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Toddling Through the Silicon Valley

By Cheryl Bac

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About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons incl...  (More)

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Ahh Choo!

Uploaded: Mar 1, 2014
A couple of years ago, I worked at a preschool. Spending a large chunk of time with little ones meant constantly blowing noses, holding hands, and washing/wiping down toys and surfaces. I found out just how challenging it is to stay healthy when interacting with kids during cold and flu season.

A few weeks ago my son battled a cold. Although my son's growing vocabulary and pointing skills helped us meet his needs and wants, it also broke our hearts when we heard him say just how uncomfortable he was. At the peak of his cold, he'd wake up saying "no no no." My husband and I gave sighs of relief when he switched back to repeating his usual "truck" and "train."

It is never easy to take care of a sick child, but I would love to hear your tips and tricks for making the experience as comfortable as possible (for both parents and children).

Our strategy has always been to focus on sleep. We do whatever we can to help our son sleep as much as possible (this time it meant holding him while watching marathon sessions of the Winter Olympics and Netflix). When my husband and I tag-team, neither of us gets too sleep deprived or burnt out. And, best of all, it seems to improve the chances that we will stay cold-free.
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Comments

Posted by LJ, a resident of another community,
on Mar 2, 2014 at 8:33 pm

When I was little, it seemed as if Mom rarely caught what we (5 germy children) brought home. The routine (measles, chicken pox, mumps, flu) for when I was too sick to attend school: Mom would play one game with me after lunch before sending me off for a nap. Only once, when I was 11, did Mom finally catch an awful bug the rest of us had mostly recovered from.

One other part of the routine: The child who had the bug was confined to the couch surrounded by a wall of chairs that was supposed to keep the rest of us from getting too close. I am not sure how effective that was.

Moms run on adrenaline. I hope your son is done with his cold and that you evaded it.


Posted by Cheryl Bac, a Palo Alto Online blogger,
on Mar 2, 2014 at 9:53 pm

Cheryl Bac is a registered user.

LJ - Thanks for commenting. Sounds like a very nice tradition of playing a pre-nap game together. Clever chair blockade idea!

Thankfully, my son is happy and healthy again. And my husband and I managed to stay cold-free.


Posted by Mother of 4, a resident of Palo Verde School,
on Mar 3, 2014 at 8:20 am

It is a case of grin and bear it.

One bit of advice given is to make sure that toothbrushes are kept apart in the bathroom. If they stand side by side touching in a cup it is easy to pass germs - also plenty of chlorine wipes on bathroom handles, locks, toothpaste, faucets, toilet handle/flusher, and bathroom towels should be color coded to individual rather than coordinate with décor. All these things do help.


Posted by Cheryl Bac, a Palo Alto Online blogger,
on Mar 3, 2014 at 9:09 am

Cheryl Bac is a registered user.

Mother of 4 - Thanks for sharing your tips! With four children, it must be incredibly important to do all that you can so that the colds don't go from kid to kid to kid.


Posted by Ken Mask, a resident of Los Altos,
on Mar 5, 2014 at 2:13 pm

Super tips.


Posted by CherylBac, a resident of Menlo Park,
on Mar 6, 2014 at 9:00 pm

CherylBac is a registered user.

Ken Mask - Thank you for reading and commenting. It's great to hear all the wonderful tips from readers.


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