco and load up…. that fever or cough could come out of nowhere. And the last thing you want is to have to take a sick kid with you to the store to get their medicine.
Movies
Sick time = Couch time = Movie time. Need I say more? Make sure you’re always stocked up on these bad boys. Bonus points for new movies they’ve never seen.
Inside Crafts
On the off chance you have a prolonged sickness (like this awesome stomach flu), you will be quarantined in your house. No birthday parties, no Sunday school. NADA! You will realize fairly quickly that you don’t have nearly enough crafts to keep your kiddo busy for days on end while you’re stuck inside. Mine for example is so sick that he doesn’t want to even play with trucks (WHAT?!), but would rather just sit and color, do stamps, paint, etc.
Laundry detergent
Again, the frequency with which you are doing laundry may not parallel mine (and I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy), but when you have a kiddo spewing from both ends, your washer is constantly going. I did four loads of laundry yesterday that were just sheets and pants full of explosions. Even for a cold that has your kiddo down for just a few days, and not projectile vomit all over the comforter, I always think the cleaner the sheets the better – you just never know what germs are lingering. And make sure you wash on HOT.
WINE
If you know me personally, this should not be a shocker. We are mammas…we don’t ask for a medal or parade every time we steam clean diarrhea out of the carpet, but wine at the end of these days with a sick boy sure helps us deal with the next gross thing that happens.
My son’s pediatrician told me yesterday that this week has been the busiest of the entire winter for her practice so far… so as much as it stinks to have a sick kiddo, know you’re not alone. Sneak in those extra cuddles, catch up on your favorite Nickelodeon show with your littles, and know that springtime, warmer temps and healthier kids are right around the corner!
