This time of year lends itself to sickness. Though I'd say we are a healthy, hearty family, it seems in the fall and winter, a cold is always around the corner for someone. And with a family of seven, if one person gets sick, it makes its rounds through the household.
We escaped the dreaded stomach bug last year, but the year before I was in the throws of morning sickness when four of us (myself included) caught a nasty stomach virus. (Owen and Benjamin, ages 3 and 1 at the time, never came down with it.) Tell me I'm not alone in thinking that a stomach virus is the worst (non-serious) illness to come through a family. I'm not squeamish at all, but the thought of that wretched stuff going through our family members one. by one. by one. is just too much.
Anna inspired me to think about stocking my house for the inevitable sick days. I took inventory of my medicine cabinet and pantry and gathered those necessaries (and a few just-because comfort items).
Anna inspired me to think about stocking my house for the inevitable sick days. I took inventory of my medicine cabinet and pantry and gathered those necessaries (and a few just-because comfort items).
- cough drops
- adult ibuprofen
- children's pain reliever
- tissues and hankies
- Jello: a few 4-serving boxes, plus a few ready-made containers for when I forget to make it ahead of time
- applesauce: for weak tummies
- light-colored 100% juice: apple and white-grape-peach
- hot tea
- canned soup and the ingredients to make homemade soup
- a big stack of extra blankets: a couple of fleecy ones, a down comforter, a over-sized cotton comforter-- anything to warm a chill
- small heating pads: we made ours from old, clean socks filled with rice-- warm in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and we're good to go
- a selection of sick-themed books
What would you include in your sick day pantry?
You are not alone! :( I hate watching tummy bugs down my family one by one...
ReplyDeleteI love the ideas you have for your pantry! I would also add Tummy Tune-Up (from Beeyoutiful.com)- the second we come into contact with someone who has the flu or it just appears in our family, we all begin taking it. I've even been known to open the capsules and put it on a rashy diaper-bottom with some aquaphor! You can also mix half a capsule in with some applesauce, for the person who isn't keeping too much down.
Recently on Facebook I posted a picture of our sick box as I prepared to tote it down the hallway to one of my sick boys. It held all seven volumes of our Tintin collection, some vintage Superman and Batman comics, a water bottle, roll of toilet paper (I never buy kleenex), word searches, Narnia worksheets (whenever I find a special printable activity online, I save it to a "Sick Day" folder for future use and just print out as I need it), and colored pencils. (We keep our comic books put away in my desk or else that's all they want to read! :) So on sick days, it really is a treat for the boys to get to read them.) That is a very boyish sick day box...
...for my girl I fill it with books like The Pooh Get-Well Book (full of little sick-day recipes for mama to make, and lots of sweet Pooh games- some to print off and color, and some like Poohsticks, where you just use toothpicks to make pictures on your pillow!), The Cozy Book, The Secret Remedy Book, some printed off coloring pages, markers, and maybe a new outfit for her doll (I pick these up when they're on sale at JoAnn's and stash them away). And I definitely bring a tea tray; though sorely lacking for sweets, it still has a few saltine crackers and a pretty little vase of flowers (fake, if it's winter- I keep these stashed, too!) and a love note from Mama.
One more thing- I keep stocked up on Immune Booster tea (bulkherbstore) for these times, too... it's soothing, mild, and pumps sickies full of good things.
Thank you for the tips about the pantry- I'm going to make sure mine's ready!
xo