Coping when you're really sick...?

[samy23]

Just want to see if anyone has good ideas of ways they cope looking after the child/ren when you're really unwell?

I struggle with getting my dd to school and home, I have had a relative do that for me before, but I guess I could also get a taxi? ...anyone do that?
I've known moms keep their kids out of school when they are too sick to take them, but that really would be a last resort for me.

I also struggle with preparing food, especially the dinner meal. I use paper plates and cups to stop dirty dishes piling up since I don't have a dishwasher, and standing up to wash dishes and dry them is really difficult when you're that sick.
Regarding foods for dinner, I often resort to giving dd toast and cereal. But ofcourse I don't feel good giving her that for dinner, and especially if I'm really unwell like with bad flu or something, it can last several days...so I don't like giving her toast and cereal for several days at a time. What do you do food wise in this situation? (mainly for dinner as breakfast and lunch foods can be very simple, quick and not necessary to be cooked)

ETA- I meant a taxi to take my dd AND myself to the school...I wouldn't put her in the taxi alone. It would save me getting her there myself.

(x posted in single parenting)

[Lady Mayapple]

Well, I have three kids and if I'm that sick there is NO way I can safely attend to 3 kids all under the age of 5. I have family here and will not hesitate to tell them they need to come over. My DH is a workaholic and never takes off for anything, and even if I beg him he won't stay home to look after the kids when I am sick, so I have to rely on other people. The only way that ever happened was when I was pregnant and got a bad stomach bug and had to go to the hospital for IV fluids. He stayed home with the kids and my mom took me to the hospital. There was one time this past fall when I got a bad flu. I called my dad early in the morning and he wasn't able to help because he had to work. I called my mom and she also had to work. I told DH he needed to stay home but he refused. I called my mom back and told her I was calling the paramedics and SOMEONE would have to stay with the kids because I seriously.could.not.take.care.of.them. She called off and came over. She also had my aunt and grandma come over to help with meals and housework. So basically, just scream, kick, whine, cry, and beg and threaten to call 911 if people balk at helping you. EVERYONE deserves to rest when they are sick. You should not have to worry about cooking and cleaning when you have the flu.

[chiefmir]

I know a lot of moms don't do fast food or convenience food, but that would certainly be something I'd be willing to use, especially if I was feeling very sick. For dinner, pretty much anything that is OK for breakfast is OK for dinner, in my book (especially in that situation). Oatmeal, fruit, yougurt, cheese/crackers, etc. Also anything that can be microwaved quickly would be easy if you are under the weather... hot dogs/turkey dogs/veggie dogs; mac and cheese.... maybe a cold sandwich with meat.

Hope you are feeling better soon.

[rainyday]

Are there any other parents of kids in your daughter's class who could pick up and/or drop off your daughter on the days when you're really sick? That would be my first choice in that situation. If I got sick while my child was at school and didn't feel I could drive and pick him up, I'd call another parent and ask her to pick up my child. I certainly don't mind doing this for other parents, and I've never had a hard time finding someone to take my child when I was in a pinch either.

I've also on days when I'm sick dropped my child off at the door (and not gotten out of the car myself) and told him to come outside after school, so I could pick him up the same way (also not getting out of the car).

For food, do you have a neighbor, friend, or relative nearby? I've asked neighbors and other people to please pick me up a couple of things when I'm super sick and DH is out of town. I do live in the kind of neighborhood where we help each other out like that, though! (Of course, to get that kind of neighborhood, someone has to be the first one to reach out, so maybe that person could be you?) I wouldn't ask someone to run to the store when they're not going anyway, but I don't have a problem in your situation asking someone to get me a carton of milk and a couple of things if they're going anyway. All of the moms of kids at my child's school who I'd be willing to ask to pick up my child would also be willing to do this type of errand if asked - just like I would for them!

If you don't have that kind of support system available, then it's probably time to start developing it! When we're sick is one of those times when we really need a village!

[pauletoy]

Are we talking public schools? Is there a school bus that picks up near you?

If you are very sick, I would take the kids to school even if you have to do it yourself. You will be able to rest while knowing your child is well cared for.

Regarding meals, if it is not an ongoing illness. A week of breakfast for dinner, sandwiches, cheese with crackers, raw veggies with dip, cereal, or even fast food is not going to be that big of a deal.

If it is an ongoing illness, consider crockpot meals. Dump everything in there in the morning, in the evening serve it on paper. Not eco-friendly but you do what you have to do.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by samy23

I struggle with getting my dd to school and home, I have had a relative do that for me before, but I guess I could also get a taxi? ...anyone do that?

I've taken ds1 to school in a taxi due to illness before. I was barely able to dial the phone or pay the guy, but there's just no way I could have looked after ds1 all day, either...and he was feeling great.

I also struggle with preparing food, especially the dinner meal. I use paper plates and cups to stop dirty dishes piling up since I don't have a dishwasher, and standing up to wash dishes and dry them is really difficult when you're that sick.
Regarding foods for dinner, I often resort to giving dd toast and cereal. But ofcourse I don't feel good giving her that for dinner, and especially if I'm really unwell like with bad flu or something, it can last several days...so I don't like giving her toast and cereal for several days at a time. What do you do food wise in this situation? (mainly for dinner as breakfast and lunch foods can be very simple, quick and not necessary to be cooked)

I use "breakfast and lunch foods" for dinner when I'm sick. Anything can be served at any meal, so if I'm really ill, and have no help (these days, dh would just take over dinner), I give the kids sandwiches or smoothies or some slices of cheese or yogurt or veggies or whatever for dinner.

Cooking a full meal just isn't necessary, and if you're not up to it, you're not up to it.

[neetling]

I've been so ill that I couldn't be upright recently. My husband had already gone to work and didn't have any leave time so he couldn't have stayed home anyway. We have no family in the area.

Our oldest was also sick and I am not comfortable letting my kindergartner walk the 6 blocks to the school bus stop on her own. I called both girls in sick to school. My bedroom door is off the living room so I left it open and stayed in bed. I only got up to attend to diapers for my 3 year old and to provide basic food. The older kids helped me out with the 3 year old.

The next illness we got was a horrid vomiting bug. The healthy kids went to school when they could. I got it on a weekend and my husband thankfully had leave time built up and stayed home. He had had it the day before me. I slept 25 out of 48 hours that weekend. There is no way I could have functioned. If I was up I was vomiting.

[laughymama]

For the food issue, honestly I just go with whatever is easiest. It may not be the healthiest but a couple of days won't hurt and sometimes it's just not possible to cook dinner. I was recently so sick that the thought of boiling water seemed like too much.

We did a lot of fruit, toast, cereal, oatmeal, sandwiches, veggies and dip. Basically anything I didn't actually have to prepare. I believe DS also consumed a large amount of granola bars during that time because frankly, that was the best I could do at the time for snacks.

Also, we resorted to frozen corndogs. Not the best but hey, he got fed.

[Surfacing]

[rubidoux]

I don't make dinner every night even when I'm feeling good. lol A couple of nights a week I'll just look in the fridge and let ds choose one of several easy items, usually the choices are some of the following: frozen meatballs, cheese sandwich, turkey sandwich, bagel and cream cheese, chips and guacamole, reheated pasta with meat sauce, yogurt. And then he almost always eats raw peppers, carrots, and/or broccoli with dinner bc he hates cooked veggies.

As for getting him to school, I think if I was super sick, I might keep him home. This school year he didn't miss any days for being sick himself. In the last two weeks I kept him home once because he was coughing and sniffling all night and when the alarm went off I realized I had a terrible sore throat, so I figured he was feeling the same. But he was totally not sick. lol Oops! So, as long as he wasn't already missing a substantial number of days, I'd keep him home if I needed to.

[LROM]

I've found keeping a few healthy frozen food dinners on hand has been a huge help in situations like this. I used to aviod frozen dinners, esecially when trying to be healthy, but there are some good companies making them now and even though there are still non-ideal ingredients in some of them, they're still healthier than most fast food if you're trying to stay healthy.

And when it comes simply down to "Does my child eat toast for 4 days or something else", then why not do frozen food and be able to get some variety in? Maybe even ask your child to choose 2 or 3 dinners that sound good to them so maybe they'll see it as a treat?

I also relax a couple of rules when I'm home alone with DD and I'm really sick. We don't let her watch much t.v. at all, but I've learned to keep a couple of much-loved by her dvds on hand and will let her watch a good hour or even 90 min of soemthing if I can sleep on the couch/floor near her while she watches. It's the only way I'm getting a nap when alone without her also sleeping.

[lilyka]

My kids can walk/ride the bus to school alone but if they couldn't my first resource would be a classmate. I mean really. How hard is it to take an extra kid. You wprobablywouldn't hesitate to do it for someone else. madeline will call her dad or grnadpa if she misses the bus so that is also an option for her (they spoil her. if she walked a couple times I bet she would stop missing the bus so often).

TV. yeah. when I am sick it is a movie fiesta. no apologies.

junk food. again no apologies. Pizza, take out, pbandj, ramen, speghetti-os, cereal, TV dinners, yogurt, crackers and cheese....whatever. I try to have lots of fruit around too.

paper plates and such are a must.

Fortunately by the time I became a single mom and had to do this on my own my kids were old enough to mostly manage for a few days. (honestly their dad was totally checked out most of the time and hardly ever even gave us a thought but he did ALWAYS come through when I was really really sick. kuddos to him for that. His mom actually came by to take care of me when I had influenza this year. She took my also sick kids to care for them and brought me homemade vegetarian soup. So so sweet.)

[Bellabaz]

For meals when you are sick-I make a bigger protion of pasta than she normally eats and refrigerate it. My dd1 will eat pasta 2 times a day if I let her. Then I just pop some in the microwave with sauce or something on it and she is good. Eggs are quick (also microwavable), cheese and crackers (cut cheese while sitting down). Frozen pizza works too. Pb and Jelly.

When I really am not well, dd1 gets to watch tv more. I hate it but I don't have much of a choice. Or she can paint while I lay on the couch and watch her. If she were older we would watch a movie together.

As for getting her to school, I would have no other choice but to take/get her myself or keep her home.