Occupying a Sick Child?

[Jenna]

Hi there

Today has been a funky day, because my daughter is really sick. She has a fever, cough, sore throat, and sometimes an upset stomach. Today she has been content to nap on and off, and watch videos. That has been fine for the most part, but I knwo that it won't be this quiet for too much longer. She is already starting to feel just well enough to be bored, though she won't play with her toys. Do you have any ideas for entertaining a sick three year old? She can't do much more than lay on the couch, but I've got to find something to help pass the time during the days ahead...

 

[lucypevensie]

When my kids are sick I sometimes end up sitting A LOT. We read, watch TV and videos, or play games or those board puzzles. Yep, those days can get v e r y l o n g.... I have to let the house go for a few days. My kids think it's pretty cool to get little "treats" on those days, such as an ice pack for the forehead or their very own glass of ice water - oooooohhh (with a straw). I don't know how to make sick days super fun. We just do our best to get through them sanely and with hope that this too shall pass.

 

[Lost]

Hi Jenna!

for Jenna's daughter.

for Jenna.

This worked for me....(yes, for one that young....mine started this at 2):

I always kept on hand:

spiral notebook/or any kind of book/scrap book (whatever's inexpensive)

glue sticks (washable glue of course!)

safety scissors (make sure they're blunt also)

an empty shoe box (can be decorated>wrap in special paper, stickers, childs name)

old magazines/or the Sears Christmas Toy Catalog

Some libraries sell old magazines for as little as ten cents....a good source.

The first time I used this method I sat down with them and started cutting out pictures......."ooo'ing and ah'ing" over each one.....LOL.

Then I'd start making "mom's" notebook.....(helps them get the idea.)

They'd put their cut pictures into their own box.....or sometimes glue them immediately into their notebook.

I also used this method for a "list for Santa" notebook. (This is a sneaky way for parents to "surprise" them on Christmas day......I had a lot of fun with it!)

To this very day both of my children still have at least one of their favorite books saved in their "memory box" and talk about how much fun it was. (One is 21, the other 16)

Sometimes I used the box as a "priviledge".....they were only allowed to get them out to play with if they'd been behaving....or had helped cleaned the mess up when they were done the last time they had them out.

The school says that cutting with scissors, putting beads onto shoelaces, etc. builds eye/hand coordination.....which is a good thing.

My daughters book was especially fun to look at: Example: she once glued a picture of a hand, bottle of childrens vitamins, and vitamins all together so it looked like the hand was pouring the vitamins out of the bottle. (She even cut the lid off of the bottle to make it look like it was opened.)

She's now going to college for art.

proud mamma> lost :o

Good luck......hope she gets better soon!

lost

 

[Addicted2~Jesus]

Gosh sorry I wouldn't have anythin to hep, my wife throws me out when my daughter gits sick hehe, I'm absouletly horrid at dealin wit my poor defensless, wore out, knocked down, abused sick baby girl. The friggan world should jes STOP on account she's not feelin well.

So I'm normally gotten rid of so's maw can take care of er hehe... funny there's always sumthin need doin round here when she gits sick. Though.... an no ones allowed to laugh AT me... though laughin wit me's fine... when I'm sick my baby gal an me watch veggie tails all day makes me feel better

 

[andiesmama]

Andie was sick the other day....I picked up these "mess free" fingerpaints that Crayola makes....special paper & special "paint"...it's colorless but shows up when they paint on the paper...it's cool & Andie loved it! (I already need to buy more paint!)...and it really is mess-free....the only place the color shows up is on the paper!

Hope she's better soon!!

 

[Jenna]

Sorry it took me so long to get back in here. We went from "so sick that she would only zone out with movies on" to "so sick she only wakes up to cry". *sighs* I spent the night sleeping on the floor on an oversized (read: HUGE) beanie bed that I made for her. It's the size of a twin sized bed, so we camped out and snuggled together all night. It was the only way that she would sleep, and the best way for me to keep track of her fever.

Anna is just now starting to feel well enough to try and play with things now. So far she is occupying herself with a couple pennies and popsickle sticks. *chuckles* I ended up going over to nick jr, and found some little games on there. Other than that, she's only been able to really stay awake for as long as it took to go to the doctor's office and to the store to get juice. Tomorrow should be different though, as she seems to be nominally better.

My sister is thinking that I am spoiling my little girl. *chuckles* I had to beg Anna to even nibble a little ice cream. I've been plying her with any and every fluid and food possible, because she just doesn't want to take anything. The doctor motivated her though, through telling her that if she didn't drink her water and juice, then I would have to take her to the hospital. Oy. But, she's finally drinking again, and was interested in a book. So, I think that maybe we will try and make some little projects about Cinderella. I'm still trying to come up with something though. She loves Cinderella, and I know that she would like something creative to do. Anna loves to draw (nothing too fancy, mind you), and she is just now learning how to control her crayons enough to draw a couple letters. She hasn't learned how to use scissors yet, since we don't have any safety scissors. Any ideas?

 

[ClaireZ]

I mainly used to read to my children when they were sick. We used to climb into my bed, and I would read until we had a mountain of books next to the bed.

Videos can be good, we had Barney and Sesame Street. Plus some Disney ones.

Paint with water books are great and easy. Wood puzzles if they are feeling up to that.

 

[HeatherJay]

You could make some puppets out of some old socks and left over craft supplies...then you could put on puppet shows for each other.

 

[Lost]

Hope she's feeling better real soon!

 

[andiesmama]

She loves Cinderella, and I know that she would like something creative to do. Anna loves to draw (nothing too fancy, mind you), and she is just now learning how to control her crayons enough to draw a couple letters. She hasn't learned how to use scissors yet, since we don't have any safety scissors. Any ideas?

Try going on-line & printing out some pics of Cinderella, the prince, their coach, etc that she could color....then mom could cut them out & use the popsicle sticks to glue them on...then put on a little play with them!

 

[jenelis]

Uggghh. Do I feel for you!

My Hannah was so sick with the nasty flu that last Sunday I had to take her to the hospital! We spent ALL WEEK out of school and out of work getting her better.

Mostly we watched videos, but I also suggest www.pbskids.org and we have a kids cd that is Dr. Seuss books that are animated and read them to you. It has built-in activities, like the Magic Schoolbus does. We read books and played with her stuffed animals. every few hours I swapped them out with others who "were so worried and wanted their turn to lay with their mommy."

She slept alot too.

Hope this helps.