Cold and flu season are upon us, and COVID-19 strains have continued to impact our families and communities.

Whenever your family or children get sick, even with a cold, you might be facing some worry, long days, and restlessness. There are many things to consider when you or a family member exhibits some symptoms of an illness, such as access to medication, whether and how long to stay home, when to contact a medical professional, whether and when to consider wearing masks to prevent the spread of illness, and more.

As we experience rising seasonal bugs, and children get sick with minor and more serious illnesses, we wanted to check in with families and provide some some links to reliable and up to date resources from health professionals about Influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and COVID-19, and some simple suggestions for getting through those days your family might be laying low, resting, and recuperating.

Health Information & Resources

Letter, Chief Medical Officer of Health, Ontario | November 17, 2022

Actions Parents Can Take When Their Child is Sick | Ontario College of Family Physicians

Caring for a sick child | Middlesex-London Health Unit

Self Isolation When Ill | COVID-19 or Flu | Middlesex London Health Unit

RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus) | Canadian Paediatric Society: Caring for kids

Influenza in children | Canadian Paediatric Society: Caring for kids

COVID-19 and your child | Canadian Paediatric Society: Caring for kids

A teddy bear wearing a surgical mask has its temperature taken. (Stock Photo)

Suggestions for Surviving when the Children are Sick (or Everyone is!)

Advance Preparation

Consider or update your plans for managing your child’s care when illness occurs. Make sure that any contact lists are up to date. If you have a back up childcare provider you haven’t checked in with in a while, check in and ensure that they are still available. If you’re co-parenting, ensure that all parents are aware of the plan and their responsibilities, and that everyone has the information and paperwork they might need.

Rest. Everyone. Even you.

Accept that sick time is rest time. Rest with your children. If you are not sick, keep your own immune system healthy by sleeping (as much as possible), eating, and staying hydrated. Use paper plates when you need to. Read stories. Watch movies.

Ask for Help

This seems obvious, but we forget it sometimes, think we need to do everything, or think there is nobody to ask. Check in with family or a trusted friend, join your local Buy Nothing Group. It’s okay to ask if someone can drop off soup or ginger ale – or on the Buy Nothing Group, if someone has extra laundry baskets they can gift because you find yourself short a couple suddenly.

Build a Fort or a Den

If you have preschool or school age children and they are getting a bit restless, set them to the task of creating their own vacation spot – a den, an island, a fort, a castle, etc – somewhere in the home that it can stay up for the length of the illness. With young children, this is a great time to play hospital in the fort with the stuffed animals and let your children nurse their stuffed animals back to health alongside the family. Then – when it’s takedown time, you’ll be able to easily identify which items need a wipe down or a wash.

Breathe Fresh Air

Fresh air can give everyone a boost really quickly even when everyone feels like just flopping on the couch. If nobody feels up to a walk, try opening a window and playing I Spy for a few minutes while taking in some outside air.

Hopefully, some of these resources and suggestions are helpful whether the information is new or as a reminder. We love having you and your children visit Childreach, and we strive to be welcoming, keep families informed, and ensure that your visits are safe and comfortable. We are happy to have you here when you are feeling well or after an illness when you are on the mend!

The Seasonal Illness Season