Ways to Comfort your Little Ones when they are Poorly
When little ones feel unwell with coughs, sore throats and blocked / runny noses, it can be a particularly stressful time for mums, dads and caregivers. M&D asked child psychologist Dr Amanda Gummer to provide us with some essential tips on how to best comfort your kids when they’re not feeling their best.
- Familiar routines can help. They give children a sense of normality and reassure them that everything is ok. Young children have little concept of time, so it is useful to plan activity in terms of ‘in x many sleeps’ or ‘after breakfast / lunch’ for instance.
- When young children are ill, they often seek comfort. Indulge this by bringing down from the loft any favourite toys or books that you have recently put away, and dig out familiar movies to cuddle up on the sofa and watch together.
- Give them lots of love and attention when they ask for it. And listen to how they are feeling, and what they would like to do with their day. Try to resist the urge to smother them, they may just want some time on their own. There are lots of toys and games that provide opportunities for children to play quietly – construction toys, or imaginative play with small characters can work well and there are lots more suggestions in the Good Play Guide.
- Sleep is very important when they are not feeling well. If they have recently stopped having their afternoon nap, it might be a good idea to make time for this so they can recharge and ‘heal’. Giving them their favourite cuddly toy may encourage them to curl up and sleep if they need it – even if it’s not in their own bed.
- Read stories to them. Children love being transported to another land, and taking on the personas of the various characters will allow them to escape their feeling of illness, this will allow them to escape their feeling of unwell to some extent. They’ll also enjoy the closeness of a cuddle on your knee whilst listening to the tales.
- There’s a lot of pressure on parents regarding the amount of screen time children are allowed. Of course, allowing children to sit in front of the TV or an iPad for hours on end isn’t healthy, but there are benefits to giving the children some down time. Why not watch a favourite film or TV programme, particularly when they are not feeling their best, as this can outweigh any negative effects. However, you can also adopt the principles of the ‘balanced play diet’ to keep your child amused as much as possible, for example by encouraging a variety of active and imaginative play, board games, and educational toys along with some passive screen time. For some great ideas on the multitude of fun activities which can be used to keep kids entertained, even when they’re feeling poorly, check out the suggestions we were given by leading children’s dry and tickly cough brand, Tixylix.
- And of course, most importantly, lots of cuddles!
Competition Time!
If you’re looking for someone to provide around the clock cuddles to your kids, even when you’re on a break, why not enter our competition to win one of these adorably snuggly teddy bears, kindly provided by Tixylix.
Closing date: 1st July 2020
T&Cs:
– The competition is open to UK residents.
– The competition closes on 1st July 2020 at midnight.
– You may enter by performing more than one action in the list above.
– We have one Tixylix Teddy Bear to give away. No cash alternatives or substitutes are available.
– The winners will be selected at random from the entries and contacted by email.
– If the winner does not respond within a specified time frame in the winner notification email another winner will be selected. Same rules applies to the newly selected winner, so please check your emails after 2d July 2020.
– This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Instagram.
Awh cute, count me in
I love these teddies. I remember my own teddy from when I was tiny. He was my best friend and went everywhere with me!
Aww brought my daughter up on tixylix and recommend for my nieces