Top 10 Tips to Care for Ailing Children (under 5)

As a new mom, we panicked when our daughter had a fever, so we rushed to urgent care to wait for an hour to get prescribed Motrin or Tylenol. This happened multiple times with different kids so now we just give them Motrin right away. If your baby looks like they are suffering really bad or if you feel spiritually inclined to visit the doctor by all means do. My kids especially HATE taking medicine so we have to pin them down and what has worked for us is to use an oral syringe and inject the medicine towards the back of their mouth between their gums and cheeks so it slides down. We've also tried mixing it with grape juice and a splash of lemon. Just make sure baby drinks all to get the full dosage.

When your kid pukes, it's the saddest thing in the world. What really helps is to immediately get all the large chunks out of then spray the stain and throw it in the wash. Leaving soiled bedding or clothing in the dirty hamper is a HUGE MISTAKE trust me, I learned the hard way. It develops mold quickly and smells up the whole area.

Resting is not the same and doing nothing but sitting in front of the TV. Take a your baby on walk in nature, notice the birds, the squirrels, and whatever else may be around. Of course avoid people but getting in touch with nature is so healing. If it's winter, bundle up your little one or you can even just look out a large window. If your home's air feels stale with sickness, refresh the house by opening windows and turning on the fan for a few minutes.

When sick, what we really need is immune system boosting foods. My daughter LOVES sugary cereals. We try to reserve it for our special tradition of Sweet Saturday but when she's sick and not going to school it must trigger something in her to ask for her favorite sugary cereal. I gently remind her it's not Sweet Saturday. Other treats she also enjoys that are relatively healthy are mini- protein pancakes sweetened with smashed ripe banana- no syrup, peas, fish and rice, udon noodles, curry protein noodles, and fruit cut into small chunks. For lunch, I'll whip up chicken noodle soup with a Costco rotisserie chicken and use mini cookie cutter to cut out fun shapes of carrots and/or potatoes.

Saying positive affirmations and letting your kids know how much you love them is healing. They already feel physically crummy, why do they have to feel spiritually crummy as well? I love to remind my daughter she is a good healer. As she has gotten older, we talk about funny things that happened when she was sick in the past. For my extra little one, she loves to be on the boobies when she's sick. It's not my favorite and I get claustrophobic but I remind myself, this is her happy place. I'll sing to her and smile at her. Often when I'm at my wits end, I'll pray she falls asleep so I can detach. This is probably why I am a firm believer in walking in nature...

Easier said then done for sure! Mom friends are always asking, do you need anything? Dinner or groceries? Most of the time we, as moms politely decline. If you really need dinner delivered, SAY YES!. Dinner would be great thank you!! I'm a mom that is an emotional shopper so my home is stocked with easy to prepare foods my children enjoy. When my kids are sick and they are being extra needy, what I need most is comic relief, prayers, and good vibes. We can't pour from an empty cup. I have a wonderful friend that text me prayers of healing for my kids, and it's the BEST! My other friend sends me funny mom memes, which I LOVE so MUCH! My husband will pitch in and help with cleaning the house. Every mom is different but figuring out how to keep the mommy spirit happy and joyful will help lessen the misery.

I offer my children water every hour or so. Even if they are not thirsty I ask them to take a sip. I'll make it fun by having a tea party using herbal teas, letting them add a dash of honey themselves and mixing it. Smoothies are also popular in our household.

My friend tells me Advil for Kid's Blue Rasberry is the best tasting according to her children. For coughs, my children love sick candy or lollipops for coughs. I also love the Luden's cough drops. I'm not sure how effective it is, since my children still cough but something is better than nothing. When the kids vomit, they get special Pedialyte Freezer pops. For my littlest one, I cut up the frozen pop and offer her a spoon to eat it so the freezer pop doesn't end up all over the floor.

Last but surely not least. REST. Their bodies are fighting infection so I try my best to keep things calm. To put my best mom foot forward, I also make sure to rest as well. If possible enlist someone to entertain other children who aren't sick otherwise just know, while one kid is sick your other children will probably be watching more TV than normal. Another solution is doing what John F. Kennedy's mother Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy did and when one gets sick, put them all in the same room to make sure they all get sick. Her reasoning is, she had so many kids it was easier to deal with the sickness all at once rather than staggering it for a prolonged period.