It’s never easy caring for your sick child, and it’s even trickier when they’ve got COVID. As the pandemic continues, it’s clear that parents with sick children have their lives drastically affected as they stay home to care for their little loved ones. After going through COVID testing and getting a positive result, children with mild symptoms must be quarantined at home until they heal. Here are four tips for parents working hard to take care of their children and themselves during this tricky period.
Watch for Symptoms
Of course, the most crucial task is carefully monitoring your child’s health. This guide is specifically for taking child care concerning children with mild symptoms. If your child has a chronic condition that makes them especially susceptible to damage done by COVID or if they are showing alarming symptoms, then take them to the emergency room urgently. They may have trouble breathing, cough with extreme intensity, or have difficulty breathing. However, children with mild occurrences of the above symptoms should stay at home. The first thing to do as a parent is to establish a routine check-up of your child and make sure to monitor their symptoms regularly, especially in case they get worse.
Stay on Top of Hygiene
Getting the COVID testing results back for your child can be scary, but the best thing to do is to quarantine them as best as possible from the rest of the family. If possible, set aside a separate bathroom for them to use. Keeping the room as hygienic as possible is vital. This routine includes tasks like sanitizing primary areas of contact like doorknobs, as well as any toys your child may be using and surfaces around the room. When your child quarantines for the appropriate time, do another round of COVID testing. When they get a negative result, the quarantine is over.
Create a Routine and Bulk Your Tasks
Now, it is time to focus on your situation as a parent who must juggle a whole new set of tasks. It can be tricky to juggle work and any tasks you have as an adult while taking care of your child and making sure they do not feel abandoned. The best way to do this is to create a routine and keep it as consistent as possible. Set aside time for work and time for check-ins with your child. By bulking your tasks, you can provide quality care for your kid and keep up with your work.
Plan Different Kinds of Entertainment
All parents understand how difficult it is to keep their kids entertained, particularly when they are stuck in one room. While children suffering from COVID need more rest and will probably tire more quickly, there will still be many complaints of boredom. This quarantine could be a great time as a parent to introduce your kid to new forms of entertainment. Activities that require low physical strain like coloring or puzzles are often a restful divergence. Another great idea is putting on a new audiobook. These activities will make this period less stressful for your child and you.
Hopefully, these tips on caring for your children with COVID will help lessen this stressful time for you and your family. It’s important to remember that you are your child’s hero and to set aside time to check in with yourself as well. It’s even harder to be a caretaker when you’re running on fumes yourself. Even if it’s just five minutes, take some time each day for your own needs.