Most children sleep a great deal and are generally quiet when they are very ill. When they begin to recover, they become restless.
Why not get a box of sick-time toys and save them for the illnesses that are bound to come? Keep them put away so that it will be a treat for the child to play with them.
Put a radio in the child’s room, perhaps for part of the time. Special records on your own, or a borrowed, record player will provide entertainment. Picture books are good when he is well enough to look through them. Do not let him tire his eyes watching television programmes while he is feverish.
Devote some time to amusing him, not just to caring for him. He will demand less unnecessary care in that way. Never blame him for his illness. This is not the time to drive home any lessons about wearing his jumper, as you told him to do.
It requires a great deal of ingenuity to get most sick children to take the proper nourishment and the essential fluids. Most of them like to use straws, especially coloured, plastic ones. Keep them for illnesses, and they will be a treat. Check with your doctor to learn how flexible you can be about the child’s food and fluids. He is apt to eat better if food is served in small, rather than large, quantities.
Unpalatable pills can be ground up in a spoonful of jelly or applesauce. Giving a sweet immediately after the medicine will make things easier.
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