Fall seems to be the time of year when sickness hits our house the most. The kids are exposed to new kids (and germs) at school, they’re worn out from extra-curricular activities and late-night studying, and they never want to dress warm enough for the changing weather. Here are some tricks to make the sick days go by faster, but don’t forget to take your Vitamin D to help build a strong immune system.
Create a bedroom fort adventure: Distract your sick child by creating a bedroom fort over their bed and make the whole ordeal an adventure. All you need is a bed sheet or some couch pillows to erect a cozy fort for snuggling and resting. The healing powers of the bedroom fort are vast and magical.
Make jello in fun molds: A trip to Ikea or Kmart will open up a world of interestingly shaped silicon baking trays. From dinosaurs to submarines, you¹ll find an endless array of molds to suit your little ones’ taste. These trays aren¹t only good for baking, they also double as jello or ice molds. Low calorie Jello is a great option for a sick kid because it¹s gentle on the tummy and provides much needed hydration; It¹s also fun!
Break out the coloring books: When you have a sick kid stuck in bed it¹s good to get back to basics. Dust off the coloring books and invest in some fun new crayons and pencils. Print some holiday-themed coloring pages from Crayola.com or go to Nick Jr. for a book that you can color on the computer or print to color the old-fashioned way.
Make medicine easier to take. While medicine isn’t supposed to taste like candy, there are a couple of alternatives to yucky cherry-flavored medicines. Try mixing the medicine with applesauce, yogurt or in a smoothie, or check out Dr. Cocoa, a new line of gluten-free, sugar-free cough and cold medicines that you can find at your local drugstore. This might make medicine time a bit less stressful for your sick child – and for you.