The worldwide pandemic level for swine flu has been elevated to 5 out of 6 – which means there is an outbreak in at least 2 countries within a continent. Maybe it’s time to really think about preparing for the flu, especially if you have kids. Aside from the general recommendations of protection, e.g. cover your mouth, wash your hands, avoid sick people, etc., here are some real practical tips on how to prepare for the flu:

• Stock up on fluids, from mineral water to juices to tea. Swine flu is similar to the regular seasonal flu in terms of symptoms. And sufficient fluid intake is very important to counteract these symptoms. It might also be a good idea to stock up on your child’s favorite food stuffs to save you the hassle of running to the supermarket. If you are not into online shopping for groceries (like me), maybe it’s about time to check out for a reliable provider.

• Have fever medicine which is also suitable for children ready. This would include paracetamol (e.g. Tylenol) and ibuprofen (e.g. Motrin) which are available over-the-counter (OTC). Read carefully the package inserts of OTC drugs before given them to your child. Check out how to “Treat with Care.”

• Stock up on Kleenex and toilet paper. These essentials are often overlooked but they are just as necessary as disinfectants to maintain hygiene.

• Even if you are breastfeeding, have some milk formula and bottles ready just in case.

• Keep your child at home in case he or she develops symptoms. The key to controlling an epidemic is to minimize transmission. Closely monitor your child’s symptoms. According to pediatricians asked at WebMD, children under two showing symptoms should be checked by a doctor. This also applies to children of any age with other medical problems such as asthma and heart condition. Children over two who are normall healthy shouldn’t necessarily come in unless the symptoms worsen.

• Check that your thermometer is working. Fever is a major symptom and an indicator of severity. For very young children, pediatricians say they use a cut off temperature of 100.8 °F to decide whether a child needs to see a doctor.

• Have a plan. What would you do if your child has to stay home? If his or her school is closed? What sort of childcare contingency plan do you have if you have to work outside the home? What if you yourself fall ill?

• Have some indoor activities ready. You might need extra books, games or DVDs to keep little ones happy while being cooped up at home.

• Keep essential phone numbers ready: your doctor, your pharmacist, aemergency services, neighbour or close relative to call for help.

• Be alert but do not panic or overreact. There is no reason to keep your child away from school and lock yourself in the house unless the health authorities have declared school closure. Most important, it is essential that you keep yourself updated, especially at the local and state level.

Sites to get updates on health advisories:

• • Your states’ health services
  • The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) swine flu site.
  • The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
  • US Department of Health and Human Services
  • World Health Organization swine flu site

How about you? How are you preparing for the flu?

My husband will soon be moving to another country for a year as a result of a military assignment.  He’s gone away before, but the longest he had ever been gone was for six months.  A year is a long time to be gone, so essentially I get to be a single mom for the span of a year.

Whether it’s a military deployment, an impending divorce or some other situation that’s about to propel you into single parenthood (either permanently or temporarily) there are some things you should do to get ready for the change.  Believe me; I’ve done this a few times – although never for this long – so I have a few pointers if you find yourself in a similar situation.

1.  Start compiling some help in advance. I’ve already hired a cleaning lady and have the kids enrolled in a program on the military installation that takes them one Saturday a month so I can have a breather.  I’ve also kept my family and friends informed so they know that pretty soon I’m going to need all the help I can get.

2.  Plan a break with the kids. Next summer the kids and I plan on escaping our house for a few weeks to go visit family on the West Coast.  It will be a nice break and it will be nice for them to be surrounded by family for a while.

3.  Find lines of communication. My husband bought a laptop so the kids can chat with him on the web-cam while he’s gone.  I think that in any case of marital separation – whether it’s temporary or permanent – it’s important that both parents still have contact with the kids as much as possible.

4.  Keep the kids informed. Even the youngest kids know when a parent is missing.  My son was barely talking the first time my husband went away, but every so often he would see Daddy’s car in the garage and say, “Daddy?” This time we’ve already told the kids about Daddy leaving soon so they have time to prepare for it as well.

It’s not easy being the only parent in the house, especially when you’re outnumbered by the kids.  I’m going to take it one day at a time and cut myself some slack for the inevitable times coming when I feel incredibly overwhelmed.

When preparing for a new baby, one of the most important preparations, if applicable, is that of your other children. Life can become very confusing when a new baby is added to the mix. Children can feel out of place, less loved and sometimes even ignored. It is important for parents to take some preemptive steps in order to help their children feel a part of the whole process.

Pregnant mothers can involve their children in the pregnancy and pre-birth activities in order for the child to feel connected to the changes that are taking place in their house. The child can take an active role in helping the Mom have a healthy pregnancy by simple things such as eating healthy foods with them, going for walks with them and taking daily vitamins along side their Mom.

Here are some more suggestions for how to involve your child in the events leading up to as well as after the birth of your baby:

• take your child to the hospital prior to the birth of the baby to meet the nurses and get acquainted with where you will be when you are having the baby so that it is not an unknown place
• have your child buy the baby a gift that is just from them, let them wrap it, potentially decorate the gift bag and make them a card
• include your child in decisions like what sheets to put on the crib and what outfits to pack for the hospital
• make a list of how they can help out once the baby is born (e.g. pass tissues, wipes, diapers, get a receiving blanket or wash cloth, help burp the baby etc.)
• make a ?Helping Record? for your child (with your assistance) to record all of the things they do each day to help with the baby
• make a chart of all of the things a baby does so that you can check off how many times they occur in a day
• go online and print off activities for your child to do while you are busy tending to the baby in the first days (coloring sheets, dot to dots, paper dolls, puppets etc.)
• make up zip lock baggies with new activities for child to do when they are feeling a bit out of sorts and are in need of a good distraction
• have your child choose some special toys and books that they want to share with the baby when the baby comes home
• have your child decorate a onesie for the baby
• help your child make a book for the baby all about your family, your home, etc., try including photos!

By involving your child in as many choices, decisions and activities as possible leading up to the birth of your baby, you will hopefully make them feel more a part of the entire process. There will always be some bumps along the road, but that is to be expected, after all, a whole new person is joining your family!

There is a lot to be done in preparation for a new baby. This post, followed by one more will discuss the preparations focused around older siblings and how to prepare them as well as their caregivers (for when parents are in the hospital or caring for the new baby) for the arrival of a new baby in the family.

The first step in preparation, with regards to older siblings is to make a plan for who is going to watch them when you go into labor. It may be a family member who lives close by, or maybe a good friend. Ideally, it should be someone that your child trusts and is close with as well as someone that is very close by.

In the weeks leading up to your due date, schedule small visits or periods of time where this caregiver can come and be responsible for your child in order to maximize your child’s level of comfort and to assist the caregiver in your daily routines. It would be great if you could schedule weekly visits, possibly corresponding with your weekly OB visits.

Because so much is unknown with regards to how long your hospital stay will be, it is a good idea to have lists and/or written instructions for daily routines printed out so that there can be as much consistency in your home as possible while you are gone.
Here are some lists/instructions that you may consider writing up for your caregiver:

• nap time and bed time routines – be specific in order to maintain as much consistency for this potentially difficult time for your child depending on their age
• meal and snack suggestions as well as any specific instructions regarding allergies and food dislikes/preferences
• activities to entertain your child, places to visit, friends they like to play with etc.
• a list of simple house rules, for consistency and to maintain normalcy as much as possible

The second topic to address is what you as parents can do in order to help your child ease into this transition of having a new baby in the house. It might be helpful to purchase a gift on your baby’s behalf to give to the older sibling. This gift can be either waiting for them at the hospital for the first visit or it can be given when you arrive back home. Either way, your older child may feel like a bigger part of the celebration this way, as the new baby will be receiving many gifts over the first few weeks.

Your house is going to soon become baby central with playpens, high chairs, infant swings, bouncy chairs etc. Your older child may feel like their current territory is being taken over, which will cause them to feel out of place in their own home.

Try introducing a new item into the mix on a regular basis in order to get used to these new necessities long before the baby arrives. One example would be to install the infant car seat early and place a doll inside to have the child “practice” being a big brother or sister while riding in the car.

Stay tuned for Part Two where I discuss what activities you can involve your child in to help them feel a part of the whole process.