If you have 3+ kids: Sickness
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Anonymous
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We have three kids - DS5, DD4 and a 7 month old baby boy.
Overall the transition to three has been surprisingly smooth. But the first wave of winter sickness hit us this week and I’m wrecked. Started with a fever for DD4 last week. She was home from school Tuesday-Friday. That was stressful but manageable. By Thursday my husband got it, so the two of them hunkered down Thursday and Friday. Meanwhile baby was at his nanny share and DS5 was at school. Today though, I woke up super sick. DD4 is 100% better. Husband is 80% better. Neither of the boys have been sick. So we’re trying to juggle three healthy kids, keep two of them away from germs, I’m a mess. We’re a non-screen family except illness and airplanes, and the big kids watched a TON of TV today. They were able to go to a friend’s house for a couple hours. I don’t know what we’re going to do tomorrow. I’m miserable, and am staying at least six feet away from the baby, so DH is doing all baby care. The big kids are supposed to go to swim class tomorrow morning and they really should (DD in particular has been cooped up SO MUCH she’s going stir crazy) but I can’t care for the baby and I don’t know if I can get them to swimming (plus it’s a dick move for me to be inside with other people when I’m sick). Basically all their friends are out of town, so I don’t think we’ll even be able to send them elsewhere to play. How to bigger families (who can’t just play man to man) handle this sort of thing? Any tips from more seasoned parents of 3+ kids? I’m starting to understand why in old stories, as soon as one kid got sick they’d just stick em all in bed together until they all got it. |
Anonymous
| If you and your husband are sick, your kids have been exposed and it's really crummy to dump them on someone else to risk them getting sick. You isolate and your husband handles it all. Order in food, put the kids on screens and don't worry about it. He takes them all or they don't go. |
Anonymous
| Have your 7 month old get RSV antibody treatment if you haven’t already. |
Anonymous
Also - I’m a mom of three (ages 1-7). When my older kids are grossly sick, they stay in their rooms and are allowed to have an iPad. We try to keep the baby away. When I or my husband are sick, we wear a mask around the kids in the house and that helps. |
Anonymous
| Why can’t your DH take the baby and the kids to swimming so you can rest? |
Anonymous
| This is your first illness? Giiirl we've been sick for weeks |
Anonymous
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Your husband is healthy and you are sick. He takes care of the three kids. If that means he can take them all to swim, fine. If he thinks he can’t manage them all at swim, fine.
honestly illness with three little ones is about survival. All the tv and lowered expectations. Please don’t go yourself to an indoor location to share your illness with a bunch of other people. |
Anonymous
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I dont have 3 kids and am in awe when i see one parent juggling all at those ages at swim or something similar. But a lot of families do it. I would encourage your husband to take the 3 to swim.
Honestly also your kids are already exposed so i wouldn't worry too much about taking care of the baby. You obviously dont want to sneeze on him but if you’re wearing a mask and just playing or whatever i wouldn't worry about that risk too much. |
Anonymous
| I’m sorry. All I can say is that it gets better as the kids get older, which will happen in the blink of an eye. Until then you just power through the best you can. |
Anonymous
| You’re not going to survive if you’re going to get worked up about screen time when sick is the answer. You have to do what you have to do. |
Anonymous
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Our two are eighteen months apart.. When one was sick -- they both were. Buckle up.... This is how it will be for a long time moving forward for you.. |
Anonymous
OP here. Yeah, we went through this same thing with our older two, and it was WAY easier. They were so close in age they just got everything together. It sucked but was totally handleable. Three is a WHOLE different ballgame when it comes to illness. |
Anonymous
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OP here. Appreciate the responses. We got through the weekend. DH took all three to swimming which worked out great. It meant the baby was totally off his schedule all day (my third kid is by FAR the worst at stroller naps, basically won’t take them which is a cruel twist of fate - 3rd kids need stroller naps!) but I got to rest and the baby did okay. Afternoon was super manageable with two nappers. Then in the evening, some childless but amazing friends of ours took the big kids to Zoolights so husband could focus on baby and I could rest. They are saints.
Kids are off at school, the boys still haven’t gotten sick (amazing) and I’m working from my bed with my laptop today, and feeling slightly better. Whew! |
Anonymous
| I don’t know about tips- you just do it. Be thankful your DH can help/stay home from work and take care of the kids. Are you literally so sick you can’t take care of the baby for 2 hrs while your DH takes the kids to swim? I wouldn’t be too concerned about baby getting sick. You all live in the same house and they are already being exposed all the time to whatever germ is going around. If you are on your death bed, and DH can’t manage the three kids, then I guess big kids don’t go to swim. It isn’t the end of the world. |
Anonymous
Stop exposing others to you illness. That’s horrible. |