I’m writing this after a long weekend dealing with a couple of sick kids. It’s been a challenging week but I’m glad I was able to be here for them. Sometimes, all our babes need is their momma and some cuddles.
Olivia has been sick since the middle of last week which had her staying home from school Wednesday and Thursday. Kind of bummed that she missed her class Valentine’s Day party, but I made it up by bringing home some tasty cupcakes. She’s now at the latter end of her cold and recovering well.
Olivia got a kick out of these soft rollers. Anybody else still have these?
When kids have been cooped up in the house all week, you find some interesting ways to keep them entertained.
Ava started to run a fever on Friday. Hours after her 18-month check up which required her to get a vaccine. At first I figured it was probably the vaccine causing the low-grade fever but on Saturday we knew she had caught Olivia’s cold. Poor baby has been stuffy and having a really bad cough at night. We’ve been giving her Zarbee’s Cold and Cough at night at the recommendation of her Pediatrician.
She hasn’t had much of an appetite, which is common with young kids when they don’t feel good, so we’ve been increasing her fluids. Pedialyte has come out with some tasty flavors so we’ve been giving her that. The most important thing, according to my pediatrician, is hydration when they’re sick. Kids may not eat much, but you have to make sure they’re getting enough fluids.
SIGNS OF DEHYDRATION TO WATCH OUT FOR IN CHILDREN:
source: Children’s Health
Symptoms in infants (birth to 1 year*) and toddlers (age 1 to 3 years**)
- Dark-colored urine
- Dry mouth
- Fainting
- Fatigue
- Hypotension (low blood pressure)
- Irritable
- No tears when crying
- No wet diapers for more than three hours
- Sunken eyes, cheeks or fontanelle (soft spot on skull)
Symptoms in children older than 3-years
- Confusion
- Dark-colored urine
- Dry mouth
- Extreme thirst
- Fainting
- Fatigue (tired)
- Hypotension (low blood pressure)
- Urinating less
- Vertigo (dizziness)
*Age of infants as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO).
**Age of toddlers as defined by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
Ava has also been extra clingy this weekend which is normal. We took it easy and even had to miss a friend’s birthday party, but I knew keeping her at home and trying to keep her comfortable was best. Sick kids will be extra irritable so you have to be mentally prepared to deal with that. Again, I suggest not having anything planned and just tending to your kids. Trust me! I tried doing a couple of loads of laundry and every 2 seconds, Ava wanted up on my hip. I was about to pull out my Moby wrap and just strap her to my back because I couldn’t get anything done.
Finally, I surrendered and left the clothes in the dryer and they’ll just have to be folded another day. I’m hoping we’ve peaked with Ava’s illness and she will only get better from here. Seeing your kids sick is heartbreaking — especially when they can’t use words to tell you exactly what hurts or what they need. Although Ava is great at getting her point across, but words would be nice. So just a reminder we are still in Flu season so if you haven’t had your children vaccinated, you may want to visit with your Pediatrician. I won’t get into the ‘to vaccinate or not vaccinate’ debate but I do urge parents to do their research and look at the statistics of how many children die each year from the Flu which may have been prevented. If you would like, I encourage you to read this article I found to be very insightful. Hope you all have a great and safe week!
XO,
