Caring for sick children

When kids are sick I find it easiest to:

- chop an onion and put in bowls around the house and by the bedside of the sick to help fight the virus and prevent others from getting it
- cover their sheets with a beach towel
- provide a plastic bowl by their bedside
- braid long hair loosely for comfort and convenience
- sleep in their room with them
- put pull-ups on them if necessary (the largest size will surprisingly fit older kids)
- keep a cold wet washcloth for fevers
- keep a hot water bottle for aches and pains
- rub Castor oil on aches and pains (aching legs and back)
- use vapor rub
- use a humidifier if needed
- keep a tissue box and trash can by their bedside
- have them keep a water bottle by their bed for fluids (once they can keep water down)
- give back rubs and foot rubs
- keep soda crackers and 7up on hand for the first tries at eating again
- make a chart of meds given on a magnetic dry erase board on the fridge
- make brown rice for breakfast once they are eating again (it's the easiest food to digest)
- change hand towels frequently and have a special hand towel designated for the sick child

If the bowl gets used I dump it in the toilet, rinse it in the sink or bathtub, dry it off with a towel and then spray it inside and out with Lysol and return it to the sick bed.