When kids & parents have the flu
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Anonymous
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Our whole house has the flu. Day 4 for kids, day 2 for parents. How do you manage when everyone is sick? DH and I have fevers and can barely move - but are trying to take care of kids. I’m not sure I can safely drive but the littlest one may need to go to doctor tomorrow. The oldest MAY be able to go to school (more driving).
We’ve done food/grocery delivery. Watched a ton of tv - screen time overload. Grandparents offered to help but I’m worried about giving them the flu. They are elderly with health issues. Pros how do you manage? |
Anonymous
| I don't have any advice, just sympathy. I hope you all feel better soon. This flu is miserable! |
Anonymous
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We give them rules and do our best.
You can watch this or play in your room. Come get me when the little hand is on the 4. Don't drop your bowl of cheerios. And then we sleep. |
Anonymous
| Call the doctors office in advance if one of you needs to bring your child in and ask for their advice. They may whisk you both into a separate area right away. Only drive if you are able to do so safely. If not, ask the pediatrician if a face time consult is possible. |
Anonymous
| Don’t involve the grandparents. It’s too risky for the elderly to be exposed to flu. |
Anonymous
| Heal.com lets you book a home visit by a doctor. Pricier than office visit, but a lifesaver when the whole house is down! |
Anonymous
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OP, this is just one of the hardest parts of parenting.
A few days of screen time overload is no big deal. Over the holidays we all came down with the norovirus and it was miserable, but I just tried to remind myself that "this too shall pass", and it did. |
Anonymous
| Grab giant tub/bag of snacks and drinks, tissues, thermometer, medicine, etc and park everyone on couch/your bed. TV, coloring, etc. |
Anonymous
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Everyone manages the way you are, basically. Don’t let grandparents in, though I have asked them to buy and put things on the porch that I couldn’t get delivered.
Agree to call ped before going - they may not want you or may have tips. Prioritize sleep for everyone. It’s almost worse once the kids are feeling better but the parents are still sick because you are two days behind. If it is truly influenza, you will be contagious for 14 days after the last fever. So keep washing hands and avoiding crowds, etc. |
Anonymous
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Hopefully it will get better soon. Worst case, you might need to take an uber to the doctor, if you feel that's okay given your youngest's age.
I remember so well when our 2.5/3 year old twins got the stomach flu and recovered just as my dh and I got hit hard. I was finally able to walk them to a nearby playground and sat on an old stump in cold sweats looking like a crazy person. |
Anonymous
| We have a wonderful nanny who stepped in when we were all sick last year. She worked pretty much around the clock. We couldn’t have gotten thru without her. And miraculously she never got sick. |
Anonymous
DP. This is great! Much better than exposing an uber driver to flu in a closed environment like a car. Have you ever used this service? |
Anonymous
NP. I’ve used it for my kids, and it’s been cheaper than an appointment with our ped, after insurance. |
Anonymous
| How old are the kids? |
Anonymous
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That's the worst, I'm so sorry. We all got sick last week and were home together for nearly all of it.
Keep drinking fluids--gatorade, coconut water, broth. Let the kids have many popsicles. Set timers for when you can next take tylenol. Use a cookie sheet for a food tray in front of the TV for the kids, and line it up with snacks. Our kids had so, so much screen time. Don't worry about much else. You can dig out from under the mess next week. |