I am writing this post because I was sick with the flu last week. Not sure where I got the flu since I work from home but here we are. The other strange thing about this situation is that my husband and son didn’t get sick (thankfully). The flu hit me like a ton of bricks and taking care of a toddler at the same time is rough. I also had a nagging voice in my head saying I shouldn’t take sick days. My company gives out plenty of sick days so I don’t have to worry about having enough. But it’s in my nature to feel bad about taking a sick day even when I need it. For example, when I had my son, I thought I was having Braxton Hicks all week so I just continued to work through them. Then Friday came around and I had my weekly check-up appointment. I drove myself there (my husband came from work and met me at my appointment like always). Anyway, it turns out I was in labor all week and by the time my appointment came around, I was dilated to a 6 and they had to admit me. All this to say, I feel bad taking sick days and it takes a lot for me to cave in.

I took some sick days this time around and, for a couple of days, I only worked 4 hours because I needed the rest. I had to keep reminding myself that if I worked in the office, I wouldn’t be going to work because I was contagious. Sometimes it’s easy to just work while being sick because you can just bring your laptop into bed and work through it. However, I encourage you to be a better advocate for yourself and take the sick days you need.

Overall, my son did well while I was sick. There were a few of his awake times when he needed extra attention or had a meltdown over anything and that was hard. I attempted to spend the whole time lying down and sometimes it wasn’t possible because my little guy has so much energy. It also didn’t help that my husband was out of town on a work trip for half of the time I was sick. But we made it. Now that I am reflecting on this last week, here are the things that helped me survive:

TV

Yes, I said it. When I was sick, the TV was on almost all day every day. In a normal week, my son maybe watches an hour or two of TV a week. He rarely watches TV. However, there are times when you just need that extra babysitter. I would attempt to start each awake time without the TV on but depending on how sick I was feeling, the TV would inevitably end up on. Since my son doesn’t watch TV often, it was a treat and kept him entertained for long periods without much of my help.

Stations

I’ve talked about this before in other posts but this is a lifesaver even when I’m not working. We have different stations throughout the house with different toys and activities. When my son would get bored and start wanting my attention, or start throwing tantrums because he is at that age, we would try a new station. We spent most of our day in the family room but when I would suggest playing in “his office” (the playpen in my office) he would get super excited. We would go into the office, I would lay on the floor, and he would happily play in (and make a mess of) my office. I also have a stool in the kitchen for him to stand on where he has snacks and does more creative activities like coloring or water painting. Another station is reading books in his bedroom. You get the idea.

Bath Time

My son loves baths and it keeps him contained and happy. Although I’ll admit sitting in the bathroom is not very comfortable when you are feeling sick, it is still nice not having to be the source of entertainment for a toddler.

Nap Time

I was still very strict with my son’s nap time even if he was still happy and could have stayed awake another hour. I did this because I needed to take a nap while he slept. These naps are what gave me enough energy to survive the day.

Lick Mats and Treat Dispenser Balls

My poor dog didn’t get many walks while I was sick since walking around made me feel awful. I would send him in the backyard every hour or two throughout the day but what really helped him with his pent-up energy was giving him a lick mat and a treat dispenser ball to play with. This helped him also play independently and not need my attention.

Partner Help

As I mentioned earlier, my husband was out of town for half of the time I was sick. When he was home though, he took care of all of the cooking, cleaning, and childcare. This allowed me to rest when I needed it. It also helped me not feel stressed out about not giving my son enough attention or the house getting messy.

It was a rough week being sick and taking care of a toddler. I am still dealing with a cough and my toddler asking to watch a show every two minutes but hey we made it through the hardest part. I will write a post in the future about how to wean your child off watching TV. I’ve done it a couple of times and am in the process again. Let me know in the comments what helps you get through being sick and still being a full-time parent.