Ever caught yourself in a moment where a been-there-done-that parent offers advice and as you silently nod, you think to yourself, “that will never be us; we are different”. That’s how I felt about sickness, until we started daycare.
When the sickness started, it felt non-stop. That's because it is. The Royal Children’s Hospital say, “It is common for healthy children to have up to 12 viral illnesses per year in the first few years of life. It’s also common for children to get sick from one virus shortly after getting better.” In addition, “colds are very common in healthy children; on average, kids before preschool get at least six colds per year”.
For many families, especially those with kids in care, sickness is like a game of Russian roulette with the odds stacked against you. Hand, Foot and Mouth, Covid-19, nose bleeds, colds, green snot, the flu, ear infections, gastro and shingles are all common bugs your kid can pick up from being in the presence of other kids. Nothing is worse than nursing a tiny body that is sick. It’s frightful. It also makes working near impossible. For the lucky few, sickness triggers a juggling act with carers leave and grandparents, whilst for most it means loss of income, health and sanity.
Gabrielle Narrow, writes in Birthspace, “When we try and balance career and motherhood, we enviably fail. That’s not to say we can’t do both, we absolutely can and we absolutely do. What I am saying is we shouldn’t strive for balance or perfection in this space”.
With a shift in season comes a shift in our immunity. Michaela Rinkel, Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor and Acupuncturist, explains to us why spring is also a peak time for sickness.
“In winter, the body goes into restore mode. Like animals who hibernate, our body's energy survives off what is already stored in the bank. As the seasons shift into Spring and the energy is upward and outward moving, it takes a while for the body to adjust. That’s why we can be even more susceptible to pathogens and sickness”.
So if sickness and illness are unavoidable/inevitable, all we can do is be prepared. A first aid course under your belt and some key tools to help you manage, measure illness severity, and get you through to the other side. From congestion to nappy rash, here is our top recommendations for your medicine cabinet.
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