Sick days are the absolute worst! Picture this day that probably sounds all too familiar: You have a sick baby or toddler, or maybe both? And now you are sick too.

You feel miserable and like you just want to curl up in a ball and shut out the world but you can’t.

Your baby/babies need you. And they want their mama. Because of course they do! And you WANT to be there for them. But it’s a million times harder when you don’t feel like yourself and are barely functional. You’re exhausted. Don’t forget to mention if you are a working mom and your partner works too. Who takes off work? What is best for your family? Maybe your kiddos prefer you or maybe one prefers you and one wants your partner. Now you’re behind on work, or have to rearrange important meetings or appointments.

This may all be manageable if it only happened maybe once or twice a season, right? Wrong. It doesn’t work like that. At least not for me and my family this season. This cold and flu season has barely even started yet and we have already had way too many illnesses to count in the first month of school! I have had heard the same story from lots of other parents too. This season seems especially tricky to navigate, especially to parents of toddlers or little kids. Okay, so we have covered how we feel miserable physically and mentally we are trying to navigate being in multiple places at once; ie home with sick little ones, doctors offices, and work. What about emotionally?

Emotionally, moms often feel lots of mixed emotions. Overwhelmed, anxious about how they are going to do it all, angry about the expectations on moms today, burnt out, exhausted, emotionally drained, maybe longing and grieving the time in their life where they were the ones taken care of. We can’t imagine not being there for our kiddos but we also can’t miss work too often either. Sound familiar?

A lot of times mom already feel these things at some point in their journey of motherhood. Only when you or your kids are sick, these feelings are usually amplified! How will that effect our jobs, income, marriage, family? A lot of this depends on the type of work parents do, the supports they have in place, etc. Sometimes a few sick days at home can lead to feeling totally derailed, not just at work, but in life. If you are in the midst of a sick day or sick week or on your fourth illness in just a few weeks, please know you are not alone. And while it is a nearly impossible situation to navigate, there are a FEW things that may help.

Here are a just a few tips or reminders when you or your kiddos are sick:

1. DO lean on support. Ask for help and accept all the help! Now is not the time to be prideful or act like everything is fine and you can do it all alone. Ask family, friends, neighbors, anyone who can maybe help. Maybe it is just help picking up a prescription or making you chicken noodle soup. Anything!

2. Find time to rest.While it is really really hard, do take some time for yourself to rest. See if your partner can alternate shifts or times where you can rest.Don’t do anything else but rest and take care of yourself, especially when your kiddos are sleeping/napping.

3. Let go (to the best of your ability) of the little details and things that maybe usually matter to you. The chores can wait. The dishes can wait. Your house does not need cleaned right now. It can all wait until you feel better. Remember, if you overdo it, it will take even longer to get better.

4. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. This one can be challenging when busy with littles and especially if you’re symptpoms make it harder. Hot tea or hot water can help with this and can ensure you stay hydrated.

   Click here to feel understood, heard, and truly seen. You deserve the support.