The past week was super tough--my little girl has been really sick, and I've been doing everything I can to help her get healthy again. I've developed a way to stay organized amid the chaos, and I found a few life hacks that will save you plenty of precious time. That's right, y'all--it's my Sick Kid Survival Kit, and I'm sharing it with you guys today!

Here's my sweetheart last weekend--happy and well! (Meg Summers/TSM)
Here's my sweetheart last weekend--happy and well! (Meg Summers/TSM)
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My daughter, Dolly, is almost three. She's normally a boundless ball of energy. I mean nothing, NOTHING, slows this kid down. I can never tell when she's sick because she never acts like it. On Wednesday evening she was literally running circles around our house, but by early Thursday morning I was taking her to the emergency room because she woke up with a fever of 103.

Can I tell you how HARD it was to keep it together during that ER visit? Moms, y'all feel me on this one. You're absolutely petrified with fear, but you've got to keep all that worry bottled up inside--you don't want your already terrified kiddo to see how scared YOU are...Oh, and don't get me started on how pitiful my sweet baby looked in that hospital gown. I'm getting misty-eyed just thinking about it... UGH.

A chest X-ray revealed my baby had early pneumonia. I felt like the biggest piece of something-I-can't-say-on-the-radio-without-getting-fired when we got the news. Here was my sweet baby, miserable and super sick--and I missed all the signs. Talk about Mom Guilt. Jeez.

This pic was taken about 12 hours before our frantic trip to the ER. Seriously--I had NO IDEA she was sick! (Meg Summers/TSM)
This pic was taken about 12 hours before our frantic trip to the ER. Seriously--I had NO IDEA she was sick! (Meg Summers/TSM)
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My mission the past five days: Dolly. She's always my top priority, but all I've thought of since Thursday is helping this kiddo get better. I'm making sure she stays hydrated, takes her meds, and gets plenty of rest. On paper, those things sound sooo easy, but in real life?

LOLYEAHRIGHT

I know you can get meds flavored at the pharmacy, but I'm sure I could get my kid's antibiotic to taste like tiramisu and free trips to DisneyWorld and she STILL would spit that mess out immediately. How do I get her to taker her medicine? I quickly learned to bribe well and often--you can see my stash of Hello Kitty stickers and Dum-Dum lollies in the medicine basket.

Do you like my janky--but effective--medicine tracking system? I've been using stickers (leftovers from a yard sale b/c I keep it 100 and all y'all know I am CHEAP) to note the time Dolly gets a dose of medicine. It's an easy way to keep track of when she gets Tylenol, Mucinex, etc... Noting the time of each dose on the bottle is a great way to help us stick to the correct schedule AND it ensures my husband and I are on the same page. I also use a Sharpie to mark off each dose of her antibiotic (again, just write that mess right on the dang bottle) so we don't skip a day--finishing a course of antibiotics is essential to your child's recovery, so it pays to stay on track!

I use those Good2Grow juice bottles to con my kid into drinking Pedia-Lite or PediaSure. I buy bottles with the characters she likes; after she finishes the juice I rinse those suckers out and reuse them. Normally, my kid will spit out Pedia-Lite like she's Linda Blair in The Exorcist. No joke. It's IMPOSSIBLE to get her to drink Pedia-Lite--but not if it's disguised as "Magic Doc McStuffins Juice!"

Don't judge. She won't stay this gullible for long, so I do what I can, okay? Bottom line is: it works. Try it!

My other MomHack--putting VapoRub on her feet. The nurse at my pediatrician's office (shoutout to Children's Medical Center and their fabulous staff!) told me about this one. Toddlers are too young to have Vapo Rub on their chests, so put some on their sweet little feet and slap on some socks before bedtime.

And, because I love y'all and I care, below is a link round-up for all the stuff I told you about in the video... You watched the video, right? If not, get on that mess ASAP (and try not to laugh at my voice--everyone knows the hardest part of caring for a sick kid is eventually getting sick yourself)!

Meg's Sick Kid Survival Kit Essentials

What have you learned when taking care of your kids? Leave your tips, tricks, and knowledge in the comments below. It's always awesome to help out a fellow mom!

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