Fun Activities to Do When your Daughter has Swine Flu.

November 7, 2009 by Elizabeth Donovan, M. A.
Filed under Activities & Fun

two girls sick in bed

Make no mistake about it, H1N1 is quickly spreading across the nation and many children are falling ill before they can get the vaccine. Mine included. After being quarantined in our house for almost two weeks, I can tell you first hand you have to get creative. My daughters have been coughing, congestion, fevers, and downright crankiness at times (including me) but there is hope among the Swine Flu masses, I promise.

It’s true we’ve seen lots of Disney movies and a few Star Wars DVD’s, but the truth of the matter is that too much TV rots your brain (or so my mother once told me) and even in the midst of a pandemic, I found myself seeking comfort in books, games, and lots of tissues. Among our runny noses and quest for Tamiflu lies the undeniable fact that there is comfort to be found in holding your own flu-ridden children and reading to them or offering a treat of Gadorade. But when children are home for more than a couple of days (as is the case since an H1N1 infected child is home an average of 3-4 days from school) parents have to get creative in their endeavors to avoid listening to Wow Wow Wubzy or Wonder Pets again and again.

Try these fun activities with your little ones guaranteed to help make the flu bearable.

1. Stock up on Board Games. Every parent has at least one board game sitting on a shelf in the closet. Dust it off an pull it out for hours of sick-time fun. My daughters (ages 2-6) particularly enjoyed Zingo!; Cranium; Balloon Lagoon; and I Spy Bingo. What’s great about board games is that you can set them up on top of the bed, grab a glass of orange juice and cozy up together for some family flu-bonding time!

2. Bake some tasty treats. It’s true that H1N1 tends to nick your appetite, but as we all know, it’s important to try to get liquids and a little food into your children when they aren’t feeling well. I found a great recipe for homemade chicken noodle soup at Foodnetwork.com and got cooking. Though my daughters didn’t have huge appetites, they did like the egg noodles, carrots, and chicken broth and I felt better knowing they were able to eat something nutritious and comforting. Truth be told, I also baked some “M&M brownies” to ’sweeten their mood’ when they woke up from their naps. Comfort food (typically anything warm, gooey, and deliciously fattening) is great for nurturing the spirit and making kids all ages feel better.

3. Get crafty. You don’t have to have lots of different craft materials available in order to come up with some fun and creative projects that will keep your little ones busy. Make some homemade playdoh (Cooks.com); pull out some tape & scissors; or crayons and paper. Kids can sit in bed or on the couch and entertain themselves instead of watching TV. My 2 year old had a blast coloring “bats” for Halloween. If you really want to get really creative, check out FamilyFun.com for cute ‘holiday’ themed projects and coloring page print-outs that your sick sweeties are sure to love.

4. Use bath time to your advantage. When children are battling high temperatures that often accompany H1N1, a luke-warm bath can provide them comfort and the opportunity to play and splash. Try using some cool Mr. Bubble foam soap (drugstore.com or Target) and let them decorate each other and the bath tub. Tub crayons and bath fizzes also make soaking more fun. If you don’t have time to go out and purchase these items, try using items you have around the house to enhance bath time like pots & pans, spoons, bath gel (make sure it won’t sting their eyes).

5. Take a trip outside. If your daughter is feeling up to going outside and you are not a risk of infecting anyone else, then do so. She can sit outside in her pajamas and sip her water or read a book. Fresh air is good for her health and recovery and it’s good for your sanity.

6. Build a “Sick fort.” Kids are all about fort-building and so my daughters and I decided to build a ’sick fort’ to rest in. We used sleeping bags for the floor and hung blankets over furniture in their bedroom making a really cool tent for them to read and rest in.

Above all else, try to minimize contact with others until your H1N1 symptoms have subsided and get help if you need it. I found that asking someone to come over to help with my daughters wasn’t possible because we did not want to spread the virus, but friends and family were kind enough to drop dinner and groceries at our door. Use the extra time with your children to nurture and bond with them. And please seek medical help if you fear your child is feeling worse or see an increase in symptoms.