Parenting When You are Sick
How to Cope With Illness as a Stay-at-Home Parent
Even the best of us get sick from time to time, but when you're a stay-at-home parent you can't always call in sick and take the day off.
The only thing worse than taking care of a sick child is being sick yourself, or worse yet, trying to take care of a sick child when you are sick too. Illness is made more difficult for the stay-at-home parent because there isn't usually anyone to pick up the slack if you need to stay in bed. With the cold and flu season just around the corner, here are a few ideas to help you get through the dark months with minimal stress.
Take care of yourself. The best cure is prevention, and dealing with illness as a stay-at-home parent is no exception. Make sure you get enough sleep, drink enough water and remember to take a daily multivitamin. Try to avoid drinking more than two or three cups of coffee a day and only drink alcohol moderately. And of course, if you smoke you are increasing the likelihood that both you and your child will suffer from respiratory illness throughout the year. Maintaining a high level of overall health will decrease the chances that you or your child will become sick.
Don't spread it around. If you or your child do become sick, stay home. Going out to playgroups, drop in centers or classes will only spread the germs to other children and their families. How can you tell when your child is too sick to go out and play? Dr Sears recommends that children stay home if they have a runny nose with yellow or green mucous, bloodshot eyes with a yellow discharge, or diarrhea that is explosive, mucousy or bloody. If you are unsure about any symptoms, or notice symptoms worsening, take your child to the doctor.
Create a safe space. If you're sick, the last thing you want to do is chase your toddler through the house. You need to rest in order to get better, so create a space in your house where you can take it easy and your child can play in an enclosed, child-proofed area beside you. Find a safe room with a door that closes, bring in lots of toys, books, snacks and videos, and curl up with a blanket. Let the housework slide while you are sick. It can always be done later.
Know when to call in reinforcements. There does come a point where you are too sick to care safely for a child. If you have the flu and can't stand up without getting sick, you've been hospitalized or physically injured, for example, both you and your child will be better off with another caregiver until you are well enough to return to full-time parenting. It is a good idea to make arrangements with someone in your support network before an unexpected illness hits, so that they know they will be on call if you get too sick to parent.
Nobody wants to get sick, but unfortunately it happens to everybody at one time or another. It is worth planning out a sickness strategy while you are well so that when you are sick, you can focus on resting and getting better instead of trying to figure out how you will cope when your head feels like it is about to explode or your stomach takes a turn for the worse.
