Paging Dr. Mom
Oh my Gods! Someone HELP! I’ve got two sick kids at home today and I cannot take another minute of Noggin.
And tell me, am I the only one that would like to smash the TV when Wonder Pets is on? I hate their stupid little songs and the one with the really pronounced speech impediment that never shuts up? Grrrrrr! The whole thing just irritates the living crap out of me.
Wonder Pets. Must. Die.
Okay, now that I’ve vented, I have some questions… I was awoken twice last night by TQ, who had a raging fever. The second time, she was freaking out because she said when she walked she felt like she was walking on the moon. The hell? Then today when her fever spiked again, she said the same thing. I’ve asked her to explain and she isn’t able to describe it. What does this mean? Should I be concerned? Anyone?
Also, she has one red spot on her stomach and my first thought was chicken pox but she’s had the vaccine so that’s unlikely right? Please say yes because I’ve never had chicken pox and adults can die from it.
Okay, last question. If you’ve given your child Tylenol or Motrin and their fever has gone down for the time being and they say they feel okay, should they be allowed to play or go in the back yard? Or does laying down and taking it easy really make a difference and thus is the better choice?
Thanks in advance!
Addendum: Holy shit! I might die from the cuteness…
My daughter just came up to me and said “Mommy, I wrote on my hand”
Me: “What did you write?”
And she showed me.
It said “I love you, Mome” (mome = mommy)
Awww…how cute is that?
I’m not a Dr Mom but I am positive I know exactly what she was referring to when she felt like she was walking on the moon.
You know when you have a really high fever and you get lightheaded? When that happens to me, I feel like when I step, my feet are floating a little off the ground, sort of like walking in a weightless environment must feel. So I think she must be light headed and that is just her way of expressing it. Either that, or she has something else going on, and I am a bit mad.
My bet is that she was dizzy and floaty from the fever. Poor baby.
When you get a fever you tend to be light headed…
And as forthe chickenpox…
You can still get the chicken pox eventhough you have the vaccine…
Rare but it does happen andwith four different kids who had been vaccinated just keep a vigil…
And my dad has never had the chicken pox although all four of his kids did…
Poor you hope they are on the mend…
and 2 cute of a note…
wish you could post the wee hand with the note…
Ditto the light-headed feeling. I think you know your kids best, but I’m thinking just because their fever has come down with medicinal aid, it might not be so wise to let them run around the backyard just yet. Never know what other stuff they might catch back there with their immune systems compromised.
As for the chixpox, I hate to break it to you, but the vaccine does NOT guarantee no illness. I was told by our pediatrician that all it means is that if they should contract the illness, it will be a less severe case of it. Sorry!
Also, I hear you on the Noggin and other cutesy type programming. I was never so glad to be rid of that, but now I have to contend with “Hannah Montana” and other pre-teen Disney dribble — ack! Save me!
Oh I can’t stand Wonder Pets either. They sing all their lines. Re playing outside, perhaps some non-rambunctious play would be okay. I let mine do sidewalk chalk because they get so bored being inside but they are not allowed to run around or get winded.
Not sure about chicken pox. I had them when i was two and don’t remember.
Sounds like she is feeling light headed. I won’t even begin to guess on the other questions. I am the type that goes bat nuts and lives on webmd whenever my daughter so much as sneezes once!! Hope they feel better soon!
My kids are sick (one with pneumonia) and I also have a cold. I am in Noggin hell right there with you. Why on earth would they give a character a speech impediment? My 20 month old who is still learning to talk is going to think that is normal.
Wonderpets make me want to vomit. I caught an episode yesterday. It’s been added to the ever-growing list of crap I will not let Boo watch.
I remember when I was younger and I had a fever…I used to see balls rolling over me. Kind of like a reverse roller coaster…It used to scare the hell out of me. Remember Pink Floyd…”When I was a child, I had a fever…My hands felt like two balloons.” Fevers do that sorta crap.
I love that duck with the speech impediment. Sorry. I get a kick out of them. But hey, I’ve been brainwashed by Noggin.
I hope your kidlets feel better really soon. Fevers scare the hell out of me.
I’m not sure about chicken pox. I had them as a child. But I don’t remember anything about symptoms. And its been so long since I had to deal with illness in the classroom, I forgot it all.
Agree totally with the others - light-headedness.
I tend to be pretty easygoing about illness. If they are acting normally and say they feel okay, I let them play. But not with their friends, in case they are contagious.
I hope everyone feels better soon!
My wife was just informed that a kid in daycare has been diagnosed with C. Pox today. The problem: that young man was in the room when we dropped off our daughter today. The bigger problem: My wife is pregnant. Not good. Fingers crossed and all that…
The Mayor’s spikey high fever turned out to be pneumonia, but he had a really bad cough too.
I weewee hope your situwashun gets betto vewy soon, Mama. Embwace Wonderpets!
I think a high fever could make her hallucinate a little–I remember as a kid being convinced that my hands were swollen up to like 100x normal size. I could see and feel it.
Karen, you are hiwawious.
Walking on the moon could be middle ear fluid commonly seen with viral infections. Don’t forget that as scary as it is, fever is good. Oh, and let ‘em play.
She has fever float….cool. Hope they are better soon and you dodge the bullet.
I say let them play. For a bit.
So cute her hand, get her to commit the love to paper so you can frame it and put it where everyone can see it (bathroom).
Wonderpets…grrrr.
And the one who can’t talk properly?? Yah..needs to go. Especially with children learning to talk..and then they start talking like that thing. Not good.
I’m no doctor (I don’t even play one on TV) but I agree with the others that the ‘walking on the moon’ thing is just lightheadedness from the fever. And I say rest is always the best choice, although usually hard to enforce without bed restraints and a straightjacket.
When my youngest was three we ALL got chicken pox. Fortunately, there’s a shot adults can get if you get it at the very earliest onset of symptoms. I’m such a hypochondriac that i bolted over there at the first sight of a bump, and I got by with a very minor case of it.
Hope she feels better soon.
I hope you still have respect for me after reading that I LOVE the wonder pets… AND Moose A. Moose and Zee.
I also agree about the lightheaded feeling that she is getting. Is she saying it when she is getting up and walking around?
I’d nix going out and playing too much. Little sick bodies need rest for repair.
You were probably going to get mad for her writing on her hand - until you saw what she wrote, huh?
Just stopped by to say hi after listening to Jennster’s show tonight.
Howdy, I’m not a doctor, but I am a nurse. Lemme see if i can answer some of your questions.
Yes, the “walking on the moon” feeling is likely, as everyone has said, lightheadedness from the fever.
The red spot on her tummy could be a sort of heat rash related to her fever. It should probably resolve in a day or two or even less.
And if your angel is feeling better after the Tylenol or Motrin and wants to play, heck yeah, let the angel play!! Here’s the thing: Most childhood fevers are caused by viruses, and regardless of what you do, the virus will run its course. Everything you do is really just treating symptoms (decreasing fever and achiness, etc). You’ll not change the course of the infection by limiting activity. It may seem to some people that activity exacerbates the illness, but in reality what you’re seeing is the result of the angel tiring more easily because of the illness, and that’s to be expected. I wouldn’t make her lie down if she didn’t want to unless YOU are the one needing the nap. (And after being up with her during the night, why wouldn’t you?!!)
Anyhoo, I hope she has a speedy recovery and you get to have some rest soon!
And, WHOA. Haven’t seen the Wonder Pets. Think I’ll skip ‘em.
I feel your pain. Poor kids, too. Although, my mom swears I was jumping on my bed with a 104 fever and pneumonia at 3.
My little girl had a barf fest the night before last, but luckily only had a minor fever. Fortunately, I only had to deal with Baby Einstiens, a lengthy nap, and Toy Story 2.
My son loves the Wonderpets. I don’t mind them, but I do hate the speech impediment one. I also have issues with Baby Bear on Sesame Street. I’m so over these shows being all PC by incorporating characters with speech issues. I’m guessing they want to make it seem ‘normal’ so that the other kids don’t make fun of kids who talk that way. What they don’t realize is that they’re teaching little ones that it is an acceptable form of speech!!! ARGGGH!
Why don’t they just go ahead and add a Potty-Training-Challenged Ferret to the mix so kids think it’s okay to wear diapers until third grade?
The good news is that if you have survived until adulthood and have never gotten chicken pox, chances are you have your own built in immunity to it. My mom never had chicken pox, but cared for both my brother and I when we had them. She didn’t catch it.
When a person has a fever, they can hallucinate a little. Either that or she’s totally bored and tired of being sick so she’s trying to amuse hereself.
When my brother had the chicken pox, it looked to me like he had pimples on his stomach. That is what I told my mom and how she discovered it. I said to her “I thought he was to young to have pimples, and why are they on his tummy?” She looked and said “oh crap” probably the only time I ever heard my mom swear in my entire life.
Good luck!
Oh, watching WonderPets here right now, incredibly annoying. Have you seen the one with the puppy, who has to go pee-pee - cracks us up every time ;).
I’m late, and so have nothing to add that hasn’t already been said.
Except that I hope your little ones feel better soon.
I hate WonderPets but my 13 month old loves noggin. When they are on I switch to food network or DIY- he loves them too.
Seeing as how they don’t make a Moose A. Moose doll I had to make one myself. I actually have two larger ones to make for friends kids in time for xmas.
Hope your little ones feel better real soon.
wow, hope the feel better!
1 - the imp was feeling dizzy from the fever. Of course I tend to feel that way most of the time now. But that is from lack of sleep…
2- I would not let the imps out to play until their health improves. The medicine does not actually take the cause of the fever away for the 4 hours it works. It just makes it easier for their bodies to fight the fever.
3. You round up the posse and and we’ll be skinnin’ Wonderpets by sundown!!
We’re a strict non-noggin household (or Dora, or Thomas -something about those ‘eyes on trains’)
I too, have never had Chicken Pox and it haunts me everytime I hear it mentioned. My brother had it a 29 and he was *out* for a month. He looked like he was hit by a truck and an airplan. Imagine what it could do to my 32 year-old self? I don’t want to know.
Hope everybody gets better soon!
Do we all have sick kids this week or what? My son let the spaghetti dinner fly late Tuesday night…he didn’t make it to the bathroom…laundry at midnight..oh joy. And 8 more times to the bathroom to comfort him from midnight to 5:30am. Joyful mothering. Fever on Wednesday, but no arfing…then a head cold came to stay on Thursday. Sigh…hoping life is back to normal by Monday. If my daughter gets it I might have to shoot myself.
Oh - but YOU wanted some advice and here I was WHINING!
I say, let them play outside if they feel up to it. You’ll know when they don’t!
As for adult chicken pox - get to the Dr. and get yourself a vaccine! I never had them as a child and declared myself “naturally immune” to all my friends! The Dr. laughed at me when I told him that at age 31! I’ve heard it’s a nightmare if you do get it as an adult - which surely got me over my needle phobia!
Hang in there - on Thanksgiving you’ll be giving thanks that it was all “last week”!!
While it might just be light headedness(is that a word?) I would say that one time in my childhood I had a feeling that I would describe exactly like your daughter did, and it was the first time I ever had strep throat. Take a look at the kids tonsils for white spots, just in case. Good luck!
My personal idea of hell would be to have to take care of five sick children all at the same time. Gah.
I hope they all get well fast. And I hope you don’t catch any of it.
My first thought is that she just means that sort of dizzy, fuzzy-edged, cotton-wrapped feeling that you can get when you’re sick. BUt she may even be hallucinating a bit if it’s really high - I know my mom says I did as a child, though I freaked out about birds. I would guess the former though.
I”m definitely of the rest and liquids school, myself, but then I’m a lump when I’m sick and kids don’t seem to be slowed down so much, do they? I say with your milder weather it’s probably not that bad to let her play a little bit.
Hey found your blog while surfing on BlogMad. Nice blog!
Your daughter feeling like she is walking on the moon most likely is because of her fever. Fevers can do strange things to a child’s mind. lol
I have a six year old son and it seems that the weirder the songs are that they sing on the cartoons, the more he loves them.lol
Nothing to add here but I do hope for your sake that she feels better now. Btw, I don’t think one red spot is typical for chicken pox, I remember having lots of whiteish spots and my son had tiny red spots all over him with the chicken pox.
I hope your kids are better! It’s Sunday, I’m still in California and I can’t access my usual email. So if you have sent me one about Thanksgiving, I’ll either see it on Tuesday or you can send it again to wendymbg@earthlink.net. For some reason I can get to that box. My supercool niece can’t make it on Thanksgiving. Darn. What about you? Of course you are politely disinvited if you all have a tropical disease.
Sound like you got all the answers you need, but I felt the need to stop and say “Oh, hello there!” anyway.
Albeit with a handkerchief over the keyboard so you don’t get your germies on me. Sending a sanitized smooch your way.
Man, that is cute.
This is going to sound like I am being sarcastic, but I am serious. It’s moments like those that make it “all worth while”
For real though.
Ugh, I can’t stand the Wonderpets, either. It’s worse for us, though, because Cordy now walks around the house singing, “What’s gonna work? Team-work!” Argh!
Hope everyone is feeling better now, though.