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Recently, Bear came down with an awful stomach virus. It’d been going around his campus and it was Bear’s lucky turn to get it over the weekend. After a night of vomiting, followed by a fever, followed by a nasty bout of diarrhea, Bear is finally better. (He also had a check-up at his pediatrician’s office to ensure he was okay.)
Caring for Bear over the weekend made me realize that as much as I love Dr. Google, there were no actual tips I could’ve used. Now that we know what stomach flu symptoms look like (this is Bear’s second go-round in a calendar year), we’re better prepared for it next time.
Here are my tips to help you sleep-deprived parents on caring for a very sick child. Let’s go!
Stomach flu and food poisoning have similar symptoms, but ultimately this is the biggest difference between the two: a fever. Once a fever develops, it’s clear it’s more than just eating bad food. When you make that determination (and sometimes it won’t be for hours), you can handle your child’s situation a lot better.
Please be sure to have a lot of cleaning supplies (rags, laundry detergent, bleach, cleaning products, and gloves) on hand. This will especially come in handy in the middle of the night. Stomach flu is very messy – a lot of vomiting and diarrhea – and you’ll need to clean up after each bout.
Have a lot of fluids available – Gatorade, Pedialyte, etc. Stay away from acidic juices and sodas, except ginger ale. Whatever goes down will come back up, and it’ll come back up rather nasty. Also, during this time, your child might not want to eat anything. Because their body is fighting the illness, make sure you have plenty of water and liquids to help rebuild their strength. And there’s nothing wrong with good ol’ ginger ale!
Please make an appointment with your pediatrician whenever you’re able. While I can handle some of the illness, there were moments when I could admit I couldn’t help Bear. Don’t let your pride get in the way of taking care of your child! Seek professional help if things are too much for you to handle.
Please get some sleep! I was up all night with Bear and didn’t finally fall asleep until sometime in the late afternoon and slept for several hours. Whenever your child sleeps, you sleep.
What are your tips for taking care of an ill child?
