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It clearly isn’t Monday, I know, but I wanted to start this today while it was fresh in my mind. Every other Monday from here on out, I will be posting a “Mom Tip.” These may be from me or they may be advice from fellow Mom’s I know, love, and respect immensely… but either way, they will be short little tips to make life less stressful for all the new mommies (or seasoned mommy’s too!) out there. The inspiration for this came when the stomach bug hit our house this week. As a stepmom, I’ve seen the stomach bug before… BUT I’ve 1. only seen the stomach bug in a kid that already knew how to throw-up in a toilet and/or a garbage can and 2. often been the co-pilot as my amazing hubby takes the lead with my stepson. So, this was the first time I walked into my toddler’s room to find her covered in puke and screaming bloody murder and had to quickly assess the situation and respond.
After a couple rounds of puking I learned a few things that in hindsight seemed like “duh” kind of things, but would have made the whole situation easier if I had just thought of it earlier. And then I realized, I should really share these! As a Momma, you are often called to respond to situations you are completely unprepared for and you may land on obvious solutions only after you have unsuccessfully tried a million other things along the way. So this Monday series is aimed at throwing out some everyday solutions to everyday mom-problems. Read them, file them away, and hopefully the first time you’re hit with a problem, you will arrive at a helpful solution much faster than I did! (oh, and I’m linking you to Amazon, so you can just go ahead and buy a few helpful items, have them delivered, and stash them away for when an emergency hits!
Trash Bags: I highly suggest getting a small box of extra trash bags and to keep in your child’s room. When I found her covered in puke, I stood there for several minutes trying to figure out where to put all this puke covered laundry. Enter the trash bag. I laid one on the floor, piled all the gross laundry on it, and just transported it all to the washing machine with no mess. Unfortunately, these were located outside of her room so I had to leave and come back, making her even more distressed than she was originally. From now on, there will be a box in her dresser drawer so I can get to them easily when needed (this would also work wonders for blow-outs as well!)
Towels: As I was in the process of changing the third set of crib sheets, I realized I had no clean ones left and the one in the wash wasn’t likely to be clean before she puked again. I realized I should have made use of towels A LOT sooner. So, I grabbed a hand towel, laid it on the mattress, and laid her head on it, and then I proceeded to keep one nearby for the rest of the day. Doing a load of towels later that night was so much easier than multiple loads of sheets, blankets, cleaning floors, etc. I highly suggest investing in a cheap set of hand or bath towels that way you don’t end up having to grab your favorite monogrammed set in a pinch! (Side note: only do this when your little one is old enough for blankets and such to be in their cribs!)
One last thing: we never seem to have Pedialyte on hand when we need it. So my poor hubby always has to make an extra run for it at the last minute. So I also suggest getting a package of these guys to keep in the freezer. That way, you always have them in an emergency!
I know, for some of you, these tips may seem very obvious, but for those of you that have never been through this before, I hope you picked up a few things that will make it easier for you to manage. Don’t forget to check back for the next Mom Tip on Monday, February 11th!
And as always, Stay Healthy as Heck! KH