I’ve probably said this before but being a mom of many small kids often feels like I’m moving from one state of crisis to another, sprinkled with brief moments of respite in between where nobody is ill or sniffling or germy.
All my life, I’ve been mostly ok with a moderate amount of germs but those days are over because motherhood has turned me into a total germaphobe.
Why? With all these kids running around, I’m basically just a palmful of bacteria away from a full on catastrophe.
Any number of ailments could befall any of them at any given time, and it will immediately spread like wildfire to the rest of the kids. Almost every kind of virus is likely to become an epidemic around here. HFMD, stomach flu, regular flu, scarlet fever, any other kind of fever…the terrifying list goes on.
Having been through enough sick baby moments, I feel like I need to share some tips that might come in useful for when disaster strikes.
1. Double sheet the bed.
The one thing worse than having a sick baby throw up in the middle of the night is having the baby throw up on your bed in the middle of the night. The number of times I’ve tried to catch baby vomit with my bare hands in the middle of the night in the hope that it won’t land on my bad is TOO MANY, and the number of times I’ve been successful is ZERO.
The solution to this is to add another layer of waterproof mattress protector and bedsheets over the original layer when the kids are ill. This way, when the baby throws up (which he will!), all you need to do is peel off the pukey layer and go right back to bed.
2. Lollipop meds.
The 3 big kids are pretty good with taking their meds but baby Theo does not like the taste of medicine in his mouth. No matter how I try to trick him into eating it, this baby will not stand for it.
The only thing that’s worked so far is this genius lollipop trick – dip his favourite lolly into the meds and let him suck it. When he’s done with all the meds, he gets to finish the lollipop. It’s tedious, but it works!
3. Use good tissue for delicate drippy noses.
Drippy noses make for sad babies, but getting a nose abrasion from using poor quality tissue makes for sadder babies, and that’s just unnecessary.
We’ve been using Pursoft’s premium facial tissue and it’s perfect for the kids’ delicate skin. It’s made of 3-ply 100% virgin pulp, which makes it the right kind of smooth and soft and absorbent for those drippy baby noses.
They also have a travel pack that makes everything much more convenient because it’s so compact. There’s always one in my diaper bag and I make sure my kids carry a pack around so that they will always have tissues within reach at all times.
Pursoft tissue is also stronger, resulting in less tears, which also means that we end up using less tissue each time, so we’re saving money and the environment. In addition, they’re also free from Optical Brightening Agents that make the tissue look artificially whiter, so I don’t have to worry about triggering allergies.
4. As well as good toilet tissue for upset tummies.
Yes, it’s true, I’m a bit of a toilet tissue snob. One can save on lots of stuff like shopping and travel and even food, but bathroom tissue is not one of them – you need to get the best that money can buy because baby buttock abrasion is just NO.
One time, I bought a toilet tissue that felt like sandpaper and the kids were like “Why are you doing this to us, mom???!!”
Well, never again.
If you want really good toilet tissue, Pursoft’s 4-ply bathroom tissue is the best thing ever, especially for those really bad cases of tummy aches. The 4 ply bathroom tissues are soft and luxurious, yet strong enough so you use less sheets each time. There’s also a green tea scented core version that smells divine without aggravating sensitive skin.
Like the facial tissue variant, it’s made of virgin pulp and free from Optical Brightening Agents. It is also Forest Stewardship Council TM (FSC TM) certified. This is important because no illegal woods have been used and they’re not one of those irresponsible haze-causing corporations that obtain pulp by resorting to slash and burn methods. It’s nice to know that Pursoft is both safe for our skin and the environment.
5. Load up on the cuddles.
Having sick babies is tough on everyone, especially moms. All that extra cleaning and having to put up with grouchy babies can take its toll and I’ve discovered that the best way to get past an epidemic is to buckle down and load up on the cuddles. It’s ok if the laundry piles up for a couple of days or the kids don’t get a 5-course meal for dinner.
Some days, I’ll just phone it in and spend the day cuddling with my sick babies in bed because at least this way, they’ll feel better and so will I. Regular programming can wait till everyone’s healthy again.
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If you’d like to get a complimentary Pursoft Travel Pack sample, just fill in your details on the website here. (while stocks last.)
Pursoft is also having an introductory offer price, plus an additional $2 off $10 Pursoft purchase at Fairprice online. Ends on 31 July 2016!
