Toddler got chickenpox

[sungwi]

Hi all, my kid got chickenpox since Thursday with some common cold symptoms too. He has been asking for more screen time than usual (Peppa, Peppa!) and yesterday we watched like 2.5 h total. Today he already asked again. I'm trying to entertain him and keep him busy but he gets fussy/cranky and then asks again for TV. Please tell me I didn't break him already and I can go back to normal (30-45 min screentime).
Thank you.

 

[shiningstar]

@sungwi When a kid is sick, especially with something as serious as chickenpox, all bets are off, as they need to rest. 2.5 hours of screen time is not that much for a sick kid. I would let him have as much screen time as he asks for and then when he's better, reset the boundary.

 

[sungwi]

@shiningstar Thank you! It did make a difference in his crankiest/sickest days. But he's still a bit cranky now on day 7, hopefully we turn the page soon

 

[hannah2000]

@sungwi No rules during illness. TV all day, endless supply of snacks or whatever else they will eat/drink. Follow their lead. Rest is so important.

 

[sungwi]

@hannah2000 Yes, that is what I did, now he's starting to feel better but still cranky. Or maybe that's his new normal?

 

[swim]

@sungwi TV will keep them entertained while their body is at rest. Let him watch so his body can do what it needs to.

 

[sungwi]

@swim Yes, it did help!

 

[machia]

@sungwi I used to limit screen time. Not as much as I used to but still limited.

When anyone in the house is sick, they have have as much as they want. If they seem to have some energy back and start playing, I turn it off until they fade.

They don’t have any problem going back to “normal”. They might ask more for a day or 2 but I just tell them no and redirect them

 

[sungwi]

@machia It did help, nos in day 7 he's better but still cranky. Wondering when he'll be back to normal?

 

[immanent_escha]

@sungwi Don't worry at all, my boy is 3 and just had chicken pox about 2 weeks ago. He was watching way more TV than usual, 2 films a day as it was the only thing which distracted him from the pain. Pre pox he had many days of no screen time at all or maximum an 30 mins a day with the occasional film. We're 2 weeks out and already back to normal, he has been asking for tv more and having more push back when we say no but things are getting back to normal and we're just holding a boundary with it and it's getting better by the day. Don't beat yourself up at all, screen time when they're so uncomfortable is a kind option to help them stay calm and rest when they're not sleeping well etc.

 

[sungwi]

@immanent_escha Thank you! It helped a lot! May I ask when did your kid go back to his normal self? (No more crankiness). We are in day 7 and he's still cranky and moody, getting frustrated over things that before wouldn't matter to him.

 

[immanent_escha]

@sungwi Yeah...our boy is still a bit more tired and emotional than usual almost 3 weeks after. My niece is nearly 2 weeks clear of it too and she's the same. I remember after my son had hand foot and mouth the doctor said it can take a month or so for their bodies to fully recover. My son has been eating sooo much as well, I think making up for not eating well when he had the pox!

 

[osh]

@sungwi Yep, we are team lots of screen time during sickness. We were just down for a week with influenza A and watched lotssss of Bluey during that time. Now that LO has been acting normal for a few days and I think we’re in the clear, we are going back to our normal rules for screen time.

You’re doing great!

 

[sungwi]

@osh Thank you! It did help on the worst days! Hopefully we can go back to normal soon, still not there yet.