3 Yr Old with Pneumonia - Who Has Some Good Indoor Activities That We Can Do?

Updated on January 04, 2013
W.D. asks from La Grange Park, IL
6 answers

Poor thing, has been in the house pretty much since the day after Christmas. Yesterday we found out she has pneumonia. (which by the way I never would have guessed - word of advice - if your toddler has a fever/cold and then starts a cough and is just overall tired and not eating, etc...take them in to be listened to, just in case...could be just the cold, or could be in their lungs, you just never know. I for one will always take her to make sure)
She's feeling much better since starting her antibiotics but still has a low grade fever and needs to be inside and kept quiet for a few days. I am trying to find some fun activities. She loves arts and crafts and baking.
Anyone have some fun things let me know....or websites to search on.
Thanks!

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K.V.

answers from Tampa on

Sorry you have a sick little one! Hopefully she will heal fast! We spent almost the last 2 weeks in the house with HORRIBLE colds but nothing more than a lingering cough!
You said she got an arts & craft table - some ideas -
1. Use shaving cream to "draw" - squirt a blob and spread it out, can draw pictures or begin writing letters. It will slowly disappear the more you play with it.
2. Noodle necklaces - use shoe laces and string some large rotini or wagon wheel noodles.
3. Noodle pictures - use various noodles to create a picture with glue on paper.
4. I used to give my son some plain white paper plates and things like feathers, sequins, buttons, & glue and let him "Create" a picture. Sometimes we made a crown out of construction paper and he would decorate it.
* When I was little & it snowed, my mom bought a plastic swimming pool and filled it with either rice or dry oatmeal. She gave me a bunch of measuring cups (dollar store has cheap stuff) & containers to play in. You could always put a plastic shower curtain under it for spills.
*Build a tent with kitchen chairs, couch, an old sheet, etc. We have built them where there is an opening facing the tv and then had lunch while watching a special cartoon in the tent.
Just some ideas off the top of my head that we have used that worked. Good Luck!

2 moms found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Redding on

Make a fort!

My kids absolutely loved doing that. You can use the dining room table, blankets, chairs....

My little ones loved their forts and you can make a nest inside. Take a flashlight to read books. By that age, my kids were playing Old Maid and Go Fish with cards. My son called it "Old May" and he thought the person who got Old May won because she was so cute....like a Grandma.

Just for future reference, google Play Huts. I got my kids a whole selection of them including a tent that was more than big enough for us to lay down in with sleeping bags and blankets. They have cubes, tubes, and they all connect with each other. The wonderful thing about them is that they fold up into almost nothing for storage.

Little kids love huts and forts. If nothing else, build a little nest on the floor and try some easy card games. Let her brush your hair and make you pretty. Get out some paper and make up a story together. Draw pictures. Color. Quiet activities are the best.

I hope she's better soon!

2 moms found this helpful
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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

One of the hardest things is keeping them low key when they start to feel better... So good call on looking for things to keep her resting!!! (Pneumonia relapses are INCREDIBLY common, and are almost all caused by overdoing).

- Movies. Serious movie marathons. Get a tent out if you like, or make one on the couch out of blankets. Veggietales, pink panther, fraggles, Pixar, whatEVER (although the laughing can be exhausting its usually only enough to make them sleep... Not so much that they relapse). Do NOT feel guilty for even 1 second if you do 12 hours of movies for a couple days. She needs her rest, and the passive act if watching TV is PRRFECT. Get a sleeping bag, some juice, and marathon out.

- Read until you're hoarse. (Or, ideally, stop just prior).

- computer games : iSpy & www.starfall.com were our favorites

- Thankyou cards & valentines. With watercolor paper and masking tape and water colors... You may never buy cards again.

For general cards use maskkng tale around the edges / take to table. After the oainting is dry, peel off the tape & you have white edges around ghe cards.

One of my favorite valentines cards is red & white tissue paper, Elmer's glue, & gold, silver, & red glitter. Tear up the tissue paper. Glue in messy layers (smearing with hands) and press flat (the glue shellacs, and you end up with pink & red & white from the overlapping. Let dry. Drizzle over Elmer's glue and shake glitter. Let dry. Cut out hearts. Voila.

- After Xmas Treats. Popcorn balls. DogChow. Chocolate bark. Gingerbread houses. Yep. Its "late". But its time consuming and she can do these sitting down with you on cookie sheets.

- BATH TIME. There's nothing wrong with 3 or ; baths a day. And the hot water, steamy air, and relaxation helps. Bubbles.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.M.

answers from Boston on

movies /dvd's

i hope he feels better--she'll be tired for a while even after her fever breaks

1 mom found this helpful
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G.D.

answers from Detroit on

When my daughter was 3 she loved sewing and lacing cards. That was a good activity to buy me some time for chores. She also loved dress up and singing. I would play videos and she would use a step stoool for the stage and a broom for the mic.
My daughters asthma keeps us indoors often so we also have an xbox with kinect and several workout videos. I have an adult weighted hula hoop so we will hoop to videos too.

1 mom found this helpful
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H.H.

answers from Chicago on

There are some good answers so far. I'm so sorry that your daughter has been sick and I hope that her recovery continues without any other issues. Have you ever considered burning her a CD of favorite toddles songs? We used to love doing this for our kids(actually, still do). Imagination Movers is a TV show and a band, and they had great CDs, and there are many others. My kids used to love rocking out quietly with CDs. Another option is to make paper chain links which she can color and use for counting. In terms of baking, have her make up her own "menu" and be creative-maybe have her make a pizza, her own toasted cheese (which she can cut using cookie cutters), etc. Best of luck!

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