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Parenting is notorious for the highs and the lows, and recently in this household we have been bogged down with illness for what feels like a very extended period of time. Here are my top ten tips for riding the lows when you have ill toddlers.
Our recent survival kit to help us get through the recent illnesses!
The last couple of months have felt unbelievably relentless in our household. Aside from the social commitments, it’s been one thing after another - a trip to A&E, x4 vomiting bugs, croup, roseola, a UTI, tonsillitis, conjunctivitis, a sleep regression, separation anxiety, loo training and countless teeth sprouting. As I write this at 4:30pm on a Sunday whilst sat in my pyjamas it felt as though I was writing out my weekly food shop - but the kind you wish to never receive.
I’m sure we are not the only ones feeling as though we are being barraged by countless illnesses and developmental hurdles, but it sometimes feels a bit too much. I genuinely can’t remember what it feels like to feel remotely human! It also doesn’t take much for the smile that you felt you painted on each morning to get a bit smudged or start cracking. But with a little perspective now I wanted to share the top ten things I did to keep my head above water, in the hope it will give others also doing a constant doggy paddle some ideas or reassurance.
Early nights! This might be an obvious one to you, but for all my fellow night owls, getting an early night is sometimes a psychological battle. But recently getting to bed at a decent time was a matter of survival!
Don’t be too proud to get a family member or friend’s help to support where possible.
Fresh air! There have been a couple of mornings where I threw on a pair of big sunglasses (even when the sun wasn’t shining) and took some sand tools to the park and the children were entertained for a good chunk of time. I find the dynamic changes once they get out and about, even if it’s for a short period of time.
TV rules go (a little) out the window, because it certainly has a place when you have ill babes. I remember when I was younger watching TV whilst snuggled up under a blanket was rather comforting.
House cleaning/washing will likely slide when you’re ill yourself and contending with ill children too - just be kind to yourself! Having sparkly floors and drawers full of clean folded clothes is not a priority when it could mean spending 30 mins to yourself or playing with your children.
Take any opportunity you can to nap or have some downtime. I was never a napper before having children . My mother and sister have always been, and I genuinely thought they were aliens at one stage. Now I’m a self confessed alien! I recently had to nap when Big Bee and Little Bee were just to get through each day, which I haven’t done since Little Bee was born.
Make dinners that are quick and easy - stir fry, jacket potatoes, pasta, fish fingers. I usually try and put a little more effort into dinner preparation and have some variety from week to week, but just getting some form of edible dish on the table recently felt as though I was winning.
Trying my best not to overcommit during the week/at weekends. Time together recuperating is the most important.
Doing something for myself during the week whether it be 20 mins reading a book or 30 mins of yoga on YouTube kept me slightly sane. Getting those endorphins following will do nothing but wonders!
Having something in the diary to look forward to, because I felt as though I sure as hell deserved it!
Do you have any tips that you could share? What helps you get through the grey patches?