Four days into our first week of daycare (and being back in the office full-time for me), Oscar started having a cough. It was a very inconsistent dry cough. He is teething and was gnawing on his hands constantly. With everything going into the mouth, I suppose this was to be expected. Here’s how we survived as a family after his first week of daycare sickness.

SATURDAY turned to congestion with a cough. I monitored his breathing like a hawk… Are his nostrils flaring? Is his chest sinking in struggling to get air? No and no; okay, likely not RSV, thank God.

🛍: Smooch SoothiPop
🛍: Bump & Bitsy Boxes
We had just received our monthly Bitsy Box, and it was a lifesaver being a collection of teething related products! 🙏🏻

SUNDAY I felt fairly drained, but didn’t think too much of it – needed to cook a meal for a friend going through cancer treatments. My spouse caught Oscar’s head cold.

MONDAY my spouse’s head cold turned into full on flu. Great – now I need to care for a sick baby AND a sick husband. We all know how needy sick men are, bless them (at least mine is)! I was able to work remotely and keep Oscar away. Oscar’s poops turned to a green hue today and were more runny, but he has been eating normally.

Overnight Monday I was officially hit with the flu. Since everyone else in the house was sick, decided to rejoin my spouse in our more comfortable bed.

🛍: Bella B Breast Wipes

TUESDAY I was just out for the count with ALL of the flu symptoms, and 102° fever for hours. 🙈🙉🙊
Oscar went to see our nurse practitioner with his da-da in the morning, and was confirmed to have a head cold. We continue masking, nasal aspiration and monitoring his breathing.
Our day went pretty much like this:

• Bathroom
• Feed Oscar
• Hydrate
• Diaper change
• Sleep
• Repeat

On top of having a cold and teething, Oscar is trying to learn to self-soothe (still not able to fully develop this skill until 5-6 months), so he is fighting to fall asleep. He makes this “aye-aye-aye” whine in between the regular crying, with an “uuuhhhhhh” at the very end before giving into the sleeps. It’s a necessary point in his growth and learning; but man does it make the pounding head hurt even more!

With my body aches, I was barely able to get up and walk at times – can’t imagine what lifting Oscar out of his crib would have felt like for either of us.

Educate yourself first – I have NOT been on any medications while bed-sharing. Oscar hasn’t been using a swaddle since he was 4w5d due to clubbed foot treatment castings; he is also not rolling over during sleep yet.

Here are a few educational resources:

https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2022/american-academy-of-pediatrics-updates-safe-sleep-recommendations-back-is-best

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/baby-sleep/co-sleeping

https://www.llli.org/breastfeeding-info/sleep-bedshare

WEDNESDAY we were able to be out of bed a little bit more. Oscar got a few different playtimes back into his schedule. Continued to have runny green poos, and was super congested. We nurse on demand, and today he has eaten regularly every two hours. His diaper output is showing that he’s getting enough to eat, so hopefully he is staying hydrated.
Our medicine kit consists of:
🛍: Boogie Wipes (get the set with the Nasal Saline drops!)
🛍: NeilMed Naspira Plus
🛍: MediChoice Pediatric Bulb Syringe
🛍: MegaWise Cool Mist Humidifier
🛍: Baby Brezza Superfast Sterilizer & Dryer (I put the Naspira aspirator in the sterilizer!!)

That first week of daycare sickness was a doozy, but I’m thankful for to have had some easy ways to manage it for our family. Hopefully this will help other parents if you end up with the same experience we did and bring home that first week of daycare sickness.

This is not intended as medical advice. Please see your family pediatrician or doctor if your baby is sick; or someone in your household is sick around a newborn or baby.