It’s that time of year, the dreaded cold and flu season. Since Logan was born, we’ve been pretty fortunate to not be hit hard with any sickness. This season, it’s been a different story. A few days before Christmas, I arrived home from grocery shopping to hear… “Mommy, my throat hurts.” Ugh, not what any parent want to hear, ever, I think. But especially not three days before Christmas.
I have to say, this was the sickest Logan has ever been, and it hit hard and fast. Just a few hours after his sore throat declaration, he had a fever and that glassy-eyed look. So, I headed to the medicine cabinet to see what I had that could help make him comfortable. Unfortunately, when kids are little, there isn’t a lot of medicine you can give them to help ease symptoms. As a parent, all you want to do is make them feel better 🙁
Well, I went to my medicine cabinet and discovered I was not prepared for my sick child. I didn’t even have Tylenol to help with the fever. Thank goodness my mom was here and offered to run to the store and pick up a few things. I ended up having to run to the store many, many times over the course of a week due to a sick husband and a sick child ( yes…Shadrach was sick too! ). So, I put together a list of essential survival items you’ll need for when your child (or husband, who can be like a grown-up child at times. :)) gets sick. Maybe this will save you from having to run to the store a million times like I did!
1. A Good Age Appropriate Thermometer
Do you have the magic lips? You know what I’m talking about. The magic ability where you can kiss your child’s forehead and know right away whether they have a temperature and maybe even guess what the temperature might be?. My mom and even my older brother have this gift. I, however, do not. So, that means I make sure to keep a few good thermometers around for when Logan gets sick. When he was an infant, it was a rectal thermometer. Now that he’s older, I’m not sure he would appreciate that 🙂 so I have a few forehead ones and one for under his tongue. I just recommend having an age appropriate thermometer (here is the thermometer we use) on hand for when you have a sick child. Unless, of course, you have those magic lips. 🙂
2. Children’s Tylenol and Ibuprofen
I just want to preface this one by saying that I am NOT a doctor and you should definitely consult yours before giving your child any medication. ( Shadrach on the other hand will tell you that he can pass for a real doctor…because of his genes 🙂 ) Okay, now that is out of the way, I’ve learned that there is really very little you can give younger kids that will help them feel comfortable or ease their symptoms. When Logan has a fever over 100 degrees, I will alternate between Tylenol and Ibuprofen every couple of hours, as needed. So, I always try to keep these on hand, because with kiddos, you never know when a fever might strike.
3. A Warm Mist Humidifier
I had never used one of these for Logan until this past week when he got sick. Let me tell you, it was a life saver! It worked miracles and I’m not really sure why I waited so long to try one. We’ve always kept a cool mist humidifier in his room but that has never really done anything for him when he has a stuffy nose and/or a cough.
I picked up this warm mist humidifier on a whim, during one of my million of store runs and I’m in love! 🙂 It came with two little Vicks strips that you can put in which gives off vapors and they work wonders! They kept Logan’s coughing to a minimum and he slept great. This item is definitely a MUST have when you have a sick child with a cold!
4. Gummy Probiotics
These are something that I give Logan daily, just one, every evening to help keep his intestines healthy. However, they even come in handy when stomach issues come up. Like the other day, at the tail end of his sickness, Logan started having some bowel issues. So I gave him two extra gummies and they worked like a charm! These are great to have on hand for the stomach bug or for a cold.
5. Pedialyte
I feel like no matter what your child is sick with, this stuff is handy. I had a hard time getting Logan to drink anything and I was worried he would get dehydrated. So I stocked up on this in different forms. Usually, I buy the bottle of liquid. However, it never gets finished and I end up throwing half of it away. This time, I found a box of single serve powder that you can add to 8 oz of water. This was perfect because it allowed me to make one cup at a time and I didn’t have to waste a whole bottle. Plus, it gave me extras to hold onto for the next time we need them (which I pray isn’t anytime soon).
The other type I bought were the Pedialyte popsicles. These are great when a sore throat is involved. Logan only ate half of one, but it at least gave me some comfort knowing that he was able to get some fluid down.
6. Kleenex
We were not prepared for the amount of Kleenex we would go through over the past few weeks. I think that we went through close to 6 boxes! That must be some kind of record. I know that some people rave about boogie wipes, but, I’ve never tried them. Regular every day Kleenex do just fine for us.
7. Lysol Spray and Wipes
After the first few days of Logan’s cold, I decided it was time to clean everything! I went through the house spraying Lysol and wiping down everything I could. Plus, I made sure to get door handles and table surfaces, and I gathered all of Logan’s bedding and blankets and put them in the wash. I didn’t want those germs to come back to haunt us and keep making us sick. We also had a few people stop by, so I was running around with Lysol again before they came so we didn’t share our germs with anyone. Usually, sharing is good, except when germs are involved. 🙂
8. Lots of Cuddles and Love
While Logan was sick, all he wanted to do was cuddle in my lap and have me hold him. While I hated him being sick, I have to admit that I loved all the cuddles. It was hard at times to just sit and be with him, especially when it felt like I had a million things to do, but it was the most important thing I could do. So, put off whatever you need to, in order to make sure that you can just sit and be with your child while they are sick. Cuddles and love are the most important thing you can do for them. It’s probably about the only thing they really want, in all honesty.
9. Medicine Chart (Free Printable)
The final thing I recommend you have on hand when you have a sick child is a medicine chart. I don’t know about you, but I have such a hard time remembering what time and what medication I’ve given Logan. Once upon a time I used to have a good memory but somewhere during the time of being pregnant and now, my memory is shot. I searched on Pinterest for a chart and I even looked in the app store for one, but I couldn’t find what I was wanting. So I made it and thought I’d share it with all of you! There’s even a place to keep track of their temperature!
Here is my handy Medicine Chart that you can print and put on the fridge when you have a sick child. Shadrach works 2nd shift and would come home in the middle of the night and have to wake me up to ask when Logan needed his next dose of medicine and what he needed. If I’d had this chart sooner, it would have been perfect for our situation. I could have just written all of the information on it and when Shadrach got home, he could refer to it, instead of waking me up. 🙂 It’s also great if grandma or grandpa are helping while your kiddo is sick.
Well, there are all of the essentials that I think are crucial so when your child gets sick, you are prepared. Is there something I didn’t include on the list that you think is necessary? I’d love to hear about some of the things you keep stocked for when you have a sick child
Coming Next Monday…
I hope this helps you prepare, but most of all, I hope you don’t need it! This last time was the sickest Logan has ever been and I hope we don’t have a repeat anytime soon! Check back next Monday, as I’ll have a few things you can do to help keep yourself healthy when you’re having to be the caregiver to a sick child ( or husband 🙂 ). I hope you all have a great week!
Laura Ramnath
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I love my kids more than anything in this world. I hate when they get sick. I can’t see them in pain. These tips of your really helped my kids. I am also writing about humidifier. They are the lifesaver. Now I have both cool mist and warm mist in my house. Thanks for sharing.
I agree Rosemarie, it is the worst when our kiddos get sick! I’m so glad that these tips helped. Thank you for stopping by and checking this post out!
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Great post! What mom can’t use these tips in the winter? I love the Clorox wipes but, unfortunately, have never been able to get my kids to drink any type of electrolyte replacer…even in popsicle form.
Electrolyte replacers aren’t Logan’s favorite either, but he will at least drink a little if I insist. Thank you for the kind words!
downloading this printable now! Super helpful!
I’m so glad! Thank you!
Humidifiers are so great!
They are wonderful! I don’t know why I did jump on board with them sooner! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
YES! We use all of these! Unfortunately, recently. 🙁 We had the stomach bug TWO times in the last 8 weeks. Lysol is our BEST friend!
Oh no! The stomach bug is the most dreaded in our house. I’m so sorry to hear you guys had it twice! I hope everyone is feeling better. 🙂
Ugh I hate sickness in the winter! Thanks for the tips 🙂
Me too! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Great list! I’ve been debating a humidifier for like a month, and of course the family ended up sick this past week:(
Oh no! I hope you all are getting better! This time of year stinks when it comes to getting sick. The humidifier is definitely worth it! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
We couldn’t live without our humidifier! And Lysol or Clorox wipes are my best friend…I need to own stock in those companies!
Tell me about it! I feel like with kids you can never have too many Clorox wipes or Lysol. 🙂
I need to try that warm mist humidifier next time! Funny, I had just wrote a post about why me(the mom) hated getting sick. Hope all is well now and life can resume back to normal! 🙂
I was hesitant to use the warm mist humidifier because all the parenting books tell you not to. I’m so glad I did. It made a world of difference. That’s too funny that you wrote something similar. It is that time of year. I hope you are doing better too! We are finally starting to feel better, thank you!