The past few days Little Man and Baby Girl have been waking up every little while all through the night due to an awful cough and stuffy nose. I have no idea where the heck they got this, but it has been going around and I am NOT looking forward to getting it myself. If I ever find the walking germ my children contracted this illness from, they will get it! I PROMISE you that! (I am not quite sure what “it” is yet but I can garuntee it won’t be a pat on the back or a bouquet of roses) What I AM looking forward to is a good nights sleep SOON! Exhaustion has taken over and I need relief in the form of SLEEP! I can feel the crustyness seaping through my skin and I am at the point of no return into the land of Crazy.
Assuming that there are other parent’s of Babies and Children out there that get sick and are not totally immune to illness, I have put a few tips into practice to at least relieve Little Man’s and Baby Girl’s symptoms so that they feel at least a little bit better and assume that I would share the ones that work!
- Provide your Little one with lots of fluids to stay hydrated. It’s best and more soothing if the liquids are consumed warm. – Little Man has been drinking plenty of warm water – but also popscicles are good to soothe a sore throat.
- Try your best to keep your Little One warm and comfortable. Take off and apply layers of clothing based on tempurature of your house.
- Reduce your Little One’s activity and try to encourage lots of bed rest – I know this seems impossible- in fact as I am typing this my sick Little dude and Baby Girl are completely trying to avoid sleep so they are doing everything in their power to remain active, because they are well aware that the second they lay down.. they are going to fall asleep.
- Turn on the shower hot in the bathroom and sit in there with your Little ones, the moisture in the air helps to loosen a cough. A warm bath is also beneficial and if you have a humidifier turn that on as well.
- When laying down or sleeping provide an extra pillow to help raise your little ones head very slightly. This will help with any nasal congestion or runny nose. If you have a baby put the pillow UNDER the top of the mattress to raise the top a bit.
- And of course, lots of hugs and snuggles. My Little ones are never more affectionate than when they’re sick and I have to admit.. I soak it up.
Hopefully these tips and tricks will help you to get some sleep while your little one is sick. I know it has a bit in our case and would HATE to see what would happen if we weren’t trying to provide some sort of relief throughout the night and day…