If you’ve got little ones in the house – you’ve got germs! Every family I talk to at the moment is sharing tales of sickness, time off work, school and daycare and more screen time than they want! Like other’s, we’ve had our share of bugs this season, gastro, colds and RSV have hit. In the last few weeks we’ve also had our first personal encounter with COVID and are slowly getting back to normal. We’re thankful not to have had any serious illnesses and have avoided hospital trips, but having sick kids and sick parents is not fun for anyone! Trying to recover is extra hard when you’re not even getting a full night’s sleep.
Here are some of the things we tried which helped.
Screen Time and More Screen Time
I now know almost every word of the new Bluey episodes! My daughter has certainly enjoyed the extra screen time she has been allowed the last few weeks. Unfortunately her younger brother is not the slightest bit interested in watching TV. We also enjoyed some family movies and even watched Masterchef together!
Water
Everyone feels better after a dip in the water! It’s too cold for swimming at the moment so my children enjoyed some midday baths. They are happy in the bath, there is no fighting and I can just sit on the floor and have a little rest! When I’m sick I always feel better after a shower and they seem to as well.
Yes Please!
We said yes to any help that was offered and asked for help when we needed it! While we were in isolation we had offers for meals, grocery deliveries and activities for the kids. These were gratefully accepted and the conversations we had off the balcony were often the highlights of our days. Once we were out of isolation we asked for the grandparents help to look after the kids as I was still recovering.
Easy Meals
While we were sick we got more takeaway (and ordered enough for leftovers!). We also made sure we ordered easy meals in our groceries, things like chicken and bread rolls that can just be assembled.
Sharing the Load
Thankfully my husband and I took it in turns to be sick! He was sick for a few days and then was improving by the time I started. There were times when we were both under the weather and spent most of the day taking it in turns to nap and parent.
Connections
Being stuck in isolation with little kids can be draining! We loved video calling our friends and family for some moments of connection. We had a friend who had COVID at the same time as us so we did daily check in calls and she would sing songs to entertain my children.
Nature
Spending some time outside each day was really important for us. Some days we’d only manage sitting on the driveway doing some chalk drawing or walking down to check the mail but every little bit helped! Everyone seems happier outside and we really enjoyed sitting in the warm sun.
As a parent being sick and caring for your family is just hard work! Your family situation will have its own unique challenges and you just have to do whatever is needed to get through each day and week. Remember that all the other parents out there are cheering for you when things are hard.
