The Mother of Invention

They say necessity is the mother of invention. Well, when your kids are sick, the lines between needs and wants can get a little blurry. What you want is relief for them and for you; what you need is the same. I have had to invent some solutions to the challenges of illness more than once. Although lots of parents are choosing the chicken pox vaccine and may never need the insight I have to share, it is cold and flu season and many of these tips work great for other illnesses and discomforts as well.

Quick and Comfy Ice Pack: The other day Princess was wanting some ice for the bumps. My mom used to have a blue plastic ice bag she used for these occasions, but alas, I do not have one. A ziploc works ok but I find it impossible to keep an ice bag wrapped in a towel... they always slip in and out of the wrapping. So I made my own. I have been saving, as I do, this cute pair of pink leopard print sweat pants she had when she was about 2. I just knew this fabric would be useful for something. Here's what I did:

Step 1: lop off one of the legs near the crotch somewhere, depending on the size of the pants and how big of an ice pack you want. (this would work with a sleeve too)

Step 2: turn them inside out and stitch the cut end closed, leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Step 3: Turn it inside out. The "cuff" end of the pants will be the opening of the bag...already hemmed up for you!

Just put a ziploc filled with ice down inside of it!
The soft fabric, the cute print...sure beats the "too cold" and uncomfortable plastic of a ziploc bag on sore skin! You could put a cute button on it or Velcro to keep the top closed...or not. I didn't because I wanted it FAST and I like the washability of SIMPLE...just in case (puke).

For heat packs, I use rice bags. Remember these?
Sore Throat Soother:

When I was a kid I liked Thayers Slippery Elm Lozenges.


I still do, but thankfully I do not get sore throats like I used to! My kids, though are leery of any type of "medicine" so for them I make my own "teas". They love them!

Here are some recipes for you!



Hot Water Tea:
Take one mug of hot water, as if youare planning to make tea or hot cocoa. Add a small spoon of sugar and about twice as much milk. Stir. We call this sore throat tea, white tea or children's tea, depending on the need. :)

Hot Lemon and Honey:
For a raw throat, heat one mug of hot water as above, but add in a squirt of lemon juice and enough honey to make it sweet. The kids love this and it really doea soothe the throat!

Milkshakes, Popcicles, etc:
If all else fails, we hit the Dairy Queen drive-thru. But no milk products if there is lots of phlegm. No sense in making things worse! :)

I hope some of these tips help you with your little sickies. I have lots of other faves, but today is my birthday so for, now I'll be celebrating and I'll see you later!

Please Note:

Digital designs by Green Box Creations can be purchased at Designs in Digital.com. I am not making any profit from this post.