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Getting Through a Sick Day
Having a sick child is never fun. When your child is sick enough to stay home, usually meaning you have to stay home with them, the day can seem pretty long. What can you do to make the day a little more fun and bearable for both you and your child?
- Give the right medicine: be aware of what medicines your child tolerates and what seems to work for what symptoms. Talk to your pediatrician for suggestions of what medicines to keep on hand for the cold and flu season, what medicines are long lasting, and what ones seems to have the best flavor.
- Bend the rules: when your child is at home, sick in bed, it wouldn’t hurt to bend the rules a little. It can mean things like letting them lay on the couch and watch a little television, or give them a little ginger ale, or a comfort snack.
- Make the bed more welcoming: try adding some extra blankets and pillows to make their bed more cozy and comfy. Kids love to have their stuff toys piled all around them, you can tell them the animals will watch over them.
When your kid is feeling a little better, but is still not ready to return to school the days can seem pretty long for them, and you. Here are a few suggestions for low-key fun.
- Create some solo games: give them a flashlight and a dark room and encourage them to create a shadow puppet show, ask them to put the show on for you in a little while. Give them the junk mail to go through, we may hate it but it can be fun for a kid.
- Have fun with them: spend time reading together, making crafts, or playing board games. Your kid will love spending the quality time with you, and it will help make the day more special for both of you.
- Fresh Air: when they are feeling up to it encourage them to go outside for a little bit. Take them to the park to play on the swings, go for a walk, or just sit outside and read. Fresh air is always a good way to make you feel better.
Luckily sick days are usually few and far between. Whatever you can do to make you little one feel better and make the day a little better for them will certainly help make things easier for you.
What do you find works well for you when your child is home sick? Have you learned any tricks that seem to make them feel better and make the day a little more fun for them?
I try not to make it too fun to stay home. Otherwise, she won’t want to go back to school! LOL!
Thanks for sharing this with the Carnival of Family Life.
I’m with Local Girl. I want staying at home to be boring and less interesting than school and the world at large. that said, the well enough to play, but not well enough for school state is very, very hard and normally a time for creative mischief in our house, so I appreciate your suggestions much.
As a treat , I let my daughter cozy up in my bed and watch tv sometimes when she is sick. Also popsicles and root beer are snacks she loves while sick… anything to get the kid to get something in her body! If she is up to it, we do crafts, read together.
These are some really simple and helpful suggestions. I think the fresh air one is excellent. They must feel so cooped up in the house, a bit stir crazy, so taking them out is a great release, and it has to aid recovery.
Thank you for your wonderful comment, it really made my day.
These are all great suggestions. Especially, the right medicine that has the right flavor. My kids mostly grape flavor. Popsicles and clear liquids, juice (ginger ale’s good too) and of course Chicken noodle soup,seem to make them feel better. My mom always told me, that a good drive when we were little and feeling better, to get some sunshine and fresh air.
All excellent tips! Great post for the CFL!
I do most of what you describe here, but my kids don’t have much trouble going back to school when they feel better. I think because we have lots of other special times. They love school and don’t think they’re missing out on too much.
My son used to wonder if I got lonely without him, though!
Here via CoFL.
Funny what your first few comments were about- my wife and I strive to make the FIRST day home of a sickness as comfortable and fun as possible to help them feel better. Any day 2s or more are all about getting them back to school- not fun in anyway
DigitalRich
Here via Carnival of Family Life
Thanks for all the great comments. It is definitely a juggling act between making your child feel better and not making being at home more fun than school!!!