My little one has a cold, buggers and all.
She is not eating well and also no sleeping well, I feel bad for her, I know she is not feeling well.
Whit that said, she is also being very grumpy to the point is hard to do things at some points.
Like trying to go out the house to get milk is a big cry, getting out of the car is another, she doesn't want to sit in the shopping cart and she doesn't want to walk, then she sees something she wants and there is another cry, and so on.
Of course I am not talking about nothing dangerous here (no running down the streets or touching fire or any thing that would be considerate dangerous) there are just little things, a lot of little things, lol.
I am trying to pick my bottles and understand she feels bad and just using distraction more then disciplining.
I am just curious on what other moms do in this case, do you still discipline your toddler when they are sick or you give them a free pass or what?
Teenmom-I guess I should had add that my husband is not home during the week, I NEEDED to go out for milk.
Last night we had a terrible night, she woke up often with wet cough and I think headache. I was expecting for her to be very tired but she wake up at her normal time and playing, I am hoping this is one of those colds that comes very strong but leave fast.
Yes, it is hard having kids sick, I mush rather be the sick one then see them sick =0(
Thanks you for the input.
I don't discipline in the way of time-outs. However, I do explain to my son that although he is sick, that doesn't mean he gets to act crazy, or break the rules. And that if he doesn't stop then he will be in trouble- ie: time out or take toy away.
So I am a little more lenient I don't let him go over board.
I haven't had a sick toddler in a couple years but I was pretty tolerant up to a point. If he was really grumpy I would give him tylenol. I only got upset when he got crazy like throwing things or attacking his brother. my middle is a monster when he is sick. my oldest just wanted to cuddle.
No, do not discipline a child when they are sick.
They need lots of rest, water, and soup.
They also need sweet hugs and kisses to make them feel better.
= )
When my kids are sick I let them sleep in bed or lay on the couch and do not drag them places because that will make anyone cranky who is tired and not feeling well. I would ask hubby to pick up milk on the way home and make do with what you have.
That's when you make ONLY completely unavoidable trips out of the house, and let a lot go. Eating at the table only: here, have a popsicle while you lounge on the sofa watching a movie. (put a towel under them first, lol).
You don't want to get dressed? Ok. Wear your pj's that's fine with me.
I know you feel bad sweetie. I just have to ___ then I'll be right there to bring you ___/read you a story/sit with you/put in another movie/____.
I know you don't feel tired, but you need to try to get some sleep anyway. That's what your body needs to get well. Which story do you want to look at while you try to get comfy?
Just depends...you know you can't let them use sickness as a license for rotten behavior but I get crabby when I am sick too and could not handle being yelled at. So I guess for everything you described, I would have mercy. For hitting or being ugly to a sibling, there would be some reprecussions, but probably just being sent to lie in bed and collect themselves for a few minutes. I know that when my son starts acting out a lot and I find myself doing more time outs then usual, 9 times out of 10 he is coming down with something. So I say for actual rule breaking, ie, angry outburst toward a family member, or doing something in my face right after being told no, you know the snotty stuff they do normally, yeah, I would discipline. For being overly emotional about everything, nah, I wouldn't. Hang in there, it is hard when they are sick!!
I'm a total disciplinarian, I really never let anything slide, but to be honest when the kids (as toddlers) are sick, I always give them a free pass on everything. Especially whining. I even comfort them while they're whining. Which I would NEVER do in normal circumstances. They're not sick for long and then it's back to the routine. It won't set you back on discipline in the big picture, and it lets them know you understand how they feel. My kids really only whine when they're sick, and they even try their best to control it when they get towards age 3 no matter how bad they feel. awww, I hope your daughter feels better soon.
Hello Mama,
I've worked with toddlers for 17 years and I know how much they revert when they are ill. I wouldn't send a ill toddler to their room for being difficult, but I would up hold the rules.
An example. If they insist on walking, they must still hold hands.
If they play with their brother, they must play nice, (no hitting).
But enforce with extra love and caring.
It's hard, but give extra love. Remember their bodies really just cannot process what is happening, so they're losing control.
I hope your little one feels better soon.
R.
No, I don't discipline when they're sick. Distraction and gentle talking, but that's about it. We sit together and I let the house go all to He**. If you have to run to the store you just its going to be horrible and suck it up. If they aren't sleeping well you know they just can't control their behavior.
I dont usually. I let him be and do his own thing. My son had shots yesterday and is also teething pretty bad, so I let him slide on a lot of things. Trying to be as gentle as possilble. I feel bad that he is sick and cant help how he feels. He cant help being fussy and he doesnt know any better when he is sick. He just knows he doesnt feel good.
I don't go anywhere with sick kids if I can help it. But, in general, for things like you are talking about, no I wouldn't discipline for those thing when my child was sick. I would actually try to comfort and distract and get home as soon as possible.
i feel ya', when your husband's gone it's all on you and it's all on me too, so i say my answer w/daily life experience. anyway, my son's almost 2.5, as of yet i don't discipline when he's acting like that, like the little stuff you mentioned. he will sometimes throw a toy across the room & i get tempted to time out or whatever, but then i think, "calm down mama, he's gotta temp & just isn't feeling good". i have to literally say that b/c it's hard not to discipline! and i still have to take him out for things when he's sick b/c that's just life damnit, and no we don't wanna do that, but we HAVE to. i try to be very understanding when he's sick & not be too h*** o* him. jmo, hope your baby girl feels better soon, it's the pits on everyone!
Yes I still discipline him. He would not be able to understand that he got a free pass because he was sick and not because it's no longer the rule, even if I tried to explain.
But... I do try to avoid things that are likely to set him off.
I adjust when he is sick ... but certain things keep thier place like routine based things and obviously not acceptable things. Stuff brought on by grumpiness I just try to talk out and if it escalates then I have to escalate.
i think you are handling it correctly with more distraction than discipline. i wouldn't actually let behavior that usually gets discipline pass completely, but i do tend to take illness into consideration and be more tolerant.
not a total free pass, though!
khairete
S.
