It seems sickness comes in phases. Last year the kids were never sick (or if they were it was something like pink-eye that didn’t slow them down a bit). This year it seems we are battling every bug out there. Here are some of the survival tips we have come up with to help us survive the tummy-flu. Please share your tips in the comments – My preschoolers and I need them!
Our Sick Survival Essentials
1. Vinyl Tablecloth
These are terrific! The fabric backing on the back makes this “tarp” not slide when you cover your couch or a bed with the tablecloth, but the easy-to-clean vinyl surface means that you can wipe and disinfect with bleach and a paper towel. No more scrubbing the couch!
Related: Fever stickers are the best thing ever
2. Jello
I am not referring to those nifty cubes that are great snacks for a sickly child. We use jello powder to help solidify diarrhea. Mix a teaspoon or so of jello powder into applesauce and it helps congeal poo. Jello powder does not cure diarrhea, but for a young diapered child, it does help contain it!
3. Nightlights
We got a couple of the ionizer lightbulbs from Purely Products right before Christmas. They seem to come at the worst best times. A virus is making its way through the house again. Purely Products offers nightlight air purifiers as well as UV-germ-killing lightbulbs. As we put the nightlight in after the virus arrived we can’t attest to its germ-fighting qualities, but I have been very impressed with how quickly it can deodorize a sick room!
3. Spoonful of Sugar
Having problems getting your kids to take their meds or even to drink, anything, at all? Kid Kupz created a flavored rim cup to help convince our kids to take the meds. While the bugs going through our house have been viral and we haven’t gotten meds to combat them, I have used the cups to make drinking fun for sick kids. It is so important to keep fluids up with the tummy bug comes to town – this may not be the original intent of this product, but it works for us!
4. Viatmin D
This is why I haven’t gotten sick yet, in spite of the fact that this is the third time one of the quirky kids has caught something! I love this stuff… now if only it would keep the kids from contracting every bug this year!
Any tips that your family has on how to avoid, survive or combat illness in your family? I’d love to hear them – maybe they’ll help us next time a bug comes to call!
Check out these sinus massages for congestion relief for kids!
This is genius! Just got one kid thru the stomach bug without disaster, but I just know the little one is going to be a disaster. Table cloths and jello coming out NOW!
Fantastic list! I never would have imagined the Jello! And the tablecloth idea is great for the bed!
Great tips. I’m another fan of the vinyl tablecloths. Now that it’s winter- I use them for when the kids come in from playing in the snow- keeps the piles of wet boots, coats, etc. off my wooden floors.
We have seen so many friends come down wtih sickness within the last 2 months, but thank goodness we have not had any sickness in the family in the past 12 months. I don’t think we do anyting special, except for one thing. My youngest son INSISTS on using the wipes in the front of every store we enter and he cleans the shopping cart. I really think that has made a differece, especially when I see and think about all of those shoppers who put their germs in one way or another on the shopping cart.
This is great! You know what they say… necessity is the mother of invention! I will definitely remember the vinyl tablecloth trick!
I use half a chewable vitamin c, herbal cough drops, homemade elderberry syrup, and cold care type teas when we get sick. If the little one risks getting dehydrated I go for the coconut water instead of things like gatorade. I also start having a lot of soups or broths and add things like carrots, ginger, honey, and garlic to our foods. I also completely cut dairy from our diets until it passes. We have a small supply of shelf stable almond or other milk on hand in the winter.
When she was small and would get congested I would boil a pot of water, set it on a pot holder, and lay it under her crib to help her get to sleep. I’m also a big fan of infant vaporub.
Great tips! Thanks for sharing. I hope your family feels better soon. 🙁
Wow!! The Jello trick is absolute pure genius!!! And I am definitely going to look into those bulbs. We cannot deal with another sick bout here either! Yuck! Feel better!!
Ugh! It’s like you were reading my mind. We’ve been dealing with a stomach bug since last Thursday. I wish I had thought about the vinyl tablecloth!!! Currently two of my couch cushions are on the front porch. I can’t bare the smell and I don’t want to clean them! Sometimes being “mommy” is so hard 🙂
Great ideas!
I love the cloth idea. Hope everyone feel better soon.