5 Ways To Stay Sane When Your Kids Are Sick

When my son had Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, a common childhood virus, he couldn't sleep. It was hard seeing him so uncomfortable. I still remember sitting in the floor in his room with him snuggled on my lap. I slowly rocked him to sleep as he cried for 45 minutes. I hummed his favorite song into the top of his head and hid my tears in his curls.

We were both so exhausted and out of ideas as to how to make it better. I didn't know what else to do to help him and he couldn't get any relief. Finally, he fell asleep in my arms totally exhausted.

I wish I had known some of this mom's life hacks for managing sick kids on that night.

1. You’re probably a little rusty when it comes to all-nighters. So do a few things to keep sane when you only have one eye open at 3AM.

 

2. Be prepared for a night of tummy trouble by pulling out your old towels and sheets for your kid’s bed. Just like lasagna, make layers of sheets and towels. When you need to make late night clean ups, you can strip off a layer and the bed is already made and ready for the next round, sigh

 

3. You may already suffer from Mommy-Brain AND you’re exhausted, now you have to remember the last time your kids took their medicine—not happening. Grab a marker and create a small chart on the side of their medicine bottle for doses and the number of days they need to take medicine.

 

4. Earaches are so painful and keep everyone awake, but if you take an all white sock, add coarse sea salt and a few drops of lavender, and warm it up in the microwave or a skillet, you have a soothing heating pad to place on a painful ear. Sweet dreams!

 

5. Hydration is key when they’re sick, but if they’re lying down or napping, you can fully expect spills on their bed and your couch—but not anymore! Grab a cup with a lid and put a crazy straw in upside down. Even if the cup falls over, it won’t spill! Hallelujah! I might do this every day!

After reading her list, I'll be making a chart for medicine in the future. My husband and I both got a bit confused as to when he had his last dose of Tylenol the last time our son was sick. It's easy to get mixed up when you're exhausted and your kid is crying that his belly hurts.

Also, the upside down crazy straw is genius! Maybe those annoying straws the grandparents bought us have a valuable use after all! I'll definitely give it a shot next time our little guy is under the weather.

I can't wait to try some of her other life hacks like “making medicine less yucky.” For the complete list check out this great article over on TODAY.com.