Poorly Baby

Today, my eldest daughter awoke with a very sore throat & fever.
After making her some hot honey & lemon to drink (juice of a whole lemon, 1 tblsp honey, made up to 1/2 pint with hot water) I quickly showered & helped my youngest daughter to dress.
We all headed downstairs where I made up a 'bed' on the sofa & hit play on the i-pod so she could listen to The Wind In The Willows.
Breakfast was eggy bread, which they both munched happily on, then they enjoyed several cups of Strawberry Tea - a huge thank you to my friend Andrea for mentioning this - I bought it yesterday, having not seen this type of fruit tea before. The girls loved it! And it really enabled me to keep Elianna's fluid levels up.

We went on to read When Vera Was Sick - a favorite with my girls on days like today.

After some puzzles, we had lunch & now the girls are having their daily Quiet Time ~ Elianna is tucked up in bed with the curtains drawn * Rosie is in our 'Quiet Room' playing with her animals.

I think, when children are ill special soothing traditions are needed ~ ones that comfort, amuse & distract. Below are my ideas to help perhaps give you a few ideas for your own "poorly little people days'

Things to do

Play with Mama’s jewelry box
Look through family scrapbook albums
Make models with playdough
Have a stack of paper & the child’s own art box close at hand & create pictures
Puzzle books
Have a posy of flowers next to the child
Read: When Vera Was Sick by Vera Rosenberry

Things to Eat & Drink

Porridge: 1 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of oats, sweetened with honey
Banana’s in milk
Buttery toast with honey

Chicken Soup
Saute onion in butter
saute chopped carrots & potatoes.
mix in 1 tblsp plain flour
gradually add chicken or vegetable stock & milk
bring to the boil, reduce & simmer for 15 mins
Add sweetcorn & cooked chicken
Simmer for 5 minutes more
Blend if desired, or serve chunky
Freshly squeezed orange juice
Honey & lemon drink for sore throats & boosting the immunity: juice of one lemon, hot water, honey to taste.
Lemon Barley Water to boost Vit.C intake.

Lemon Barley Water

4oz pearl barley
4 pints water
4 lemons
4 oz sugar


Peel the lemons, making sure not to get pith on the rind.
Add the sugar & water to a pan & gently dissolve the sugar.
Add the pearl barley & lemon rinds, cover and simmer for half an hour.
Halve the lemons & squeeze juice into a large jug.
Strain the barley water into the lemon jug. Leave to steep and cool.

The Land of Counterpane
by Robert Louis Stevenson
When I was sick and lay a-bed, 
I had two pillows at my head, 
And all my toys beside me lay, 
To keep me happy all the day. 

And sometimes for an hour or so 
I watched my leaden soldiers go, 
With different uniforms and drills, 
Among the bed-clothes, through the hills; 

And sometimes sent my ships in fleets 
All up and down among the sheets; 
Or brought my trees and houses out, 
And planted cities all about. 

I was the giant great and still 
That sits upon the pillow-hill, 
And sees before him, dale and plain, 
The pleasant land of counterpane.

Coincidentally, I read two smashing articles a few days ago about Parenting the sick child. They were written by Donna Simmons creator of the Christopherus Curriculum.

She says:

"How do we regard illness in our families? Do we respond with an arsenal of medicines and potions, moving quickly to get rid of whatever it is that is making our child ill, or do we view illness as a time to take stock, to slow down and to trust the healing process?

I’m not saying don’t do anything when your child’s ill. What I am suggesting is that we each take a moment to scrutinize our attitude toward ill health and to ascertain whether we regard it as basically a negative thing or a positive thing. Is illness a failure of wellness, or is an opportunity for wellness to be enhanced, strengthened?

Once upon a time, children were expected to have a range of illnesses in the course of growing up and time was allowed for the healing process. One spoke of bed rest, of convalescence, of slowly regaining health. Of course, in days past, many children died during their early years - but let’s recognize that the majority of those deaths were in families stricken by poverty, overcrowding, poor nutrition and hygiene. And, of course, there were those children with conditions easily addressed nowadays, whether by conventional or alternative medicine, who were considered ‘incurable’ in earlier times.

My point is: that illness was regarded as a basic part of childhood and that there was a recognition that once health was regained, the child was stronger and healthier than he had been before he was ill. It is this point that I wish to focus on because I feel that it has been largely lost in our society."

Read the rest of the article here

In a second article, Donna makes practical suggestions for caring for a sick child:

"Rest, rest, rest - rest and sleep are the most important parts of the healing process. Too many parents say things like “I can’t get him to stay in bed” - well, you need to figure out how you can! Being up and about, even if it’s “only in the house” is no substitute for bed rest, especially if the child has or has had a fever. After the fever goes, the child should still be kept quiet for a day or two. Quiet, peace and bed rest are essential for the body to heal.

Have a box or a bag of interesting playthings put away for sick days. Fill it with Playdoh, buttons, wooden beads to string, an etch-a-sketch, pipe cleaners, beeswax, travel activity books, picture books... things that don’t get played with at other times.

Help being in bed be pleasant - perhaps make up a bed on the couch so the child doesn’t feel lonely. If your household is very busy it might be wiser to leave the child in her bedroom. Maybe one of the younger children can act as messenger, fetching drinks of water and books and requests for attention. Put some lavender essential oil on the pillow, keep lights dim and spend time reading aloud to the ill child.

Make sure the ill child drinks a lot, although some have a real aversion to this. See if there’s a preference for cold or hot drinks. Some children who refuse water or tea will drink lemonade or some sort of broth. Flush out the child’s system by ensuring he drinks enough.

No baths or showers for a sick child, especially if there’s an ear infection, sore throat or chest complaint. Get over this American obsession (those of you who are American!) with daily bathing - getting wet when you’re ill is not a good idea!

No TV, computer or videos for ill children. This may seem harsh because it may be “the only way” you can keep her still, but you’ll have to figure out something else. The nervous energy produced by children watching electronic media is not conducive to healing.

Here are a few homeopathic remedies for you to try. I suggest you use a 30c potency. Give one, wait 15 minutes and if there’s no change, either for better or worse, give another up to 4 doses in one hour. If nothing happens after that wait another hour and try something else. It’s an especially good sign if the child falls asleep after the remedy.

Chamomilla: for teething, toothache, sore throats. Characterized by impatience, anger and fussiness - babies want to be carried, demand a toy, then throw it across the room. Often one check is red, the other pale.
Pulsatilla: sore throats, ear ache, tummy ache, especially with yellow discharges. Child is all soft and sweet and elicits sympathy in those around her. Thirstless. Likes to be wrapped up warmly in a cold room but suffers from being too warm.
Aconite: whatever the physical complaint may be, the main thing about this remedy is extreme fear late at night and paleness. Often the complaint follows time spent outside in the wind.
Belladonna: this remedy is similar to Aconite in terms of intensity and rapid onset - and sometimes fear as well - but it is characterized by redness. Often the pupils are dilated. For those of you who are breastfeeding, it’s very good for mastitis, especially is the breast is streaked with red. Pulsatilla is also often indicated for mastitis as is the following remedy:
Bryonia: think of a grumpy bear and you get a picture of the person who needs Bryonia. This is a great flu remedy, indicated when the person is grumpy, irritable, wants to be left alone and holds the sore or painful part. They have a great thirst for cold water, but at long intervals.
Gelsemium: is another flu remedy, but has a slower onset than Bryonia and is not so cranky. Aching!"

Read the rest of the article here

Here's to good health!