In Proverbs 31, that inspiring woman who laughs at the future to come, is not afraid of snow, for her household “are all clothed with scarlet”. I have always simply delighted in that verse. It brings to mind cupboards stocked for the winter, warm blankets and flannel sheets on the bed, and herbs tucked away for winter colds. I simply love knowing that I am prepared to care for my family in the multitude of different planned events (like having items to stuff in Christmas stockings) or unplanned events (like tummy aches or car sickness) when those needs arise.
On the flip side, this also means that I really kick myself when I discover that I am unprepared.
Like the time when I found myself with a vomiting, car sick child after we pulled into the church parking lot on a Sunday morning, visiting a new church no less, without a single paper towel (or tissue) in the car, and immediately following, as my husband is shaking hands with the designated church greeter who has crossed the parking lot to us, a different child steps in a fire ant pile. I consoled myself that we did, at least, have a zip-loc bag and a blanket for the car sick child, and that the ant-bitten child only had two bites following my deft actions which I feel were amazingly quick for a person also in the middle of buckling a 12 month old into a baby carrier. I did however, apologize to my husband later, as in the midst of realizing that there was not so much as a solitary tissue in the car, my mood, shall we say, darkened. That really ought to lead us into a discussion on preparing our attitudes for the circumstances of annoyance and trial, of laughing when God’s Sovereign purposes thwart our well laid plans (or not so well laid), of gratitude in the midst of the humbling of our proud selves, but relax: I am actually going to talk about practical ways you can be prepared for taking care of your family on sick days, and maybe even making warm and fuzzy memories, too.
Besides this amazing church parking lot experience, I have also, as a mother of eight, encountered the unexpected in ways like, say, being barfed all over in the middle of the grocery store without a ziploc bag (indeed, even a ziploc bag would not have entirely saved me in this situation but it would have helped with the continual flow). Keep scrolling to see how that ended. But my pain is your gain. Bookmark this and pin it to your Pinterest board. This post is dedicated to being a comprehensive guide to being prepared when the kids are sick.
You may have noticed a theme of ziploc bags. Never be without one. Never. They are the most beautiful solution to unexpected vomit in unexpected places. If you haven’t yet discovered gallon size ziploc bags for car sickness, they are hands down, the BEST. Seal off the smell, toss it in the trash, and also, a few bags are easy to stow in a seat pocket. I also, per the grocery store incident, keep one in my purse. A few napkins aren’t going to cut it. Trust me.
Also, please remember, I am not a doctor nor do I have medical training. This is not medical advice. For medical advice, please speak with your own doctor.
Also, not all of these medicines or supplements are for all ages. Research them for yourself and always read the labels.
Step One: Stock Your Medicine Cabinet
My “Medicine Cabinet” is a high cabinet in my kitchen. Never store medicines in the bathroom, which is very easy for children to get to. The contents of your cabinet will vary from mine depending on the needs of your family and how natural or traditional of an approach you take. I don’t really mean for you to copy me, but seeing mine may give you a jump start on your own. Feel free to ask me questions. Some of these items may be listed twice if they fall into another category as well. Here is what I stock in mine:
Skin Issues:
Calendula cream for bug bites and burns
Bug Spray
Arnica Cream for bumps, sprains, sore muscles
Shea Butter for eczema, dry skin, chapped noses and lips from colds
Coconut oil (I fill a small jar for topical use to be kept separate from the jar used for cooking)
Motherlove Green Salve for rashes, irritations and burns
Essential Oils and a diffuser (some main oils: lavender, lemon, peppermint, thieves blend, tea tree)
Immune boosters:
Chewable Vitamin C
Liquid Children’s Vitamin C from Child Life (great for babies 6 months+ and toddlers)
Vitamin D liquid
Echinacea Capsules
Garlic Capsules
Herbs for Kids brand Echinacea/Astralagous tincture
L-lysine powder
Colloidal Silver
Sleepy Time Tea: Immune Booster
Dried Herbs: elderberries, nettles, chamomile, peppermint
Headaches:
Peppermint essential oil (use with a carrier oil such as Almond oil)
Children’s liquid Tylenol or Ibuprofen (It is pretty rare that I use this or Tylenol, for myself or my children, but I have it just in case. I know some of you use this rather quickly and others would never!)
Sore throats/Coughs/Colds:
See: immune boosters category
Slippery Elm tablets
Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat Tea (ages 12+)
Honey straws
Raw Honey
Lemon (in the fridge, citrus keeps for quite awhile in the fridge)
Ginger (you can freeze pieces of ginger)
Zarbee Kids Elderberry & Zinc lozenges
Herbs for Kids Cherry Bark Blend
Zarbee’s Cough and Mucus Syrup
Zarbee’s Cough and Mucus Syrup for infants (I really like this because there are so few products for infants. 6 months+)
Maty’s All Natural Chest Rub (also safe for infants)
Diffuser and essential oils
Foot rub: carrier oil and thieves blend
Elderberry syrup ( I make mine, freeze in an ice cube tray and then store the cubes in a labeled quart size ziploc bag in the freezer)
Prepared homemade chicken broth or a chicken with bones in the freezer (bone broth is the best stuff!) Garlic is great to add to this.
Straws, metal or silicone (fluid intake is important. Straws are fun for kids and make it easier to drink when lying down.)
Take n Toss lidded straw cups (so your child can drink anywhere and not spill) There are also screw on lids with straws for mason jars available.
Altoid peppermints (great for clearing sinuses)
Snot sucker and replacement filters (great for preventing sinus infections in little ones, especially babies who cannot blow their own nose)
Shea butter
Coconut oil (Shea butter and coconut oil are so good for applying to little noses and chapped upper lips that start to get dry and irritated during runny noses. Shea butter is best for severe dryness.)
Don’t forget salt water or mouthwash are great to gargle for a sore throat.
For Baths:
Epsom Salt
Apple Cider Vinegar
My favorite bubble bath for kids: Alaffia Kids Bubble Bath
Aveeno oat bath packets
Ear infections:
see immune boosters category
Othoscope (purchased from Walmart)
Mullein-Garlic Ear oil (because it looks so similar to bottles of internally taken medicines, I stick a masking tape label on it that says clearly “Ears Only”)
Fevers:
see immune boosters category
Digital thermometer
Herbs for Kids brand Temp Assure tincture
see: baths category (one of my doctors recommended a warm ACV bath for fevers, but NEVER a cold bath: drastic and quick body temperature change can lead to seizures)
First Aid:
band-aids in all sorts of sizes
Antibiotic ointment
Hydrogen Peroxide
Q-tips
Butterfly bandages
Gauze pads
Medical tape
Clean rags or washcloths
Miscellaneous Items:
Teaspoon medicine cups, droppers, syringes, glass roller bottles
A few fun ice packs for boo-boos in the freezer
Teether rings (In a ziploc bag in the freezer to keep them clean and ready)
A teether popsicle
Popsicle molds (these are great for making juice or elderberry popsicles for when your child can’t keep anything down, or is not interested in liquids)
Reference Books
Have several reference books that you trust on hand. It will save you so much time over wading through Google or Duck Duck Go. It lessens the freak out. A few I have used:
Mommy Diagnostics by Shonda Parker
The Naturally Healthy Pregnancy by Shonda Parker
What to Expect in Babies First Year
Phone Numbers
Have your Family Doctor or Pediatrician’s phone number and address saved in your phone for quick reference, and also the nearest Urgent Care Center.
Step Two: A Few Essentials to Make Life Easier
Pillows and A Caddy
Keep extra pillows and pillow cases for elevating a sleepy head with a stuffy nose or for leaning back while resting. Also, use good pillow protectors to keep your pillows clean from snotty noses and other messes. Otherwise that stuff just leaks right through the pillow case and…stop it, you’re scaring me.
A small open bin with handles. Seriously, this has saved my sanity. Gather ointments, medicines, diffuser supplies, and a thermometer into a little caddy. This prevents you from having to re-gather things several times a day, dig through your cabinet, or try to carry several things to the couch. You can easily bring your supplies and potential supplies to whatever room your sick one is in. This really keeps me from going insane trying to pull 3-5 different things out of the cabinet again and again, or forgetting which supplements I am using. It is exactly what I need. I just grab my little basket and go. BE SURE to set it up high, out of reach of little ones, when you are not using it. When the sickness is over, put everything back away. Here is an example. For a cold, I gather into a small basket:
Digital thermometer
Vitamin C
Teaspoon medicine cup
A few tissues (for drying cup measure after rinsing)
Zarbee’s Cough and Mucus Syrup
Herbs for Kids Cherry Bark Blend
Herbs for Kids Echinacea
Maty’s Chest Rub
Liquid Vitamin D
Shea Butter
Coconut oil
Essential oils and diffuser cup
A Bed Tray and Other Items
A bed tray, such as is used for breakfast in bed (also super handy when you are postpartum). This is nice to have a place to put a drink, a snack, a box of tissues, etc on the bed or the couch. If you have any wooden trays that Melissa and Doug toys come with, those can also work nicely.
It is also nice to use a bed tray or lap tray for coloring or drawing in bed. A clipboard could also work.
Lidded cups with straws. No spills. Keep a drink close by to encourage hydration.
A favorite stuffed animal.
Step Three: A Feel Better Box
Our “Feel Better Box” is where I keep things that I want to have on hand and are easy to find, besides medicines, just to make being sick a bit more fun and cozy. You know: to feel better.
Warmer Buddies
These are especially great for sore tummies or any time your kids need a pick-me-up. They are stuffed animals with a packet made of rice, cherry stones, or buckwheat tucked inside. You simply heat the insert in the microwave and you have a cozy, cuddly buddy. Add a drop of an essential oil like lavender for a soothing smell. We currently use a cute lamb from Kath Kidston and a rag doll from Intelex. For a cheap alternative, but still fun, just fill a tube sock with rice, tie the end with a plastic or cloth (no metal parts, please, this will be microwaved) hair tie, and draw a happy face on it. My kids feel pretty happy with any rice sack. These are great for when a child wakes up in the middle of the night, as well. It makes them feel special and soothes them back to sleep.
“Being Sick” Books
We have so many children’s books in our house, that also get carried about from room to room, that I will never be able to find a particular book at a time like this, and I certainly don’t want to spend time hunting it down. So, if a book would be perfect for a time when, for example, the kids are sick, I store it in my Feel Better Box. I enjoyed my own mother reading to me a book about a sick little girl who got a surprise inside-picnic (which, by the way, if you know the title of this book tell me, because the trouble with childhood books is remembering the pictures and not the words. No help on Google). I have found it just as fun to read with my own sick children. It really makes them feel special. Here are some of our favorites:
Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson
The Sniffles for Bear by Bonnie Becker
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
Get Well, Curious George by H. A. Rey
Dover Children’s Thrift Classics
Dover Children’s Thrift Classics are inexpensive classic books in a small size, easy to tuck away for just such an occasion. It is fun to have a new book for your older children to enjoy alone or together. Nancy Wilson in “Praise Her in the Gates” wrote of laughing over “The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel” by Thornton Burgess (a good place to start) late at night while her daughter breathed in the shower steam to help with her cough. This is making happy memories together at time that would otherwise be miserable.
“When children are ill, it is a wonderful opportunity for teaching. You can model patience and cheerfulness to them when you get up in the night to comfort and minister to them. One of my daughter’s happy memories is when she was sick of a respiratory illness. We sat in the bathroom in the wee hours of the night reading stories (Chatterer the Red Squirrel, in fact) and drinking pop while the shower steam helped her breathing. Mothers do have the capacity to make illness a happy memory.”
Nancy Wilson, “Praise Her in the Gates”
Audiobooks are also a great idea. I set up an audiobook with a speaker to play while they are resting, or even a cd player, because I still have a few audiobooks on cd and it is nice to find inexpensive classic audio cds.
New drawing, coloring, or activity books. Sometimes we have too many of these accumulating in the house. When someone gives you another, tuck it into your Feel Better Box. It is more likely to be appreciated when they are not feeling very active.
New pack of crayons, coloring pencils, or markers. Your Feel Better Box is the perfect place to stash a few extra of these when you buy them for cheap during the back to school sales. Bonus if you have fun types that aren’t the usual like smelly markers, glitter crayons, or stampers.
Stickers. My children’s Nana is the one who has shown me how much my kids enjoy just sticking new stickers onto paper. The Dollar Store or AC Moore often has cheap $1 sticker booklets.
Mints. Peppermints just make my kids feel better, especially if they feel nauseous or have a stuffy nose. We like Altoids.
Herbed mug coaster. My mother found this in Amish Country. This is a fun place to rest a warm mug of tea.
Step Four: The Car Kit.
Keep all items, except the tissues, in a bin, or two, that fits under a seat or behind a chair for easy access.
Gallon-size ziploc bags. I will say it again, they are wonderful for vomit, stinky diapers, anything smelly. Keep a bunch folded up and tucked in a couple different places in your car, and extra in the bin. When using a ziploc bag for a sick child, fold the top zipper part down on itself. It opens the bag wider, and you won’t have gross vomit on your fingers when you seal up the bag.
Paper towels. Always have a roll of paper towels in the car. Ask me how I know.
Tissues.
An extra pack of wipes. This has saved me so many times when I forgot to refill the wipes in the diaper bag.
Extra diapers. Ditto.
Hand sanitizer. For messy times when you have no access to a sink. Don’t think it won’t happen to you.
Altoid mints. To hopefully sooth car sickness, also wonderful along with cool air blowing from the A/C.
Extra clothes, in sizes current for your children, especially the youngest ones. If I can, I choose clothes that could pass for church as well, khaki pants, a play dress, etc.. Do not forget underwear and socks. Also, update for the season so you are not stuck with shorts in the winter. White onesies and/or t-shirts that will work for a boy or a girl and are flexible for a span of sizes in a pinch.
Extra plastic grocery bags. Fold them don’t bunch them, it is easy and it keeps things nice and neat. For reals. Grocery bags can be folded. Mind blowing.
Activities for those children less prone to car sickness: coloring or drawing books, clipboards, those odd single use toys that lay around the house: kalidescopes, bead maze puzzles, rubix cubes, slide puzzles, jacob’s ladders, etc.. You can keep crayons in the car unless you live in a super hot climate where they may melt. In that case, keep a small baggie of crayons or a little restaurant pack in your purse/diaper bag .
Step Five: The Purse/Diaper Bag Kit
Keep these essentials, besides also the basics of changing pad, diapers, wipes, and clothes. Group these items in a small zippered pouch. Easy peasy to find it when you need it or to transfer to a different bag.
Gallon size ziploc bags. If you have a purse separate from your diaper bag, keep a ziploc bag in both. Remember me? Aldi. The diaper bag (with the ziploc bag) left in the car. Not good.
A small pair of scissors. I keep a child sized pair of scissors in my bag. They are so handy for many reasons, like trimming a large straw down to size for a child.
Arnica gel and pellets for bumps and bruises.
A roller bottle with a carrier oil and lavender oil for bug bites, or Calendula ointment.
Ledum pellets for bug bites.
A small baggie with band aids (large and small) and antibiotic ointment.
A baggie of crayons and a small notepad.
A small baby toy or teether.
Small pack of tissues.
A Dry/wet bag for dirty clothes.
Pony tail holders. A few extra so when your little girl has pulled her hair-do out in the car or your big girl forgot to fix her hair.
So, back to the cereal aisle, how did that incident go?
As I kind of veered the cart over to the side of the aisle, a kind lady asked if I needed help and went for a staff member. I must have had a look about me. A look like this was my first child or something, even though I clearly have other children gathered around me. I had made it to six children without this happening. We are, each of us, ever learning. I searched my purse for something, anything. I found a couple of restaurant napkins. It made me feel like I was doing something. I stroked my poor child’s head who was sitting in the front of the cart, trying to calm him. He was as helpless as I was. It is so hard to be a kid at times. He had no symptoms that day, but seemed to have gotten car sick or overheated. A staff member, cool and collected, brought paper towels as if this happens everyday. Thankfully, this doesn’t happen everyday. But my bond with my local grocery store deepened. We already see each other every week and now we have also been through hardship together, too. These small sufferings are worth it to me, if you benefit, my friend. Mostly.
So, remember: be prepared anywhere.
As women, we have unique gifts to comfort our family, as well as others, and to make life more beautiful and comfortable, even, or especially, in times of sickness. Embrace and cultivate these gifts, and as you do: may blessings flow from your hands to your people. Make it lovely!
Melissa