I am so sorry, somehow I overlooked announcing the winner of the Vicks pack! So, without further ado, the winner is…
#10 Chic Mummy!
Please email me your contact details (for email link, try the ‘Contact’ link above in the header) and I will arrange for your prize to be posted out.
The view from our couch last week! 
Yes that is a toddler sitting on a towel with a vomit bowl! *SIGH* Fortunately though, no temperature. See for yourself, right there on the large, easy to read bright green screen!
Thanks to the generosity of Vicks, we have a brand new digital toy to play with. No not a new laptop *sigh again* but a new thermometer. And this one rips shreds off our old one. We used to use a ‘stick-it-in-the-ear’ variety but incredibly, despite the $60+ price tag, it was not backlit.
*Cues background music* It is pitch black, the dead of night, and your baby/toddler is fussy and won’t settle. You stand in the dark, trying to juggle not only a thermometer to take their temperature but also a mobile phone – for the light – as the ridiculous thermometer does not light up. Very unhelpful when you are trying to minimize disturbing your baby/toddler any more than is absolutely necessary.
That scene was played out at our house many, many times during the past two years, in fact Immy only ever seems to get sick during the night!
Anyhow, back to the Vicks Forehead Thermometer. As well as being backlit, you just sweep the thermometer across the patient’s forehead for a mere three seconds to take a temperature reading. A quick swipe, it beeps to let you know it is ready and then it lights up AND changes colour, just like a traffic light! Depending upon the temperature reading, the screen turns green, yellow or red. No late night, sleep deprived brain wondering if 38.2° is fever or not!
Now if Vicks could just work out a way to take care of the fevered child for you!
Readers of Childhood 101 have the opportunity to win this great nursery pack featuring a Vicks Forehead Thermometer and Grobag Room Temperature Egg, the total prize is valued at $140.
To enter, leave a comment on this post sharing your number one tip for caring for a sick baby, toddler or child. Giveaway closes on Sunday, 21st March at 6pm (Perth, WA time).
Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.
Toddler would be lots and lots of towels (and hot showers with sweet smelling apple shampoo for mum) because they never seem to hit the bucket when vomiting and just want to cuddle mummy so the vomit ends up all over the floor/you/your hair
Babies would have to be the Vaporiser and/hot steamy bathroom/shower with mum as it seems to be nose blockes/chest dramas keeping them (and therefore you) at night and interefering with boobyfeeds. That and the Fess saline nasal spray if you can manage to get it squirted up there that is. I never had much luck
And above all lots of love and patience and hopefully someone to tag team and share the load with so tired mummas get a break too
Baby- would be to rock them and give them panadol to calm them down.
Finally try and sleep when ever you can as if your relaxed so will they be
I don't have much sick tips either... our little guy has had lots of colds, but never enough that it's affected his neverending supply of energy, so I normally am just chasing him around with kleenex to wipe his nose as he plays.
something that i always do with the sick bubbas is sit with them, have a cold facecloth to slowly bring down their temp. and i usually sit in their nappies.
plus. if i am not sitting next to them, i have them on my lap and give them cuddles, trying not to give off too much body heat at the same time. cause really. cuddles is usually all they want!
:)
other than that i dont have too much knowledge with my own children, more of working with children..
Take it easy and cuddle.
Also, I always put vicks on the kids feet (with socks over them)... I'm not sure if it helps but it makes me feel like i'm doing something! :)
I use the the Vicks Vapouriser when he has head colds to clear his airways & it works really well. Thankfully though he hasn't really been very sick other than with colds etc.
candy3181@hotmail.com
If they wake up unwell at night we sometimes let them pick something to eat, they cheer up straight away if they get to pick their favourite cracker.
When my son has tonsillitis (yet again) he needs his antib and never wants too. So I give him a syringe filled with applejuice first to then quickly give him another shot of the antib. He usually falls for the trick!
For lily i have found that keeping her fluids up, sleep, watching bert and ernie, and also if she needs to sleep with us i will let her. Being sick is far from a nice thing for child and for parent. But when they share the love back to you, and you get sick that just proves that they love you even more!
I love the Little Innscents chest rub for those blocked noses, rub it on their feet as well and put socks on before bed.
Best thing is always plenty of mums attention, kisses and cuddles.
Patience, hubby that doesn't mind the smell of spew and lots of water and encouragement.
For the kids snuggles are definate winner but my other hot tip, esp for new mums is to find out the number to your state help number for access to peadiatric nurses in cases where you just aren't sure what to do. In NSW for example it's 02 9845 2432. Worth seeking them out wherever you are for that little bit of helpful advice over the phone when you need it (esp when all the docs are closed).
And then right back to the snuggles