Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Must Haves for Sick Kiddos

Last week, my son contracted the terrible stomach bug.  I've never really had to deal with vomiting before so it was a huge eye-opener and learning experience.
Top Ten {Tuesday}

Oh Amanda hosts Top Ten Tuesday each week.  Here's my list of:


10 Must Haves for Sick Kiddos
1.  Hand washing and hand sanitizer.  I know some people aren't into the hand sanitizer but I like to have it on hand for these kinds of germs.  We don't use it every day, only when we're dealing with sickness.  I prefer to have the kids (and myself included!) wash hands with warm soapy water and then sanitize.  
2.  Bleach, vinegar, tea tree oil or other disinfectant.  I'm not against the use of bleach.  Some of the bloggers I follow have decided to use tea tree oil as a disinfectant, I think that's wonderful for them.  But bleach works fine for me.  I used vinegar to clean up the aftermath on the hardwood floors since bleach is not recommended.  I also sprayed Lysol on all the door handles, toilet flushing handles, bathroom fixtures and any other low reaching knob my little one might have reached for, just as a precautionary measure.
3.  Laundry detergent, bleach or vinegar.  I needed to wash a huge stuffed animal, bedding and blankets, so making sure I had detergent was a must.  I normally stockpile these when they are on sale for $.99-$1.50.  Unfortunately, I ran out of bleach last week and haven't been to the grocery store.  However, I did have vinegar and splashed about a cup into the wash with the detergent.
4.  Bananas.  Bananas are the first of the "B.R.A.T." diet recommended by my mother-in-law.  I'd never heard of this until I married my husband.  But we use when we have stomach issues.

5.  Rice.  Rice is next in the "B.R.A.T." diet.  Make sure it's plain without salt.  Very easy to digest.

6.  Applesauce.  Applesauce is after that.  Thankfully we had a little leftover and my son was anxious to eat a little something the second day of the bug.  It's very soothing on a "rumbly tumbly" (as Pooh would say).

7.  Toast.  Toast is the last part of the diet.  Toasted bread without butter or jelly, just plain.  
8.  Popsicles/Pedialyte.  Having popsicles in the freezer and Pedialyte in the pantry are definite must-haves when treating a stomach virus.  I didn't have either and thankfully my Momma came to the rescue and brought over two CVS brand Pedialyte (it was on sale too!). 

9.  Free Schedule.  Clear your schedule, no work, no ministry, no school.  They need our undivided attention.  Snuggling seems to make them feel all better anyway :)
10.  Patience.  Dealing with sickness can be stressful, especially if you have more than one child in the household.  I always fear the sickness will travel among everyone and then re-infect the first child a second time.  Thankfully, with all the precautionary measures I took, no one else got the stomach virus.  Patiently caring for the needs of the sickie will result in less crying, more hugs and a quick recovery.

This is how we deal with sickness and it works for us.  

How about you?  Do you have a tried and true method of treating the sickies in your home? 

3 comments:

Susie said...

I have never heard of BRAT either! Those old remedies are the best!!

ohAmanda said...

I know, I just learned about the BRAT last time my daughter was sick. It really is helpful!

And patience. Yeah. That's probably the most important!

Christy said...

Great list. I make a vomit bag out of a paper bag with the sides rolled down a bit with a plastic bag inside. It catches lots of vomit.

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