Ah, the dreaded winter cold. The only thing moms dread more is the stomach bug (and running out of coffee…at least, this mom does). Whether it’s the kids that are sick or the mom, surviving winter colds can seem impossible. Every few years we go through a time of someone being sick almost all the time. There might be a couple days where everyone is healthy but it’s rare. These times are especially hard when you have young children. To make it a little bit easier, follow these tips.
Surviving Winter Colds – Mom is Sick
Allow extra TV time
Even if you limit screen quite a bit, go ahead and allow extra while you are sick. It is often one of the best way to keep the kids entertained while you are laid up on the couch. You might get bored of Daniel Tiger and Doc McStuffins but it will help keep the kids out of mischief.
Read-to-me books
Keep a selection of pictures books that come with a cd of someone reading the book. This is a good break from TV and keeps you from having to read when you have a sore throat. These are handy at other times as well but especially so when Mom is sick.
Snack basket
As soon as you start to feel like you are coming down with a cold, put together a basket with kid snacks. Make it easy for your toddler or preschooler to get their own snacks. Same with drinks. Keep some juice boxes around for this or fill a couple sippy cups and put them low in the fridge where they can reach them. It would also be a great idea to get some easy stuff set up for you as well.
Surviving winter colds with young children can be hard. Follow these tips to make it easier. Click To Tweet
Surviving Winter Colds – Kids Are Sick
Quiet toys
Have a good collection of puzzles, coloring, lacing cards, etc. Small children aren’t good at resting when they are sick. They want to keep playing but sometimes they don’t realize they need to stop and rest. Having a collection of toys they can play with while sitting quietly helps encourage that they rest.
Boogie Wipes
We discovered Boogie Wipes when my oldest daughter was two. Best thing we found. They are perfect for sore noses, especially when they get all crusty with snot. They seem to be a little gentler than just using a warm, wet washcloth and the saline helps clean out more of their little noses.
Sick basket
It can get pretty chaotic with different meds, tissues, etc. Mamas jobs don’t stop just because someone is sick. To make it easier, make a sick basket that has all the tools you need. Child cold medicine, tissues, Boogie Wipes, bulb syringe, etc. Also, keep a pad of paper and a pen in the basket. Use it to write down when the next dose of medicine is due. Even better would be if you have a whiteboard or chalkboard in your kitchen/central area. Write it there where you will constantly be seeing it.
With babies, it’s a little bit harder if mom is sick. There’s not much to do to help them entertain themselves and nothing you can do to help them take care of themselves. My best tips for that are (besides getting a babysitter) is to put all the things you need to take care of the baby in one place and to just leave the toys laying around the floor where the baby can find them (for older babies).
Surviving winter colds with young children can be done with a little prep. How do you deal with colds in your house?
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