Cough and colds

I am not sure why but my son gets a cough and cold when we reach to the time of the year, Autumn and so gave him some Calpol as we checked his temperature and was a little high and put some Oabis oil on his pillow before he went to bed and put some on his feet too, and you can do the same with vapour Rub (putting it on the bottom of the foot) or the middle of their neck. Only Vapour rub not Oabis oil.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

The tricky thing is that because my son has a good body temperature and never feels the cold it is hard to know if he has a temperature, but if they looked flushed on the cheeks, is often a indicator that they may have a temperature that is higher than what it should be.

Often Boots do deals on their cough and cold medicines this time of the year, and I use if my son does have a high temperature Calpol like many parents or Calcough. However if not sure talk to the pharmacist or contact your GP, but in saying that it not always easy to get an appointment at his doctors, and when my son was ill last Spring, I gave them the details to the receptionist of the what was wrong with my son, and told us to go to A&E.

However, by insisting that I need to see the doctor, they gave me an evening appointment with another clinic and found he had Tonsillitis, and needed antibiotics and now it is all done online, so not sure how that will work, but dread contacting them because they at any opportunity push you away, and see why A&E departments are struggling, and so don’t allow them to put you off, and don’t take no for an answer.

It means putting the heating back on, but a lot of families because of utilities costs rising, it is making it tough to heat their homes, but with central heating you can put it on a timer, and set up for when your kids get home from school and in the mornings. We for free got our attic insulated by British Gas, my husband sorted that out, but it has helped with keeping the house warm, and not getting to hot in the summer, and once it reaches the limited temperature, the heating automatically cut off, and keep the thermometer in the room you use the most and will help you see if the heating needs to be turn on or off.

Invest in a blanket, and I bought one from TK Maxx and originally was for a sofa we had, but now it is in on my sons bed in Wimbledon and great for extra warmth and invest in a thick Duvet depending on age, as have a room thermometer as this will help make sure that your child’s room is not too cold or too hot.

If their appetite goes then try making soups and warm breakfasts like porridge with banana, Weetabix or toast, and for lunch or dinner, soups, that aren’t so heavy on their stomachs if they don’t feel like eating, but worried about them being hungry, and that they stay hydrated.

I do get a bit too concerned, so need to work on holding myself back and not making it out to be a big deal as this can make him worry too and say that he is unwell, so try to not go into panic mode and have a medicine in date, in the Winter time, should you child get a cough and cold, and if they are bringing up anything or being sick by coughing a lot, then seek medical help, as it may be a chest infection,which is easily treated.

Kids will have runny noses and working in nurseries, they all can have a runny nose and so use a tissue on each, making sure we wash our heads, and make sure I have tissues to hand and bulk buy.

A nice warm bath can help too and I still use Head to Toe wash from Boots and lasts for a long time and great for their skin and they do a moisturiser too, Boots and great if they suffer with eczema. Also helps clear their noses and their symptoms, along with clean bedding and I make sure that any towels used are washed and that if I have a cold I take medicines and precautions that I don’t pass it on.

So I hope you have had a good half term, and that this blog helps you and many thanks to those who follow me on this blog and if you have tips them please leave the tips in the comment section below.

If you like reading then I have written two The Parenting Adventure books on amazon, under the name, Carrie Challoner.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Last day of term and planning for half term

Yes, my son breaks up for half term, some schools in the UK have already begun having time off as many schools have a two week half term, and so I hope it is going well, with your kids, as you love them to bits, but can drive you mad at the same time.

Image inside Battersea Power Station

My son has been a little devil the last few weeks, and being a little more strict with him, because Henry wants to watch his tablet as soon as he wakes up, but because he was mucking about, not wanting to eat is brekkie or get dressed for school, made it a rule that he can watch his tablet, once he has eaten his breakfast and gotten dressed for school, and yes he has been protesting but has started to be less stressful and wants to play rugby instead.

Tablets and Android devices can affect a child’s behaviour and so I monitor now how long he spends on his tablet and have sometime watching educational stuff.

I have discovered a new learning APP Called, https://uk.ixl.com/ and will be using it a lot next week, as I have been with y son in the mornings, done some learning in maths using this platform and is great APP to continue their learning out of school.

So I do have things planned for half term. I am taking him to the Natural History Museum because along with trains he loves dinosaurs, and then is going to a kids club for two days, and then plan to take him up London, and get the train to London Bridge, as he has been asking if we can do that for a while, so if the trains are operating then we will be taking trip into London from Epsom, and then it is Friday, and then he is back to school a week later.

If you visit London check out the museums, I often take Henry there because they will add new things to see when you go and one time we went I booked a film about the Antarctic and was so interesting, and you did have to pay, but wasn’t very expensive and was enjoyable to watch, but if you do’t do that then they are free to visit, but would recommend to prebook.

In London Bridge there are shops inside the stations, Borough Market and have street acts, then over the bridge from London Waterloo there is Covent garden and from there, is Trafalgar Square, and many theatres and restaurants where you can have a good meal.

Also check out the Southbank Centre too: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/families?type=family-young-people They have a some shows on and there is often a book market and then have the Festival Hall, the London Eye, Shrek Adventure, London Dungeons and the London Aquarium.

Check out the UberBoat, we did this in the summer holidays and loved it. North Greenwich is a great place to go, as there is a Trampolining, Cable Cars, a Virtue Rollercoaster ride, which me and Henry did and wanted to get of at first, but was a great laugh, and then there is Battersea, and so plenty of things to see and visit.

So I hope that helps give you ideas. I am not sponsored by anyone, and personal choice and on attractions I have visited often that I know can be so much fun.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Behaviour Issues and setting Boundaries

The mornings are challenging at the moment, because my son won’t get his school uniform on without a fight. He is obsessed with Kinder Eggs and takes ages to eat his breakfast. If any of you are nodding, and you are having these issues, then fear not, as you read, you are not alone.

I find it is someway, payback because I wasn’t always an easy child and it would take me ages to get up and get dressed too, for school. My son likes getting up, I hated it. And I never liked going to school, so I get him.

He has so much energy that I find hard to keep up with him, and now that he won’t get dressed or brush his teeth, without me and his dad getting cross, it has added to my anxiousness in the mornings, making sure he gets ready for school in plenty of time.

Setting boundaries helps and so if he doesn’t get dressed then I remove his tablet, until he gets ready for school, and he must eat his breakfast. When he comes home from school he has to get changed and not allowed to play in his uniform, so if needs washing we can do that, and helps not having to wash his uniform all the time and make sure that he puts any dirty clothes, in the washing machine. It is important to me that he has responsibilities and looks after his stuff otherwise, he won’t be given another toy or a bit of chocolate and that he is thankful for the things he has in his life and family who love him.

This is not to make kids feel guilty but know what is right and what is wrong and care about what he has and so if he doesn’t do as I ask then he needs to see that, he can’t get what he wants if he pushes a boundary that is set into place. At my sons school he has been learning about sharing as he finds it hard, but to form good relationships sharing is a must. This was something I picked up from my grandparents and parents. because it is how you learn to be respectful and be kind to others.

Whenever I have a pack of crisps I will always offer one and was how I built up friendships and it would be reciprocated, and my son can be kind hearted. If he sees someone with a dog, he will now ask of their name, and if the dog is friendly as at one time he would just go up to a dog and that can be okay, but dogs can attack and so it is good to install boundaries when approaching an animal or a person and not fuss if he can’t sit down on a bus, and if someone gives him something he will says thank you, and will always make sure, and it is effective, is praise and give a good reaction so it installs goodness in his mind, and being kind and sharing becomes a natural process, and like drinking water and eating, just does it without being prompted.

Kids play up and often because they want to test your boundaries, and my son thinks if he asks over and over again, of something he wants but can’t have, eventually we will give in, and it can be tough, because part of me feels guilty and question myself, but he needs to understand that, he can’t have everything he wants and he needs to be good, and listen and do as he is asked.

Please check out my Pinterest site which has a lot of my content, including videos that you can watch: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/thetypicalLondongal/the-parenting-adventures/

I also write books, check out amazon, under the names. Carrie Challoner and Carrie Holmes.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

When kids just want to have fun

Lastnight, Sunday evening as I start this blog and winding down time, my son poured a bag of toys, because he wants to play with dinosaurs, all on the floor. He asks me about them and being honest, not my specialist subject. He knows them better than I do and I want my son to have fun, because it is good for him to play with his toys, and different ones, and this morning he had done the same.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

He was a bit reluctant in tidy up as he went to play with something else after pouring his dinosaurs all over the floor and made sure he tidied up, and before he went to play with something else and in learning as a parent, it is good practice because they are more prone to look after their toys when it comes to tidying up.

Having a child with ADHD and on the Autism Spectrum, it can be challenging for them to concentrate and so in between playing at home, I take him out to burn off some energy and we go on regular walks and playing sports and it helps me help him. For the first in ages my son yesterday after walking he played in a the park on the swings and and then he wanted to go back home and then part of the day had him do some reading, which he can be again reluctant to do, and then had some screen time. This I eliminate as being on his tablet all day is not good and want him to do different things and so in the morning we played some darts, which is fun but won’t put it away when finished, so an area we need to work on and do some more learning, but not easy, as he will pretend he doesn’t know when we know he does and recently when he does his swimming class he will hold himself back, and not show his full potential, and this, as a parent can be frustrating.

We don’t have a strict regime, and seems to be doing a lot more better learning at his new school, which is a Land school for children who have learning difficulties and I feel I could do more in terms of help with his learning too, because I and thinking of ideas that will gain his focus and to want to do more learning that is fun. I think when it comes to learning, and I can be the same, it can feel like a chore, and so need to break that up, but do learning games and do different activities as he said on Sunday that he’d like to paint things.

When Henry was a baby he had real sensory issues with paints and sand, and wouldn’t play with using these, to create things and to help with that he had Occupation Therapy which I highly recommend, and wish it lasted a lot longer before he went to school, as it taught me to understand about how to help him concentrate and not run around all of the time.

He when he first began walking would want to walk in the opposite direction and whenever we’d go shopping would want to run around and couldn’t browse and it would be tough putting him back into the pushchair. I know I will get nods whoever reads this bit, as I know it wasn’t just my child and their a parents having that issue now. Let me tell you, it does pass, even though it can feel it won’t.

Giving a time limit helps and stick by it as I wouldn’t and think “He won’t know what is ten minutes is” and let them know ahead of time what time playtime in the park will end and can play in the park for how long, as long as they don’t run around or scream blue murder, when shopping or my son would sit down and go all limp when trying to pick him up.

So I hope these blogs help and thank you for following this blog site and if you’d like a good read, I have written a book called Mum&Me on amazon and hope it makes you laugh out loud.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X