A few days ago I came down with a night fever. My body was achy, throat soar and i justed wanted to crawl into bed. I finally gave into the extra-strength Tylenol, which definitely helped me sleep well. I knew that I couldn’t just call in sick to work the next day — my work is being home with my child. I seriously needed good sleep to have enough energy the next day.
I realized the next day that there are ways to take care of a child while you’re sick. Specifically, ow key things you can do without walking miles (literally) or exhausting yourself. Living in a metropolitan area, we are usually on the go, everyday — unless one of us gets sick. Here are some things we did:
– Played on the bed. My son likes playing with stuffed animals now, especially bears and dogs, and he will talk to them, have them talk to each other (with my help), and feed them. And i can lay down on the bed the whole time. yay!
– Played at home. We found stuff to do around the house — no chores of course, though I was so tempted to do some. I kept reminding myself that I was sick and should just take it easy. We played with all his toys, took out some toys he hadn’t seen in a while, and read a bunch of books he hadn’t read in a while.
– Gave my son some homemade popsicles — this is one way he’ll sit still for a loooong time at the dining table. Gives me a moment to just sit and eat and relax.
– Took him on his tricycle around our building. He rode his tricycle (I helped push him along) up and down the hallways and to the little courtyard, where he played with rocks in the rock garden. Completely walled off garden so no need to run after him.
– Watched videos. I am not opposed to him watching videos in moderation, as long as it’s appropriate and educational.
I was also thinking of home remedies for myself. I always thought eating pineapples was good to ward off a cold, but also heard it’s not good to eat when you’re sick. What’s the verdict? I tried to drink lots of water. I also ate some honey (yum, good excuse, huh?) and gargled with warm salt water for the sore throat. I really don’t know if the honey and salt water work, but they do make my throat feel a ton better.
One thing my mom told me is, moms cannot get sick, because everything will fall apart, and it’s difficult to take care of children when you’re sick. Plus, it just takes so much longer to get better because it’s hard to take it easy when you’re running after a toddler, plus doing chores, cooking and so on.
Anything you like to do when you just want an “easy” day with your tot? Any home remedies when you’re sick or not feeling well?