I have a five year old now, and we are at the point where she can articulate what's hurting and where, run to the bathroom when necessary, and she is maybe 50% with vomiting into a bucket. So that part is MUCH easier than with a toddler (I also have a 2 year old).

That said, this year (Kindergarten) is by far the sickest she's ever been over the course of a school year. She was in daycare since she was a baby, but I guess it's just a whole new set of germs that she's exposed to now that she's in school.

Basically the main things you can do are enforce hand washing and get everyone flu shots and be on time with other vaccinations, and if you know it - don’t allow your kids around other sick kids. For example, I do turn neighborhood kids away if they want to play but didn’t attend school that day. Make sure your kids get enough sleep generally. Otherwise there’s not too much you can do on the front end, and getting sick from time to time unfortunately is unavoidable.

Go easy on yourself. If everyone is sick and laundry piles up and you just have PB&J or takeout for dinner, that is ok. If they watch a lot of TV now, that’s ok. They can detox from screen time when they feel better. Take care of yourself, too. Spring is around the corner.

In general, yes I think it gets a bit easier as they get older and can talk and tell you what’s going on and also they seem to get sicker a little less as they get older.