By law of nature, my husband is away on a business trip and my son has come down with the flu. These things always happen at the most inconvenient times. Now I have no one to wake up in the middle of the night with my neurotic behavior. Of course babies’ illnesses always act up in the middle of the night! The baby is fine all day, but wakes up screaming at 3am with a raging fever and a snotty nose. Miraculously when daylight arrives the fever breaks and baby is laughing and ready to play again. Mommy on the other hand, feels like she’s been hit by a truck.

I know exactly where he got this flu too! But i’ll spare the flu-spreader a public shaming. I grudgingly wonder why people leave their homes when they are soooo sick! For the first time in my life I understand why my mom was always so mad at the person who had spread the flu to us! For her it meant sleepless nights, long days and endless worry. Of course if one child has is it, you can bet that at least one or two more will come down with it as well, meaning weeks and weeks of stress at the very least.

Although i’m alone, i’m armed with what I need to survive a middle of the night flu attack! Here’s my list of flu survival tools:

Saline spray. Nothing loosens boogers like saline! Since babies usually hate having something put in their nose, I prefer using the spray version as it enters the nose quickly with one spritz as opposed to trying to get the drops to fall in the nose hole as baby is squirming and crying.

Snot sucker. My baby seems to think that this is a torture device and screams at the sight of it. But since he can’t blow his nose on his own I think it’s brilliant, though somewhat gross.  I never imagined i’d be happily suck snot out of anyone’s nose, but it’s just one of those gross things that moms do! After a saline spritz in the booger filled nose holes I put the device on the outside of the nostril and suck away. While it sounds easy, it is definitely a challenge. Baby usually screams bloody murder and it requires quite a bit of restraining and patience.

Temporal thermometer. For some reasons babies hate having their temperature taken, even under the arm. My son will not stay still for the full minute or two that it takes to get an accurate reading under the arm and just forget about the rectal kind! I love my temporal thermometerI It gives me a fairly accurate reading in one quick swipe of the forehead! Usually no restraining needed!

Humidifier. The only thing worse than boogers is dry boogers! The humidifier helps to keep things moist. Some of them even come with inserts that release soothing elements. I wouldn’t attempt to get through a flu night without one of these!

Infant’s Tylenol. Nothing beats good ole Tylenol for fever, aches and pains. I try to give my baby as little medicine as possible, but this definitely helps to make him more comfortable when necessary.

Extra Cuddles. I know that sleeping in his own crib is probably not going to happen when he’s sick, at least not for the whole night. I also know that there is nothing better than snuggling with your mommy when you’re sick. It’s a remedy in itself!

Coffee. Make sure your pantry is stocked with some strong coffee! When baby wakes up in the morning he is sure to be feeling a little better and ready to play!

Since no amount of tools in the world can replace a helping hand (even though it’s usually a half asleep one) when baby is sick… this mom is packing up and going to Granny’s house!

© Nicola Rios Nogales and ispeakmom.com, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicola Rios Nogales and ispeakmom.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.