Lazy Mom Tip #40

Let me just preface this great Lazy Mom Tip that was sent in by Shiloam by saying..

THIS IS TIP NUMBER 40!

We have 40 tiiii-ips, we have 40 tiiii-ips!

[happy dance]

And in honor of our 40th tip I just had to share Shiloam's GREAT advice on what they do at her house when one of their children is sick.  I have to say I'm super impressed and I think you will be too....

Every time we have a sick child, we do the sickness routine. My kids all know the routine too. (ages 3, 6, 8) And depending on how sick our children are, we know that one parent gets the child, while the other one gets the puke. And once that has happened we go into sickness routine mode.

A child will wake up and tell me they're not feeling well. (Or they've already puked and need help.) They scoop up their comforter or blanket and head in to Mom and Dad's BATHROOM. Yep. Bathroom. I've placed a thick blanket on the floor and then a couple of old towels on their pillow and a crib mattress with a sheet on it. We specifically purchased another crib mattress and used the old one for the sick nights/days.

My kids usually grab the barf bucket, while we're getting a pillow with a plastic cover n' pillow case, and some Clorox wipes---just in case. The mattress lays right next to the tub and the door that goes into the toilet area, which we keep open. We do this for a few reasons. One, we keep either that light on or the shower light on. They're bright enough to see what they're doing without keeping us awake too. And two, timing is everything when you're sick. If they're going to puke, the toilet is right there. This also works for when they're unable to keep anything in them from both ends. If that's the case, a quick wash in the tub and a single sheet and comforter usually does the trick. If they vomit on the old mattress, we take the sheet off and wipe it down with Clorox wipes. If they miss the bucket and hit the towels, they go right into the washer---that night, right then and there. (Nobody wants to wake up to the smell of old vomit in their house. And lets face it, you'll probably be up again to check on the sick child, so switching the laundry isn't so bad. Wrinkled sheets don't matter at this point.)

If they get super hot, we open the bathroom window. If they get too cold, we have a second blanket sitting on the counter. We also use the Vics plug-ins for the times they just can't breathe or are fighting croup. Our master bathroom is large enough that we can close one door (french doors) and still see them if needs be, or we can close both doors and keep them secluded from the rest of the family. They know they don't get to leave the bathroom until Mom says.

My kids like the fact that we bring in books, a portable DVD player, movies, crackers, soup and water or flat soda to help time and the flu pass by. They also know that if they need me, I'm right there.

Wow.  Isn't that SO impressive? The way they mobilize, the way they quarantine to keep it from spreading to the other children, the way they have a "sickness plan." I just love it.  I now feel the need to have a sickness plan like this so that I can be super impressive as well. 

Thanks Shiloam!

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Posted in: Lazy Mom Tips