Being a mom comes with no days off. So when sickness comes (and it often will with children around), we’re left trying to figure out how to make it through. Whether it’s your first time being sick with littles or want to find ways to make it a little easier this go around, this article was made with you in mind.
I’ll give you advice on how to make it through, what to prioritize as you slowly feel better, and how to prepare better for the next time sickness hits your house.
SICK MODE
Survival Mode Activated
When you’re in the height of your symptoms and feeling at your absolute lowest, you have to understand and accept that you have officially entered survival mode. In this mode, it’s not a typical day. So your day doesn’t have its typical priorities.
Your main priority is the absolute essentials–eating and keeping your kids safe and cared for. Having a tidied home is not a priority.
If it can wait, let it wait. And trust God with the rest.
Rest Yourself
I know you want to do and be everything for everyone you care for at all times. However, rest is essential when you’re getting over sickness. It typically takes longer to fully recover if your body has not gotten enough rest.
So sleep as much as you can. When your children are sleeping, sleep at the same time. Try to do everything you can while they are awake so you can sleep during naps and get into bed early.
Call In Reinforcements
If your husband is feeling okay, ask him to help you and the children. If he has sick days at work, see if he can use one or two to take care of you all. Using your sick days from work to care for the ones around you is a valid reason to do so.
But, if everyone is down, including your husband, see if you guys can split the bare necessities to make it through. Alternate changing diapers, giving medicine to the kids and warming food so you each can have an opportunity to get at much rest as possible.
You may even consider calling in extra hands if you’re able. If you have a mom, sister or friend nearby that can come over (masked and gloved up) to watch the littles or take someone to the doctor, that will be so helpful! However, if being in the sick zone is a concern, they can even pick up prescriptions or drop off a meal at the door. Just try to offload as much as you can.
Do the Bare Minimum
As moms, I know we always want to go above and beyond for our children. We want the greatest for them. But on sick days, your goal is to the bare minimum. For their sake and yours.
Just focus on the bare minimum for keeping them safe and entertained. You can keep your littles occupied with bringing out the new toys to keep them entertained for a little bit longer. You can sit on the bed or couch and read their favorite stores.
And although it’s possible to make it though without it, you can also offer your children screen time. Even if you do not normally use screen time to keep your children entertained, you can consider extending yourself grace and allowing it. In the grand scheme of life, a few days of extra screen time most likely will not harm our children. If you’re comfortable with it, you can even try to turn on some lower stimulation shows.
RECOVERY
This is for when you’re slowly getting better. You’re not 100% yet, but you’re also not glued to the bed or couch.
Reintroduce House Tasks Strategically
When you’re starting to feel better, you may be ready to jump back into getting your home organized and visibly in order.
My suggestion is to focus your energy on first disinfecting. I would not move on to tidying or cleaning until this first step has been taken care of.
Starting with disinfecting will hopefully reduce the spread of germs in your home. And also ensure no one gets sick for the second time!
Once this has been taken care of and you’re feeling up to more, I’d then move on to cleaning (dishes, bathroom) then tidying.
Get Help, Again
I know I mentioned getting extra help in the thick of the sickness, but I suggest having someone step in even as you’re getting better.
When I’m already making it day-by-day with the high demands of life, I need extra help to get my home back in order after taking time to rest. You may consider asking your husband for extra assistance after work in the evenings or on the weekends. Or ask your mom to help watch the little kids so you can catch up on housework. If the budget allows, consider hiring a housecleaner to get the house in shape.
If you aren’t able to get any extra help, don’t fret. You’ll just need to give yourself extra grace and take it easy as you try to restore equilibrium.
IN ADVANCE
Stock Sick Items in Advance
Oh how I wish I had done this the last time I was sick.
It’s so simple to do and makes a huge difference when you find yourself sick. And yet, it was on my to-do list for over a year!
I want to keep sick items on hand at all times. Things like canned soup, broth, saltine crackers, applesauce, electrolyte drinks, ginger ale, cold/flu medicine and stomach bug medicine. I’d even like to have a stash of disposable plates and forks to reduce amount of mess in times like these.
Try to add these items to your upcoming grocery lists to ensure you’re ready!
Prepare Kid-Friendly Freezer Meals
I recommend making some extra freezer meals, especially ones you know your kids enjoy.
This reduces the need to think about meals on sick days. If your kids happen to be feeling well and ready to eat, while you’re down, you can warm these with little effort in the moment.
Get Systems in Place
You can really feel the difference systems make when mom is down.
One way systems help is in how you’re able to stay on top of things on most days. So when you are taking a few days off for sickness, it is easier to pick things back up and keep moving forward.
However, if things are constantly falling through the cracks on an average day, then when unexpected things happen, you find yourself even more behind. This can easily leave you feeling overwhelmed once you’re well and trying to restart.
Another way systems help moms is by leaving a simple written plan for anyone to jump in and help. In the moment, it can be hard to have all the household management and information in your mind alone. If someone offers to help, you’re still having to delegate and manage the mental load. One way to give yourself time to rest is to allow your home to run even without you.
Moving Forward
The last time I got sick left me realizing I need better systems for my home. I plan to create more resources and videos around household management. Sign up for the newsletter and subscribe on YouTube to stay tuned for those.
I hope you find these tips helpful. If you are currently sick, I’m praying for healing and full recovery for you and your family. May God be with you all.
