Tips on Survival with a Sick Baby

Any parent can tell you that life can be turned upside by a sick child. Sleepless nights, lots of crying (you and the baby!), routines are thrown out the window... it's just for the birds. And to make it even worse, you as a parent are playing a guessing game of what is ailing your child specifically in some instances.

So, I don't know about y'all, but this winter season has been a real fun one for Boo. We have had 4 ear infections, a stomach bug, and RSV. I don't even know how to quantify the runny noses, because it has been constant. I know that I am lucky that she is otherwise healthy, so I will go knock on a million pieces of wood now.

I have learned from experience (at least 5 trips to the emergency room and 2 hospital stays unfortunately) that earaches/throw up/fever hits in the middle of the night 9 out of 10 times, and at least the first time, you are GROSSLY unprepared. I hope this blog post can change the second part for some new parents out there.

(Editor's note: I am NOT a doctor! So, please do not take any of this advice as professional opinion. If your precious cherub is sick, call your pediatrician. If your child is super sick, just take their sweet baby self to the ER. ALWAYS better safe than sorry. That's my motto.)

Medicine Dosage
The first super important thing to know as a parent of a germ-collector is the appropriate dosage for Infant Tylenol and Infant Ibuprofen. The dosage is based on weight, so it is of course helpful to know what your baby weighs! There is nothing more stressful than trying to look up the dosage online whilst you have a screaming baby in your lap at 3 am. Just TYPING that sentence gave me high blood pressure.

So, here is a weight-based dosage chart for Tylenol for your reference! Remember that you need to check with your pediatrician before giving your baby any medicine. You can give Tylenol every 4-6 hours.

Thankfully, Infant's Advil (Ibuprofen) for ages 6-23 months has the dosage listed on the box (and bottle). Thanks for nothing TYLENOL! :) jay kay. 

Other helpful tips

1. Get extra diapers and your butt cream protectant of choice. (We use A&D ointment with every.single.diaper.change.) When babies are sick, they often poop a lot more (frequency and amount). Their little bottoms can get chapped, and diaper changes can be painful. 

2. Get a rectal thermometer. A rectal temperature is the most accurate way to know whether or not your babe has a fever. The temperature reading if taken rectally will be a little higher if it would be if taken orally, so beware. 

3. Have a stash of Pedialyte in the pantry. Pedialyte is worth its weight in gold for puking and pooping little babies. It will keep them hydrated, and babies (my baby anyway) love it. 

4. Get a cool mist humidifier for your babies' room. Don't wait until you are awoken by an upset, snotty, stuffy baby! We got one for our babies' room, and it has been turned on every night since November, illness present or not. 

5. Two words- snot sucker. The nasal aspirator bulbs are gross because you can't clean the inside of them, so I recommend the Nasal Frida. The snot sucker is to be used in conjunction with Saline spray. You spray the saline spray in their nostrils, then you use the nasal frida to suck everything out. 

6. If your baby suffers from an ear infection, you might want to try elevating his/her head when they are sleeping to relieve ear pressure. Until my baby outgrew hers, we would let her sleep in the swing overnight because it kept her head elevated. I have also heard of parents putting a pillow or rolled-up blanket UNDER the mattress to elevate it slightly on one side, but that is to your own discretion. 

7. This is an obvious one, but be patient with your little cherub. Having a sick baby is hard on everyone, but don't forget who the one feeling like crap is: your sweet baby. She wants to sleep, she wants to feel better - I promise. We are the lucky ones that get to love them back to health, and I say that with NO sarcasm. It is way easy to get frustrated ---so remember that, and take turns with your significant other if you can. 

8. Get an Angelcare monitor. Or breathing monitor otherwise. It just makes you feel better as a parent to know that they are moving around and breathing ok in their crib when you aren't standing over them watching them breath. (I know I am NOT the only parent that does this!)

I'll be making a list of specific recommend items to have on hand during sick season (read: basically, until your kid is 5). But that is for another night!