The Sick Kids Basket to Keep Them on the Couch

Keep sick kids resting with this sick kids basket

We may earn money from the companies or products mentioned in this post.

When the kids are sick and have to stay home from school, having a sick kids basket will keep them from feeling bored. Thanks to Pfizer for sponsoring this post. The Pfizer Pediatric Platform products, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. All thoughts and reviews are my own. This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you click through and make a purchase.

I am not a doctor! For medical advice consult with your local doctor.

Keep sick kids resting with this sick kids basket

There’s little I dread more, then a kid waking up on a school day sick.  Then they have to stay home. Your day is thrown off, and if you were planning any errands – restocking the empty fridge or returning overdue library books – they get thrown out the window.

Even if it’s not a school day, getting kids to rest when they are sick is a challenge. After Venice had a bout of the sickies last week, I decided it was high time we had an activity basket that only came out on sick days. Sick Just Got Real™!

Love this Sick Kids Basket of activities

I sat down with my sister in law to make this list, and while shopping at Target picked up a couple more items that stood out to me. These are all things that I would find useful no matter the sickness. From colds, flu, and strep, to broken bones and post-surgery recovery.

In My Sick Kids Basket:

  • audiobooks/books
  • coloring
  • ball
  • playing cards
  • notecards
  • pencils
  • LEGO set
  • BrainQuest
  • WaterBottle
  • Sanitizing Wipes
  • Battery operated LED Light stick
  • Applesauce squeezers
  • Individual Gatorade Packs

My sick kids basket may not look like yours, but these are things I know my kids would enjoy. I tried to focus on items that could be wiped down before putting away to avoid spreading germs. – Books, playing cards, balls, LEGO pieces, LED Light and the water bottle are all washable with the sanitizing wipes stored in the basket. 

What would you put in a sick kids basket? Fun activities kids can do while stuck on the couch

Keeping the kids’ minds sharp while missing school is also important. I’m not talking stress them out because they do need to be resting, but games like BrainQuest will keep them learning in a fun way.

I also added note cards and pencils to the basket. What better way to teach them the value of handwritten notes, then when they’re stuck relying on others to care for them?

Applesauce and Gatorade should be staples in every home. If your family is like mine though, if those are sitting in the cupboard, they won’t last until someone is sick. By storing them in the sick kids’ basket I know I’ll have some when they are really needed. 

 


As much as I love my sick kids’ basket, and it helps keep them confined to one area without getting too bored, it’s not going to help get them well. Taking another page out of my sister in laws book –and it helps her hubby is a PA – I decided I needed to start separating our medicines by illness.

I’m so tired of pulling out our Medicine Box to try and find a fever reducer, or cough suppressant. By the time I find it, or realize we’re out, the medicine box is a mess, and the kids are just dying!

Don't forget these Cough and Cold Essentials from Pfizer Pediatric. ad

Thanks to Pfizer Pediatric Products, I now have a well-stocked Cough and Cold Medicine Basket! In this smaller basket, I have all our get better needs – Children’s Advil®, Children’s Robitussin®, and Children’s Dimetapp®.  

If you ask my husband, I hate taking medicine (truth), but when it comes to getting the kids better, I know and trust the Pfizer Pediatric family. With the Chldren’s Dimetapp® being alcohol free, I feel safe giving it to them. 

I then added in my extras like Chapstick, Tissues, and Honey. Honey is another one of those food staples everyone usually has, but when I really need it, it’s all out. Keeping one bottle in the Cough and Cold Medicine Box will make sure I always have it handy.

Separate medicines into individual baskets so you can grab what you need, when you need it.

Help Kids Avoid the Sickies

  • Wash Hands frequently. Help teach them how important this is, and practice with them. 
  • Eat Healthy and Exercise. I think kids naturally rebound from, and have a hard time resting during the sickies, because they are generally fairly active. This goes for adults too. The better you take care of your body, the better chance you have of avoiding illness or rebounding faster from it
  • Take Vitamin C. Don’t like taking pills, there are a lot of natural ways to boost your Vitamin C intake. I personally love this Vitamin C Boost drink.
  • Probiotics! Another staple, but something you can’t really keep in the medicine box, is yogurt! Full of probiotics, they help fight those bad bugs.

The next step is keeping these baskets out of the kids reach. We have an awesome shelf in the laundry room that is even too high for me without pulling in a kitchen chair to grab. This is a safer location than under our master bathroom sink where we’ve previously stored them. 

 What would be in Your Kids Sick Basket?

Put together a Sick Kids Basket for those days they just don't feel good, but don't want to sit on the couch.

GIVEAWAY

Pfizer Pediatric Products would like to send 1 Home Maid Simple reader a bundle to help keep their family healthy through coughs and colds!

Open to US 18+. Ends 4/12/16

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Looking for more ideas to store medicine? Check out my First Aid Kit.

What to keep in a first aid kit

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