The part that sucks the most, is having to care for your kids when you’re sick. It always works out that the moment they stop sneezing or vomiting and are once again bouncing off the walls – you come down with it and have nothing left in the tank to parent. You need to know how to keep the family healthy when one child is sick.

1. Isolate them to a different area:

   One of the first things you should do is to isolate the little one from the rest of the family. Don’t worry, it’s not as daunting as it sounds! Just keep the kiddo in a separate room if possible, to limit their contact with others and give some distance. You can even make it fun by letting them choose their favorite movies or books to keep them entertained while they recover. If you don’t have a lot of space, you can make them a separate cozy nook or fort in a corner to give some separation, they’ll think it’s fun!

2. Practice good hygiene:

   Encourage good hygiene habits in the family, like hand-washing and covering coughs and sneezes. Make sure your family is disposing of their tissues properly.

3.  Label items at home:

   Make sure everyone has their own hand towel and avoid sharing personal items like toothbrushes, cups, and utensils. We recommend this Split Name Label Pack, it may seem weird to have labels in your home, but it’s a huge benefit when it comes to sharing – say goodbye to siblings fighting over who’s is who. Plus, labeling toothbrushes, hand towels, kids’ cups, and water bottles means that they’re not sharing. It’s too easy at home to forget about germy mix-ups but it can often be the easiest way to spread germs!

   

4. Disinfect frequently:

   Disinfect surfaces that the sick person comes into contact with. Use a wipe or a spray every few hours to disinfect. Remember that cleaning and disinfecting are two different things. When someone is sick, you need to clean daily and disinfect every few hours.

   Make sure to disinfect these frequently touched items in your home:

   -Shared tablets or phones
   -door knobs
   -remote control
   -game consoles and controllers
   -Door knobs
   -light switches
   -fridge handle
   -cupboard handles
   -counters and fixtures
   -lamps
   -hard chairs backs

5. Keep the air clean:

   Use a humidifier to keep the air moist, which can help prevent the spread of germs. You can also open windows to let in fresh air and improve ventilation throughout the house.

6. Boost the immune system:

   Encourage everyone in the family to eat a healthy diet, get plenty of rest, and stay hydrated. Consider adding immune-boosting supplements like vitamin C or echinacea to your family’s diet.

7. Stay home:

   Keep sick children home from school or daycare until they have fully recovered. This will help prevent the spread of illness to other children and their families, why put another family through the same misery!?

   Make sure you’re labeling all their items at daycare so you can help the daycare center limit the spread of germs and limit the amount of illness coming home! Here are more ways to label for daycare.

By following these tips, you can hopefully avoid the illness sweeping throughout the house. Remember to be patient and understanding with your sick child and do your very best to keep yourself healthy too, your kids need you to be feeling tip-top, and while it can’t always be avoided, we can certainly try! Most of all remember, this too shall pass.

The post How to Keep the Family Healthy When One Child Is Sick appeared first on The Mabelhood.

It takes a few kids and late-night horror stories for most parents to learn that this kit is essential. So, do yourself a favor and prep your equipment today- before it’s too late and you’re scrambling to find Tylenol at 2 am. 

Here is a list of things you’ll want to keep in your sick-day kit:  

A storage bin- plastic with a lid, so you can stash it away and not be tempted to take from it when you don’t need to. You can also use a bucket (which can double as the barf bucket)

Medicine:  

Choose whichever brands work best for your family. Make sure to check expiration dates! 

•  Acetaminophen  
•  Cough lozenges and mixture
•  Box of tissues (or 2)
•  Masks 
•  Gloves  
•  Hand sanitizer 
•  New toothbrush   

 Misc.   

Have a stash of old and crappy towels, sheets pillowcases. They don’t need to be kept in the emergency kit but have them on hand if needed. This way, you always have enough spares and aren’t using your good stuff!  

• Clorox wipes or a small jug of bleach. I don’t usually use bleach, but it does make an appearance when someone is sick.
• Microban spray/ Lysol spray 

 Food:   

Because when a bug hits – it can hit fast! You may not have time to get to a store before you start wanting some of these items. Remember to check expiration dates and mark them in your calendar so you can use up/ switch out before you need the box!  

•  Gift card for pizza (for when you’re too exhausted to cook, you will thank yourself!)
•  Cans of soup 
•  A sleeve of saltine crackers 
•  Ginger ale 
•  Applesauce pouches (Because of BRAT)  

 For your Sanity:  

•  Movies (check out the Wal-Mart cheap bins after Christmas) 
•  Coloring books and crayons   
• Cheap toy the kids haven’t seen before (something new will brighten their spirits)
• A trashy magazine (because even if the celeb gossip is out of date, us mamas still need something to take our mind off the *&%$ show happening around us)

This might seem silly and over-prepared, and we all hope we never need it. But if and when you get sick, it’s a relief to grab the bin and have everything you need on hand. It makes you feel organized, less panicked, and like you can have a fighting chance to beat the bug! 

Of course, label your bin using your household labels. And make sure all your kids’ stuff gets labeled for school so we can avoid these germs coming home in the first place!

Are you starting daycare? You may want to read these tips to be prepared for the germs!

The post A Sick Day Survival Kit; Be Prepared for Cold and Flu Season. appeared first on The Mabelhood.