What's your secret weapon for surviving sick days with little ones?

[CeriMumsnet]

It's never ideal when cold and flu season hits your house, but having some tricks up your sleeve can help. We'd love to know how you handle it when everyone's under the weather.

Is there a particular meal that always comforts poorly DC? Perhaps grabbing the duvets and settling in for a TV marathon does the trick, or maybe you tackle the germs head-on with plenty of anti-bac and fresh laundry.

Share your go-to sick day tips and remedies below! Everyone who posts by 25 November will be entered into a prize draw to win a £200 Amazon voucher (T&Cs)

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Bringing their bedding downstairs to have a bed on the sofa whilst being looked after by us.

A medical cabinet full of essentials, calpol, cough medicine, a decongestant, plasters and sting cream - always checking the use by dates and that we have enough if we've had a episode of high temps and coughs.

Rub them with goose fat 😂

In the bathroom, an array of essentials which I may need really quickly, liquid paracetamol, some zoflora for sick days, and decongestant for their chest for snuffles.

Chicken noddle soup, a warm duvet and plenty of hot drinks. Often the dog provides cuddles.

Dc2 is off sick at the moment, lots of sleep and calpol. Plus many drinks, luckily I'm wfh today so he's set up in the big bed with drinks, tissues, and ddog.
Now dc1 is home which is a good distraction too.
Waiting for dh to come home with some ribena, going to see if I can tempt him some pizza in a while as well.

Can you pls share your chicken noodle soup recipe?

I just do a variation on a gousto recipe, simmer 2'chicken breasts in chicken stock, remove and pull, pop back in, add garlic, ginger, a bit of chilli, then whatever veg, corn, Pak choi, sugar snap peas, precooked noodles. You can make it up really. More water if it's reduced and season to taste.

Ginger biscuits for an upset stomach once they are 'on the mend'.

Keep emergency contacts, pediatrician information, and medication lists handy, and I've taken a basic paediatric first aid or CPR course, which has given me some reassurance - especially around choking. Finally, be emotionally ready to support your children calmly, offering reassurance and gentle care to help them feel safe and comfortable.

If DS is ill: lots of 'comfort' tv, programmes that he grew out of 3 years ago, he will want to watch if under the weather. If he's got a cold, loves to combine cold toast (to scratch his throat) with soft fruit like mango or banana.

If we are ill: give up on screen time limits for the day!

Generally, always try to have meals, soup, bread and milk in the freezer just in case.

Mine need lots of sleep so I make them up a bed on the sofa so that can watch tv and snooze. I keep them topped up with calpol, drinks so they don’t dehydrate and whatever food they fancy eating- usually toast and ice pops!

The TV remote, calpol, wetwipes, soft tissues and a vapour rub for their chest.

I'd always ask my mum friends and aunties who have had small children for advice whenever they get a fever - and when I should look out for other more serious symptoms - but always have liquid paracetamol, cough medicine, a decongestant and a mr bump cool bag in the freezer.

Disney +
Chicken Soup
PJ's and blankets on the sofa
It's cured everything so far

Keep them hydrated with ice pops when they are being sick, and introduce food slowly the next day - if they feel up to eating, dehydration is easy to miss if they can't keep anything down.

The best tip I received when my little boy was ill with vomiting and diarrhoea was to focus on keeping him hydrated in tiny, frequent sips and not to worry about food until he was ready. Staying calm, watching for signs he needed medical help (he didn't) , and remembering that rest and patience are just as important as medicine made a huge difference.

being made comfortable and reassured - when a child is ill , they are scared as it's something they are not used to - reassure them, that you will look after them and make them better.

Mine is a sofa sticker book! We love creating scenes having a cuddle and we love looking back. Its our little sick day thing

Blanket/duvet and pillow on the sofa (I allow them to watch a bit of tv when they’re up to it)

we have a few go to foods depending on what type of illness they have. In our house it’s either Heinz tomato soup with a slice of white bread to dip, or when they’re ready for something more substantial then it’s tuna rice (can of tuna, mixed with boiled rice, bit of mayonnaise and if you fancy any veg/salad chopped into it and mix it all together - sweetcorn, peas, cucumber and tomatoes are our favourites in it)

ice poles or ice lollies if they’ve been sick and need to keep their liquid intake up, or if they have a sore throat.

Those warm up teddy's.
Duvet and TV day and eating there too! Lap trays with toast. Soup. And cereal. Cheese on toast.
Rich teas.
Warm ribena.
Pillow case on radiator before bed.especially good for ear or tooth ache.
lots of extra love and cuddles.
Allow them to be pathetic.

Soups, smoothies and lots of sleep! We don’t usually do lots of tv so this is a time when the novelty of back to back Disney movies lets me still get some work done. Headphones on kiddo so I can sit next to him and work on the laptop… I can’t easily just take a day off and don’t have family nearby so this really helps!!

When younger using a calpol syringe filled with water in to get fluids into them when struggling to drink

Are you a nurse by any chance?

Open the windows, get some fresh air going through the house.
Sanitise everything, light switches, toilet flush etc every few hours.
Wash comfort blankets frequently.
Crack open the plain / rich tea / arrowroot biscuits.
Make a simple veggie soup.
Lots of fluids.

Call up the secret weapon dog and cat to lie next to the sick patient making sympathetic noises whilst permitting the patient to stroke fur and ears. Guaranteed to work!