Does anybody else stress about their children being ill for Christmas?

[guiltynetter]

I've got 2 children aged 4 and 3 months. This time of year just seems so bad for bugs and illnesses going round. my DD is hardly ever ill but she has had tonsillitus for a week. I thought it would be much better by now. Tonight she had a horrendous loose poo which made me think argh now she's got a stomach bug! 3 month old DS has had bronchiolitis but seems a bit better.

All I keep thinking all the time is what if they're ill for Christmas and now I think of it I was like this last year too when DD got awful virus the week before the big day. it's stressful I wish I could stop being so bothered!

Mine is she has a rotten cold.

To be honest there is no point being stressed about it, if they get ill then they get ill and you can’t stop that.

It’s unfortunate but not the end of the world.

Mine are sick as dogs non stop cough/cold/ virus/ temp, I didn’t plan anything big for Christmas on purpose. I don’t think there is any point with youg kids, will try and have a nice meal but may be a nightmare !

Omg yes im so paranoid about it i have really bad germ phobia as it is and get really anxious around occasions that one of us will become ill.
Sorry your little ones have been poorly hope all is well for net week x

My DS's 4th Xmas this year. He's been poorly of some sort every year so far! This year he's got a head cold virus that the rest of us have also got! Some years he's been teething hideously, others he had a cold or something like that. I'm generally poorly every Xmas too. Nothing you can do to stop it so may as well not stress about it and just roll with the punches!

Yes, I'm dreadful for this.
2 year old DD goes to nursery on Monday and Friday, I purposely kept her off today just so she wouldn't pick up any bugs - she's still loaded with cold however!

I have literally been counting the days down for when DS breaks up from school knowing that the risk of catching something reduces by each passing day!

We'll see what the weekend holds! 😩😷

Mine always get ill thus time of year. Youngest has has a cold for three weeks but seems better the last few days. Eldest missed a couple of days of school with higb temp and now a bad cough and I have a throat infection. Hoping it will be gone by Christmas but not counting on it. Worst year was the swine flu year though.....

Yep. DD2 vommed spectacularly in her cot on Wednesday night and I've been praying that it was just a fluke and we won't all come down with a bug. 😬

Yes, vomiting bugs seem so much more prevalent these days compared with when I was young. I suspect it’s because everywhere seems so overcrowded.

We’re seeing family tomorrow, am hoping all their younger kids are bug free. I tend then to try and avoid shops and just stick to country walks the couple of days before.

I know there's no point stressing about it, and if they're ill, they're ill. but I can't help it! I think it's all the preparations for one day and I'm so excited to see my DD open her presents, it'll just totally be ruined if she's poorly. I keep thinking to myself right it's still 3 days away, if she's ill she could be better by then... just ridiculous 🙈

Given the number of Christmases where I've spent Christmas Eve in A&E, and the one where Christmas morning involved BIL tripping over my vomit covered unconscious body, before I fell down the stairs, which have still been OK, I figure we'll survive anything - but then we don't go anywhere over Christmas, so worst case scenario is probably telling the ILs not to come and then having the food once people are better.

It wouldn’t be ruined. You just adapt and make it special when you can.

Ds got Chicken pox last Monday. He's fine, was back at school this Monday, but am assuming Dd will develop spots either Sunday (ds 7th bday), Monday (planning to take them to a carol service) or the big day itself.

It doesn’t worry me. If they are ill, they’re ill. At least i’m off work to look after them anyway.

Half my dcs school is off with a sickness bug.
I'm slightly worried about it and hoping they don't get it for Christmas.
It's not usually something I stress about though.

Mine have yet to have a Christmas where they aren’t poorly to some extent.

I was worried as we had a plane to catch but only because of travelling. Christmas at home doesn't bother me.

Sorry but as an Aunty to a child who this Christmas might be their last I really think you need to get a grip.

Unless they are seriously ill they buck up for Christmas the excitement and adrenaline kick in and they manage the day fine.
Mine are much older and I can remember many a Christmas day when one or more were under the weather.

I have 4 DC (8-13) and I don’t think we’ve ever had a christmas with everyone healthy - maybe except for the first 1 or 2 when we only had DS. It sucks but it’s life. We’ve had several trips to A&E (inc one on Christmas Eve evening one year), croup x3 (or maybe x4 I can’t remember) and various colds/viruses resulting in high temps, snotty noses, sore throats and zero appetite.

The only way to deal with it is to set your expectations really low! If they have no appetite and don’t eat their Christmas dinner then they can enjoy leftovers later. If they’re too wiped out to enjoy gift opening then let it spread over several days - you’ll miss the initial excitement but a week/month/year later they’ll still get the same enjoyment from the gifts as if they had opened them in one go. If they can’t cope with lots of people then instead they have a restful Christmas with movies and blankets. If they’re not up to visits/events/activities then you just have to write it off for this year.

I know I sound heartless - I’m not - I promise - and we’ve dealt with our fair share of festive disappointments over the years - but there really is nothing at all you can do about it and it will most likely become a regular occurrence for at least the next 10 years so stressing isn’t going to help.

All that said - I hope your little one recovers and you have a wonderful week next week

Yes, I wind myself up about sick bugs in particular, I've always found other people having a sick bug really distressing and it's been 1000x worse since I had kids. I live in fear of them. My kids are on lockdown from now until Boxing Day just in case.

Dc5(1) has just, within the last 4 hours, come down with a horrible cold. Passed to him by dh the bastard. I fully expect to get it by Christmas Eve because it tradition I have a cold at Christmas. It was DC3(5) turn to stay up tonight & she's just gone plodding off to bed feeling rather hot & saying she feels sick. Dc1(8) has had an ear infection over Christmas hols every year for the past 3 years, time will tell if it happens again this year. As a general rule mine are pretty healthy but you can guarantee that if they're going to get poorly it'll happen during the holidays. 'Tis sods law.

I think mine has got chicken pox. I'm gutted.