Here are tips and tricks to properly take care of your child when they contract an illness and to limit the spread of germs and viruses in your home.
By all means, I am not a doctor or a medical professional. If you have serious concerns about your child’s health, take them to a hospital right away to get an expert opinion.
These are my own tips, from my own judgement, and from my own experience with my two children.
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School Aged Kids Are Bound to Get Sick
During flu season when temperatures drop, the more people stay indoors and the more likely illnesses begin to spread.
As a member of a family of four, I am well aware that when someone in our household is sick, we all eventually catch the same illness. This is almost inevitable when you have school-aged children whom are exposed to germs on a daily basis.
However, there are ways to practice good hygiene in your home, to prevent any sickness from spreading.
Good Hygiene Will Limit The Spread of Germs
It’s important to keep your home clean and tidy as well as practice good hygiene. Germs can easily be transferred to any room of the house, onto toys, furniture, even food.
It can become a stressful time for you and your family, but don’t feel alone–we all go through it!
Five Things to Do When Your Child Gets Sick
In this post, I’ll talk about all the ways to get your child back to good health. It can be hard to do when having young children in the home who are constantly reinfecting each other.
Here are tips and tricks to properly take care of your child when they contract an illness and limit the spread of viruses in your home.
1. Give them a lot of fluids and bland foods.
Whether your child has a stomach bug or the everyday cold, fluids will help flush out their system and prevent the production of mucus.
When your child is sick, you don’t want to irritate their little bodies with sugary food or dairy. Feed them bland foods such as bananas, rice
Instead of milk, give them water with lemon or a Pedialyte
2. Use a barf bucket.
To prevent the spread of germs you ultimately must keep your home clean and sterilized. I recommend using a barf bucket. Not your average cleaning bucket or garbage bucket. The reason being is that you can have it by your child’s side at all times, taking the stress out of scrubbing and cleaning up big messes.
They will associate ‘being sick’ with their bucket because their experience with it will be such an unpleasant one that they are likely to never forget to use it from then on. When your little one feels like their dinner is about to come up, they can grab their special bucket and use it right away.
3. Wash little hands and bath frequently.
The key to preventing the spread of germs is frequent hand washing. Use a gentle soap
Constantly wiping after diarrhea can irritate your child’s tender skin. A warm bath with a calming bubble bath product like this one
Moreover, it will be gentle on their skin and the warm water will help them breathe better when they are all stuffed up.
If your child has a fever, a cool bath is great for bringing their body temperature back up to normal. Always use a thermometer to check for fevers.
Alternatively, lay them down and place a cool cloth on their forehead to keep them from getting too hot.
4. Change bedding and clothing often.
It’s important to keep your child’s surroundings clean. Runny noses, sweating, and other flu like symptoms will spread onto clothing and bedding quickly. Try to change their sheets as often as you can.
Clean clothing is a must because they will be touching things around the house, so as long as their hands and clothes are clean, you will limit the spread of germs and prevent other family members from contracting the sickness.
A waterproof mattress protector will be a lifesaver for when accidents happen.
5. Ensure a lot of rest.
Getting enough rest is most important for feeling better. Don’t stress about your child missing a day of school, just make sure that they can lay low without distractions.
Encourage low-key activities such as watching a movie, or listening to relaxing music. Keep a calm setting for them to be able to dose off easily. The more sleep they get, the faster they will recover.
You can make them a light caffeine-free chamomile tea
Vick’s Ointment for Children will
Conclusion
As a parent and as a mother, I like to think that I know what is best for my child. And what I feel is best for my child, may not be best for someone else’s. Always follow your intuition.
Sometimes parents worry too much, other times we have instincts telling us that something just doesn’t seem right. In that case, it’s okay to get another opinion.
If your child has a prolonged fever, persistent diarrhea, a whooping cough, or any other symptoms that are concerning, definitely take your child in to be assessed by a medical professional.
I hope that this helps you and your family during flu season, relieves your stress as a parent, and keeps your home a happy and healthy one.
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What do you find is most effective when your child is sick or has the flu? Leave your experiences and what works for you in the comments below.
Michelle
