surviving the holidays with sick kids

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and sadly both of my boys are down with the flu. I am sad that we will not be spending this Thanksgiving with family, but I am happy that we can spend time together as a family while everyone recovers. I am praying that Mike and I don't get it, well at least me so I can stay well enough to take care of my boys.  

I thought I would share my top 3 tips on surviving the holidays with sick kiddos.

1. Make sure that you have a couple cans of soup, some crackers and gatorade on hand. 

It's almost guaranteed that if you cook your sick child will not want to eat whatever it is. I always try to have chicken & stars or chicken noodle on hand so they can opt for that. Crackers come in handy for upset tummies or to eat before they take medicines that require food before taking. The gatorade I think is really important. My kids HATE drinking water when they are sick. I try to keep some gatorade around because high fevers will dehydrate kids really fast. Plus, when you have more than one sick kid you can give them each a different color so they don't get drinks mixed up and pass even more germs around.

2. Have the essential medicines on hand and updated.

Tylenol, Advil, Benadryl, Delsym (or some other cough medicine approved by your pediatrician), Vitamin C (for the parents) and Saline Swabs for little noses. And you can't forget the measuring cups and syringes! These are the most common medications used when you have a sick little one. I try go through my medicine basket every couple of months and replace anything that has expired. There is nothing worse than having a child with a 104* fever at 2 am and expired Tylenol. (Another thing I try to keep on hand is Nature's Way Sambucus Black Elderberry Syrup. It is a great natural immune boosting, virus fighting berry syrup that is safe for kids over 2 and adults.)

3. Let your TV babysit.

I will be the first person to tell you that I do not like my kids to lay round all day watching TV. But in some cases it is ok. When you have two sick kids, who's bodies hurt the last thing I need to do is make them play just because I don't want them watching cartoons. To be honest, it makes my life a little easier. They are not as whiney as long as something good is on and it is a lot easier for me to get stuff done around the house (or rest if I am feeling sickly).

4. A MUST: Clorox Wipes, Lysol Spray and Hand Sanitizer.
These are a must for any household with sick people. Normally I go the natural cleaner route, but when someone gets sick I crack out the tuff stuff. I try to spray all the rooms with Lysol at least a few times a day. Especially where the kids have been laying around and coughing all day. I always spray the door knobs, remotes, chairs, etc. And I have strategically placed bottles of hand sanitizer all around the house. I may seem like overkill, but you will be thankful for it later :)

Also...  if you don't already have these, I highly recommend them:

Braun ThermoScan Ear Thermometer 

I have used every kind of thermometer on the market and I absolutely love this one! It is super easy to use, it is ready as soon as you turn it on and it only takes seconds to give you accurate results. Plus, I can even take their temp while they are sleeping without waking them.

Netflix or a Couple of DVD's

I know that not everybody has Netflix on demand, and that is okay. Dvd's work wonderfully too! The kids love watching movies when they are sick. They have a bunch of great kids holiday movies out this year!

Simply Saline Nasal Swabs

I found these the other day at the store. My oldest was having problems with his nose going between runny and super dry. When it would get super dry he would have these horrible nose bleeds. These have worked wonders! For little ones, I think they work better than the spray.