We all have covid, this is hard

[Fedupmum13]

My 20 month old DD, dp and me all have covid. DD caught it in nursery last week. Dp and I are really rough with it and it's so hard to look after DD. This was my fear with getting it :(
To make matters worse, our boiler is on the blink (diverter valve we think) and we have no hot water.
Any recommendations for activities to keep DD happy while we rest as much as we can would be gratefully received. We've just ordered a water table instead of waiting til the summer. Thank you.

I'm so sorry you're all unwell. My child is a similar age and has a short attention span but enjoys the Melissa and Doug sticker book. Also lots of crayons and paper, or one of those Aquadoodle mats. Wooden animal puzzles are good as well. Duplo blocks and magnetic blocks/tiles.

Looking after toddlers when ill is hideous, you have my sympathy.

Take the sofa cushions of the sofa and create a softplay where she can throw herself about a bit without hurting herself.

Will she do stickers? Melissa and Doug have big reusable sticker packs which are great and available on Amazon.

Mine loved small world stuff at that age, happy land etc.

If you can I'd do 90 minute shifts and just keep swapping between you.

Food wise order some paper plates and cups and just throw stuff away. Sandwiches, beans on toast, freezer food, yogurts, it's fine for now!

Have low standards and take it as easy as possible. Hope you feel better soon!

Hope you're all better soon

Aquadoodles are great, crayons and paper, dolls and prams

Food wise picnic teas are the way forward! Minimal effort

Thank you! These are great ideas. I have an aqua doodle so will get that out. Great ideas about cushions too. I have some beanbags upstairs too so may bring those down.
We've had a food delivery tonight and have ready meals for us and then the little dish ones for DD until we are up to cooking properly again.
I think doing shifts is probably the best way to go at the moment!
We have Happy lands sets but she likes to launch them and has no interest in playing with them.
I'll look at the Melissa and doug stickers, thanks so much

It’s really simple, but mine also likes if I tape an empty cardboard tube to the wall and then have a bowl of pom poms to drop through. Trying to think of easy things you may have around the home!

Nightmare. At that age mine loved playing in the bath - it doesn’t need to be bedtime. Get out the pots and pans and wooden spoons. Also fun just hiding things in the pan/putting lids on and off.

Hope you all feel better soon.

Good luck. Take it in shifts or whoever is least ill to look after DC. dont worry about too much TV if you feel you are only able to sit on the sofa. Easy food. Tinned soup. Yoghurts. Toast. Packet noodles. Whatever gets you through

Can you tell your daughter she is the doctor and you are her sick patient? You get to lie about feeling I'll and she can role play.

Unfortunately she's too young to understand role play.. If only.
The tube and pom pom idea is great, I'll give that a go.
I've just ordered the stickers, they look great! Thank you for that suggestion.
She's been having early baths (multiple pots and pants of boiled water 😬) which has killed some time.
Hopefully tomorrow the symptoms may ease a bit. We are on day 5!

Get your plans and stuff out if you can best the noise.
Gloop- cornflour and water with a bit of colouring is fun, shaving foam, bubbles, explore sensory play. You can tidy up when you're feeling better.
Hope you feel better soon, what a nightmare.

*Get your pans and stuff out if you can bear the noise.

Oh I feel you OP. This was us last week. DH and I both absolutely wiped out with it with 2, 5 and 7 year olds locked in the house. It was grim! Here for you in solidarity!

When I had covid, absolutely no way I could have got a toddler in and out of the bath or been able to tolerate banging pans in the second week when I got really ill. Those suggestions sound like a nightmare if you get worse. I was so very grateful that my kids are older. But, I did have hyperemesis and a two year old years ago and I survived with screens. If it will occupy her, I’d get Disney+ and don’t worry, a week of it will do no harm. You have to rest.

Waffle the wonder dog On tv bbc

We were in the same situation last week. DH and I both on our arses with COVID. A 16 month old who doesn't stop and a nearly 5 year old that still had to do live lessons and homeschool tasks.

The kids watched a lot more tv than they normally would. I don't think they had a bath all week, it took me nearly a week for my temperature to drop lower than 38.5 degrees and the bathroom was hell.

We took turns over who got the lie in each day and who ever did the early shift with the youngest went back to bed while they napped.

The children ate more beige food than I've ever given. Mainly because when we tried cooking DS1 said it all tasted awful and burnt. But neither of us had a sense of smell or taste to check.

Honestly it's really tough, but I promise you'll get through it. Just do whatever gets you through the day.

If your headache isn't too bad pots and pans with wooden spoons and some dried penne.

Washing basket boat/pretend to be a tortoise (mine still do this at 7 and 9). Empty laundry baskets also get used.

Sofa cushion obstacle course - they just clamber around and burn off energy.

Den under a table with sheets and teddy bear picnic if you have plastic cups etc...

Throwing a foam ball into empty basket/bucket/bin.

Duplo (also can go in pans/containers for play)

Board books for reading time.

TV at strategic times when you know when you are at your worst.

Inflatable paddling pool filled with ball pool balls.
Get out her noisiest toys and let her push buttons.

I hesitate to post this, as I’m sure you’ve done this already, so apologies! Have you got a combo boiler or a conventional boiler? If it’s the latter, take a look in your airing cupboard/wherever your hot water tank is. Look for a switch, like a light switch or power socket switch. You might have an immersion heater, so at least you can have hot water.

For entertaining your 20 month old, can you lie on the sofa and call out different ways she can move around the room? (Like a frog, like a cat, like a slithery snake etc).

I’m also a huge fan of ‘washing up’. Towel on the floor, washing up bowl of bubbly water on the towel. Every plastic or Tupperware item you can find. Child can ‘wash up’ to their heart’s content while you sit with your head on the table waiting for bedtime.

I hope you feel better soon.

I’d go with CBeebies and lots of snacks to survive.