We woke up this morning to our normal routine when all of a sudden, my oldest (4 year old) daughter started complaining of a tummy ache. I prompted her to try to use the restroom so we could determine if a bowel movement would do the trick. While she attempted to do that, I proceeded with getting my youngest (2 year old) daughter ready for school. The tummy ache quickly advanced to diarrhea and regurgitation. I had to immediately think about what to do next to have a smooth day with an unexpected sick child at home. The following five things helped me get through the day:
1- Call reinforcement- I immediately called my husband and parents to inform them of the recent developments. Though they all are at work, I wanted them to be aware of what’s going on just in case I needed their assistance with schedule modifications throughout the day (or until she is feeling better).
2- Contain the situation- after assessing the issue and determining that the younger child felt perfectly fine and that the illness was with the older child only, I maintained the regular routine for the youngest. I kept my oldest in her pjs and took her with me to drop her little sister of at school then returned home. This would allow my youngest to stick to her schedule, my oldest to rest without interruption, and mommy to be able to work from home while caring for a sick little one.
3- Check the pantry- thankfully I keep an assortment of items in the pantry that are needed for times like these. I located Pedialyte, soup, crackers, bananas, bread, and apple sauce. I typically try to follow the B.R.A.T. Diet (Bananas, Rice, Apple Sauce, and Toast) to get their stomachs back to normal before proceeding with regular food.
4- Comfort and care- after getting her situated, I put her down for a long nap. Once she woke up, I gave her a warm bath, lunch, and allowed her to watch her iPad while in the bed. She especially enjoyed that treat as she isn’t normally allowed to watch devices on week days. She particularly enjoyed and expressed love and appreciation for me keeping her home with me for the day. So much so she said: “This is the best day of my entire life!” And to think, she was bellowed over hugging the toilet just a few hours prior…but the love and care made it a great day for her still.
5- Complete tasks- as a work-from-home mom, my schedule is quite flexible which allows me to make adjustments when necessary. It’s imperative for me to develop a new attainable to-do-list for the day so that I’m still productive in the midst of caring for my daughter. While she sleeps or watching her iPad, I work on house chores, send emails, return phone calls, update social media pages, create business marketing, read, research, and write blog posts. Still a great day of completing work!
Though the morning got off to a crazy start, it totally touched my to see how responsive my baby girl was to her big sister. She immediately noticed that she wasn’t feeling well and made sure she communicated her concern to me. She then offered her a teddy bear, rubbed her face and back, and even laid on the floor to comfort her. It was beautiful to see the display of love between them. This prompted me to write the next blog post: Raising Best Friends!
Until next time,
Xoxo