How to Have a Sick Day When You’re a Mom

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., Abreva, Emergen-C, Lipton, Robitussin and Theraflu. All opinions are mine alone. #SickDayTips #CollectiveBias #ad

Arguably one of the hardest parts of #momming is giving 100% of yourself – especially when you’re having a sick day. With two young kids at home, I still don’t feel I’ve fully mastered juggling mom responsibilities when I’m under the weather, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve that help us make it through a sick day! I usually like to keep our days pretty regimented, but when I’m not feeling well, all of that goes out the window – basically whatever it takes to entertain them so I can get much-needed rest.

Have a PJ and Movie Day

Kids don’t necessarily like to sit still (or at least mine don’t!), but if you want to have a slow, restful day, tell them you’re going to have a fun movie day and they get to wear their PJs all day long. This seems to do the trick over here! Have them pick a few of their favorite movies and let them snuggle on the sofa with a blanket and a snack. This gives me the chance to sit back and rest, too.

Make a Snack Drawer

Also on the note of snacking, it’s nice to have kid-friendly snacks within their reach – as long as your kids are old enough. My four-year-old is very helpful when it comes to making her lunches for preschool, so it makes sense to have snacks that she can grab and put in her lunchbox. It also comes in handy when I’m busy working on a project or cleaning the house and both of my girls are begging for a snack. So, as you can imagine, having snacks at the ready when all you want to do is lay on the sofa can be super helpful!

Set Up Simple Arts and Crafts

My girls love making crafts, but let’s be honest, most of them tend to be on the messy side! When I’m having a sick day, I like to stick with things that they can do on their own that don’t make a huge mess. Some of my go-to’s are Play-Doh, coloring books, stickers, and Kinetic Sand (this stuff is amazing!). We actually have a cabinet in our kitchen where we keep all of these things so the girls can grab these things on their own.

Keep Your Medicine Cabinet Stocked

There’s nothing worse than being sick and not having any medicine in your house – especially if you have kiddos to take care of. Having to run out to the store with little ones in tow while I’m not feeling well is probably my worst nightmare, so I like to keep my favorite cold and flu season products on hand, which I shopped for at Kroger:

• A nice hot mug of Lipton Daily Support Tea, with an herbal infusion that helps support the body’s natural defenses.* The Lipton Wellness range, made with carefully selected botanicals and blended with essential oils, helps make wellbeing a part of your everyday routine.
• Robitussin® Maximum Strength Honey Cough & Chest Congestion DM to relieve chest congestion, mucus and quiet cough – I also love that it’s non-drowsy & is made with True Source Certified Honey. With Robitussin® you can fight your cough and help kick your symptoms to the curb. The liquid-strength of Robitussin® soothes on contact and provides cough relief for hours.
• Theraflu, my go-to for powerful relief without a prescription. Don’t let the cold or flu get in your way. Theraflu Power Pods Daytime Severe Cold fits right in your routine. Compatible with most single-serve coffee makers, these fast-relieving pods work on even your most severe symptoms. Press. Sip. Relief. Remember, Theraflu Power Pods Daytime Severe Cold and Robitussin® Maximum Strength Honey Cough & Chest Congestion DM should not be used at the same time.
• Abreva, the only FDA approved OTC medicine to shorten healing time of cold sores. Abreva is not for temporary symptom relief, but healing. It delivers the best results when used at the first sign of a cold sore (e.g. the tingle that one feels on his/her lip).

Kroger is the destination for all of your sick day needs – it’s a one-stop shop to pick up everything you need to become and stay healthy as a busy mom on the go. Learn more about these products here.

Theraflu-(c) 2019 the GSK group of companies or its licensor. Theraflu is for use in adults 12 years and older.

Use all products only as directed. Read label and follow directions. Abreva, Emergen-C, Robitussin – Use only as directed. Read label and follow directions.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, cure or prevent disease.