Let me know if these tips are helpful at all.
1. Stock up
This is a no brainer, but its easy to forget. Make sure you have your sickness staples on hand before your children are sick.
At our house the list of needs includes:
- Acetaminophen
- Ibuprofen
- Vicks vapor rub
- Nebulizer treatments
- A working thermometer!
This year we had to buy a new thermometer. We had gone through three forehead thermometers over the past several years. They're not cheap either! $50 not cheap to be exact. I'm not really sure what happens to them. I think they get mishandled way too much.
So, when we bought one this time around I wanted to keep it safe for a little longer. I decided to make a "sickness" box. I put all of our necessities in one box. When no one is sick, the box is put away, when sickness strikes, I know exactly where everything is and its all intact.
3. Take notes
Did you notice the memo pads in both pictures? That's something new I started this year. I really like record keeping, so this is a fun thing for me (if I can use that word when talking about kids being sick!)
Basically, every time we've had fevers in the past I would write down the time-temperature-medicine given. Without these notes I would forget the times or type of fever reducer. So now each kid has their own little memo pad.
Other info I add to these memo pads are wellness check up info (this also goes in my calendar/planner), prescription info and other random symptoms.
I like having everything in one place so I don't look clueless when the doctor starts asking me when my child got sick! "Um, I think it was Monday night!"
4. Don't lose track!
Anyway, throughout the years there have been times when we've had two or three kids on different antibiotics. I do not trust my memory during these times (or anytime for that matter!).
This is a picture of my kitchen wall calendar. As you can see, we're at the beginning of the year and I have "A's" all over! When I picked up the Augmentin (antibiotic) I immediately marked 20 "A's" on the calendar. Two doses a day for ten days. Each time the medicine is taken I mark it off. I cannot stress how helpful this is.
5. Long term file
Do you have a home management binder? If not how about a file folder or a notebook? Whatever you have, one sheet of paper per family member should be sufficient for medical records (unless there is a chronic illness). Keeping each person's medical history in an accessible place is very useful during unforeseen times.
Good things to include would be birth information, major illnesses, surgeries and any allergies (food, seasonal and medical).
Please stay well this winter!
2 comments:
I like the idea of marking down antibiotics dosages on the calendar! I should have done that last month when Nicholas had an ear infection. I had to keep counting back in my head and kept forgetting what day he'd actually started them. I'll keep this in mind for next time!
There are some days when I forget if I've given out the medicine yet or not (that's how bad I am!) During those times, its nice to be able to rely on the calendar.
Post a Comment