Sunday Sleep Dilemma

Q: My two kids share a room. One of them has a loud, hacking cough that wakes up the other one. What should I do to prevent my non-sick child from waking up?

A: Put the non-sick child to sleep in another room if one is available. Or make a special bed in your room for them to sleep on,  you can probably tune out their coughing or go back to sleep if it wakes you up.

Saturday Sleep Tip

When kids are sick make sure they get enough sleep and rest, so they recover quickly. 

Some tips I just read in Parents magazine to try to limit sickness spreading: 

WASH YOUR HANDS!! again and again; make the kitchen off limits for the sick child/children; switch to hot water on laundry day; "cut down on cuddles", don't let your kids share with each other (things that will spread sickness); clean bathrooms, faucets, handles, doorknobs (may want to try using vinegar and water as a non-toxic cleaner- my tip); clean kids toys when sickness has ended (The suggested "Dr. Tierno's  bug-fighting routine: clean toys with peroxide or white vinegar, wash them with soap and hot water, then rinse in peroxide or vinegar."

They also highlighted "3 Germ Hot Spots": Grocer cart handles, playground equipment, your kitchen sink

Sleep Ponderings from Me: Sickness and Sleep

So, it is December 4th, and we have already been through a few colds. So, how should we deal with the looming sickness and helping everyone in the house get the most sleep.

Here are a few things I have done in the past:

• My oldest got a cold which turned into a lingering cough... she would cough throughout the night for long stretches and wake up her baby sister who shares a room with her. After a couple days of this happening, I made a little bed on the floor in our room and my oldest slept in there. This was a good solution- we all slept through the night. I moved her back to her room as the coughing seemed to get less. Even though, my almost five year old daughter didn't take naps- she took a nap each day that week.
  
• When my son was 21 months old he got croup which within a day turned into pneumonia... to make a long story and a long night short- he ended up in the hospital for a couple days because of his difficulty breathing. He slept a lot in the hospital. When we got home he would play for a couple minutes and then need to lay down or go to sleep. Even though he was on a one nap a day schedule, I would just put him down whenever he started to fall asleep or seemed to need a nap. 

From both of these situations, you learn that sleep needs to be adjusted to maximize sleep for your home and for the sick child. Sleep is very important when your children are sick. Adjust nap schedules to fit your child's needs until they are better.