Being prepared to take care of a sick child is a top priority for parents and caregivers. Age-appropriate fever reducers, thermometers of varying types, bandages and more each have their rightful place in the medicine cabinet. Our cabinet has a spot reserved for an unusual item that is another of the #missingessentials:
The Dry Erase Marker
Tracking an ill child’s temperature, medicine dosage, and timing has to be done accurately. Having a Dry Erase Marker handy to write all this information on the bathroom mirror has been a game changer for us. It might be just me, but fevers tend to spike in the middle of the night when I’m the least alert. And when there’s more than one unwell kiddo, it’s all the more difficult remembering these data points. Using Dry Erase Markers is a lo-fi and immediate approach to tracking our kids’ health, more helpful than fumbling with a wellness app or scrambling to find a notepad and pen. It’s already worrisome when our kids are under the weather, any methods to make it easier on us is a gift.
This past year the Dry Erase Marker brought us even more simplicity as we’ve quarantined at home. Managing our four children’s disparate virtual school schedules, in addition to both my and my husband’s work schedules has only been possible due to the growing collection of whiteboards and Dry Erase Markers throughout our home. We keep tabs on ever-shifting Zoom meeting times and classroom assignments by updating our boards in real time – so we all know who’s doing what and when. To sum it up, the Dry Erase Marker is my secret weapon in keeping key details straight – and I couldn’t be more grateful.
BONUS sick kid tip: Having battled an entire family sweep of the stomach flu many years ago, another practice we learned is stocking our hall closet with two small plastic buckets and two bells. The buckets are an easy grab for urgently queasy tummies, and the bells are a godsend when we have to leave the little patient to attend to their siblings – giving them the ability to ring for our attention, calling us quickly back.
4 in 4 Years 
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