Tips for Sick Kids

As the parent of two young kids, I am both terrified of the H1N1 virus and know firsthand how easy kids can get sick. When illness strikes, the last thing I want to be doing is running out to a drugstore in the middle of the night. Here are some simple tips for being organized for sick kids:

• Make time in your schedule to get your kids and yourself vaccinated. Avoiding illness in the first place is the ideal scenario.

• Teaching kids good hygiene can be difficult, especially if you have toddlers. I recently read about a product called Germy Wormy to teach kids to cough into their sleeve. I made my own reusable one by cutting off the top of an old sock. My child left the thing on for about 10 minutes but usually does cough into the sleeve, so I am glad I didn't buy the Germy Wormy product.

• Have basic medicine (i.e. Tylenol/Motrin) on hand. I like to keep one bottle upstairs and one downstairs for convenience. When I see one is low, I just add it to my shopping list. I use the notes function in Microsoft Outlook for various lists.

• Keep a bottle of Pedialyte or Gatorade in your pantry. Just be sure to watch the expiration dates for safety and to avoid waste.

• Have the telephone number for the doctor's office nearby. I keep these numbers in Outlook, but also in a binder in the kitchen for babysitters and when I cannot get to my computer quickly.

Donate Household "Scraps"

The Scrap Box in Ann Arbor, Michigan is a great place to donate old collections of baby food jars, buttons, craft supplies, coffee cans, corks and other household "scraps". They also take National Geographic Magazines, which I know can be difficult for folks to part with.

The Scrap Box is a non-profit organization that provides craft materials for teachers as well as individual families. What a great way to get rid of clutter and keep it out of landfills!