Single Mom's Being Sick

If you don't have one borrow a playpen. A one year old can be contained in one to play while you lay on the couch. Hope you feel better soon.

As a person who has been a strong advocate against TV for kids, I admit that I am with Nervy Girl.
If there is nothing on TV that is acceptable (try nature channel) then do your best to baby proof (throw everything on the counter) the bathroom and let your child do whatever. Let the 1yr old make confetti out of toilet paper, roll a ball back and forth with the child as you lean over the toilet, it doesn't matter. Short of burning down the house, your child is all but on their own today (you will find the strength to hand your child a box of cookies and water so she won't starve).
We've all been there, you might not make mommy of the year today but as long as your child is alive at the end of the day then you have succeeded.
Good Luck!!!

I've had to do this with my husband out of town. You basically just deal. Call your folks and ask for help. (Mine are 6 hours away or I would have asked.) I don't know what else to tell you. This is the day to use the tv as a babysitter and just do the best you can to keep both of you as comfortable as possible.

So sorry. It sucks. Call your family with zero expectations. It's okay to pop the baby in the stroller (containment) and park them in front of the tv or whatever other distractions.

ETA: Nina, I had to chuckle at your answer. We rarely did tv when Kiddo was teeny. One sick week, I'd rented the old Sesame Street videos and Kiddo wasn't interested, so I put on a concert dvd and he was entranced. He also watched a lot of Charlie Rose and PBS talk shows when I was sick. At least the language and conversation was intelligent!

I remember having those kinds of days when my kids were little and my husband was at work. I found that my kids were pretty understanding when they saw I was sick and tended to be less demanding. I would just make sure they had something to eat that was easy (Cheerios, cheese and crackers, fruit, granola bars) and let them watch TV all day while I crash on the sofa. Maybe call a friend to come for a couple of hours to help and bring you some Gatorade. Hope you feel better soon.

I wasn't a single mom, but with my second pregnancy, I was violently ill with morning sickness (morning, HA! more like morning, noon, and night, all nine months). My husband worked very long hours. We had a 3 year old boy and I'd park him outside the bathroom with toys that I didn't usually let him play with, like pots and pans and wooden spoons. One day my husband came home after work and our son was sitting outside the bathroom building a tower of Tupperware. My son calmly looked at my husband and nonchalantly said "hi Daddy. Mommy's in the bathroom blowing up." And he went happily back to his cookware and Tupperware city.

Just let the chores go. You WILL catch up eventually. The bathtub and Tupperware can be your best helper.

We've all through this, mom. It's hard.

It's important to get some kind of backup system in place for times like this. A neighbor, someone at church, etc. If you don't go to church, find one with a congregation with kids. You have to get to know people.

I wish you luck that you get over this tummy trouble quickly.

I did what Nervy did. TV was my sitter. Just make sure he's safe.

If you have a neighbor or someone you could call up as a sitter - but not many would want to come by if you're sick, but they may be willing to take the baby for you.

If it were me, I'd call my family up. Because chances are you'll need to recover tomorrow too. Would they make the drive? My mom would have - so reach out if I were you. Good luck and I hope you're feeling better soon.

I feel for you!! The hardest bit for me was breastfeeding while I was sick. If you are breastfeeding, you should still feed while you are sick, as the baby will get some immunity from whatever you have. If you are formula feeding, make multiple bottles when you are between bathroom incidents so they are all ready to go. Drag out whatever works to distract the baby, bowls from the kitchen, all the stuffed animals, anything. Forget keeping anything tidy, today is just about surviving. If feeding your kid a whole bag of Gerber puffs keeps her distracted while you puke, just go for it. You will get through this, hang in there!!!

Do you have any friends or neighbors that can help out? My husband travels for work, and so I have found myself in this situation. I found that if I put aside my pride and asked for help, people were willing to pitch in. In my case, I have occasionally called neighbors with whom I was friendly - but not good friends - and asked them if my kids could spend an hour or two at their house because I was sick and having a hard time keeping an eye on them. I was worried about their safety. My neighbors were so so gracious about it, and took them for the afternoon.

I never ask unless I have no other option because I don't want anyone to feel that I'm taking advantage of them, and I don't want to cry wolf. So when I do ask, I find that people are willing to help.

If you really don't have anyone you can call, then use the TV, pack-n-play, swing, etc. Do what you need to do to get through the day. There are worse things for your child than a full day of PBS kids.

And when you feel better, start developing some relationships with your neighbors. Don't discount people who are in a different stage of life either. Teen neighbors can be emergency babysitters. Grandma-types who love kids might enjoy spending time with your child. Start by looking for things you can do to help others (give the grandma a help bringing in groceries or doing yard work). It's a way to break the ice, and if they see that you are willing to help others, they might be more receptive to helping you in the future.

It's a strategy that works as your child gets older too. When your child plays baseball, be the first to offer to give other kids a ride to practice. Then when your child needs a ride to practice because you have a conflict, that relationship is already in place.

You bring in a baby sitter to watch child while you sleep, barf, see a doctor or do what ever you have to do.
When my Mom was raising us (my sister and me), she hired a college friends mom to be our nana.
A few times Nana got a ride to our house (she didn't drive) and made soup while ALL of us were sick - Mom had pneumonia, we had flu (or chicken pox or German measles I forget the exact combination - we all stayed in bed for several days).
The doctor made a house call (that tells you how long ago this was - early 60's).
It's tough but we get through it.
Hope you feel better soon!

Good advice below - a 1 year old can be entertained with stuff that isn't a toy (tupperware and so on). If you have a play pen or port-a-crib, use it. Put it in the hall outside the bathroom door if you have to.

And this is when you call in the neighbors, friends, moms from the play group or library reading circle, or a young teen mother's helper (they work cheap!) who can occupy your child while you are still there for the big safety/supervision questions.

At that age I took the kiddo to the bathroom with me. I had some bath toys they could play with while I was in there. If you put them in the tub to get clean then it's clean enough for them to be in while it's dry. They can't get into anything that way. But you might want to make sure you buy some faucet protectors in the future if you don't already have them on the bathtub faucets. This keeps kiddo from being able to twist then and turn them on. Your little one is in danger in the bathroom for the most part but if you take precautions it will be fine.

Feel better soon. My husband and I got sick when my daughter was an infant. My mom and dad came over to get her at 3:00 am since we both felt as though we were dying. Do you have a neighbor that could take your child for a few hours? Otherwise use a play pen or a crib. Your child just needs to be kept safe. It is okay if they are not happy today. Well wishes!!!

I've been there. I would take my child into the bathroom with me in a playpen. A playpen was my savior
when I was sick . If you don't have one, see if you can buy one at a thrift store. If you are sick and
can't get anywhere to buy it, take your child with you into the bathroom & put down a big, comfy comforter
for your child to lay on while you're in the bathroom. Do you have a neighbor that could come over and help?
I'd have them come over for an hour or two (not have your baby go with them). If not, don't worry. You do
the best you can with your baby there with you while you're sick. Let everything else go. Just concentrate
on getting better. If you need any kind of medicine or food, take your baby to the nearest store for a super
wuick run then back to bed to relax. I've laid with my child on the living room floor on blankets when
I've felt sick and didn't feel good.