What to Do When You Have Two Sick Kids at Home?

Those are two things that are hard not to spread around. My personal opinion is to let them play together. Otherwise you're gonna drive yourself crazy, put more strain on them, and they still probably get sick with the other illness any way.

First, not to scold you, but you really should not put so much info about yourself and children on the web. Someone can now determine where you live because you told them the general vacinity, your childrens' names and their birth dates. You need to be a little more cautious.
When my girls are sick I usually confine them to their rooms and make them rest as much as possible. Sounds a little harsh but they tend to get better faster. Pink eye is a little harder since it is only contagious by touch so she would have a little more freedom. You just have to stick it out.

i can totally sympathize with you ...my three children and my husband had chicken pox all at the same time ...it was a nightmare ...i think my husband was the worst as it's much more difficult when you're an adult ....i was running back and forth until finally i pulled a big mattress in the living room set the kids up with videos ...they were ages 3 , 7 & 8 at the time ...it was much easier to nurse them all being in the same room ....as for my husband i just brought him things he would need and then i shut the door ...lol.... i know that sounds mean but he was driving me crazy ... ...he would call my name every 5 minutes ....just to tell me he didn't feel good ( imagine that )
anyway i read the other bits of advise and i agree with the mom that says let them keep each other company ....more than likely when they're under the same roof they will get what the other has ....and then again they may not ...my mother let me stay right next to my sister when she had the mumps ...she figured i'd get it and get it out of the way ....this was an old school way of thinking i guess, but in any case i never got it and it was the same with my measels .....putting them together will help you nurse them much easier so you won't be running from room to room ...rent a cpl of disney movies bring them some juice ...maybe a few of their favorite toys ....then you can have time to do the other things that keep you busy ...who knows you may even find the time to have a cup of tea or something ....good luck to you and i hope your babies are soon well

i really love this site ...it's just awesome to be able to have so many points of view ....take what you need and leave the rest ....
the very best to you
k.

hate to tell you this but they will probably get what the other has anyway so they can entertain each other instead of driving you crazy trying to keep them apart. Unless you are meticulous since the out break of pink eye (conjunctivitis) your other one may get it as well.....the following is a bit from Ask Dr. Warren regarding pink eye

Hope this helps.
C.

Preventing the Spread of Pink Eye
Dear Dr. Warren: My daughter had pink eye around three days ago, which was treated with neomycin ophthalmic ointment. She responded well, and it has since disappeared. Now my wife and myself have the symptoms that my daughter had, with the exception that my wife has a lot of swelling around her eye (it is swollen shut). Mine is not swollen. Any recommendations on our course of action? Continue with the neomycin, or see an Ophthalmologist. Does this sound as if the pink eye has spread? What can we do to protect our 18 month old, who is asymptomatic?
Thanks, and I love your site.

-MCA

Dear MCA: Under the circumstances, it is likely that you both have conjunctivitis (pink eye) and treatment with the neomycin ointment is appropriate, as long as you are not sensitive or allergic to the medication. You can use cool compresses to help with swelling of the eyelids. If there isn't a good response to medication within a day or two, or there is associated fever or pain, you should see a physician.

The best way to prevent the spread of conjunctivitis is to wash your hands a lot, especially after touching your eye. Even if you dab your eyes with a tissue you will get germs on your hands. You might want to consider using paper towels to dry your hands and your face until the infection is out of your house. Additionally, since you don't have hospital sinks with foot pedals, you will probably want to turn your faucets on and off with your paper towel or wipe the faucet with antiseptic after each use.

I can relate, a few weeks ago I had my two kids( 4yrs and 9mo) sick, one with a cold and the other with pneumonia.

There is a point when the "disease" is no longer contagious. If your daughter is being treated for pink eye, there should be no risk of it being passed on to her sibling. I believe pink eye is most contagious within 24hours of it appearing, not sure, but check with your family doctor. Same should go for the stomach virus. Just make sure they aren't sharing food or eating utensils. But all in all, they should be fine playing with one another as usual.

yea, those doctors charge a lot for even their opinion.

L

I'm not sure about the stomach virus (truth is... everyone in the house probably already has it... just hasn't kicked in yet).. BUT with the Pink Eye.. every time one of mine get it, I automatically treat everyone in the house. I call my pediatrican and she always writes me a rx for everyone (so they don't share med and just keep spreading it). Every single time I've done this, only ONE ever shows the signs. Plus, after being on the drops for 24 hours it is no longer contagious.. And the drops keep for a while and we never use the whole bottle. I just santize the dropper real good, label each bottle with each child's name and any time it comes up... poof... it's taken care of.
Good Luck!

We have four children, so this has happened on many occasions.

Ideally, we try to do the following. In reality, it doesn't always work they way we want it to and illnesses do get "shared" between siblings ( and sometimes parents ).
That's life!

If the symptoms are similar, we isolate the ones who have the same symptoms from the rest of the family. They Must stay in bed ( or their room if they are feeling up to playing quietly). All food, medicine, bathing must be done by the same person-usually MOM- with lots of HANDWASHING done in-between contact with each child.

If the symptoms are different, then we do isolate them from one another - you just have to tell them they can't play with each other untill they are well. Period. Infants just have to stay with mom or in a playpen if they don't understand. Yes, they cry if they cant play with siblings, but this is a wonderful time to take advantage of educational programming on PBS or movies you have or check out from the library for their age level.
Remember the days of quarrantine??? They did that for a reason! We even quarrantine ourselves from outside contact - school, church, playgroups, etc. until the incubation period is over for most viruses. (Plus it allows the kid's immune systems to strengthen.)

Main thing to remember, this too shall pass!