Baby
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of American Well.
I’d started writing a post over on tiny sneakers a couple weeks back {and never finished, shocker} about how much easier a toddler is than a baby. I could probably still write write that post, but had I published it before last week I would’ve had to eat my words.
It was spring break and the husband was out of town, meaning no school and the toddler and I were on our own for a week. Doesn’t sound like a big deal, but sometimes a little break and some adult company goes a long way. 
Only, The Kynado decided to throw a wrench in the already off-normal week. He got sick.
What I thought was just allergies {goodness knows we’re all hurting from them this year} rapidly turned into pinkeye and a never-ending toddler plague. Meaning instead of filling our days with parks, projects, potty training, and play, we were stuck inside, mostly glued to the couch.
The second I saw the goop in his eye, I knew what it was. I can only remember having pinkeye once – it was in college {when I wore contacts} and it was dreadful. I knew he’d be super contagious if it was bacterial and he didn’t get on antibiotics soon, but it was nearing after-hours at the ped’s office and he was so miserable I couldn’t imagine dragging him to sit in the waiting room.
Instead I tried out American Well, one of those mobile doctor-on-your-phone apps. You can see doctors or nutritionists from your computer or phone 24-7 and they even take insurance which is cool. I’m not sure I’d do it for every ailment, but definitely for nutrition and definitely for this quick visit that I knew we needed. {I had a coupon code for a free appointment – you can have one too: use SPRING to get a free doc visit {$49} or free nutrition visit {$25}. As long as you register in April, you can use the code for a year – aka wait until you need it.} It’s HIPAA-secure and they can share notes with your regular physician, which is convenient.
We waited maybe three minutes for the family physician I picked to review our files and then she popped up on the screen. It was perfect because my cranky toddler could stay cuddled up in my lap distracted by some random truck song on YouTube on the TV. She quickly confirmed what I’d suspected and sent an Rx to the pharmacy while KB was thoroughly distracted by “doctor on phone! doctor on phone!” He kept trying to grab the phone from me and wanted to keep waving bye-bye after she was gone. Anyways, an hour later he had his drops and woke up almost goop-free. Hooray for quick treatment.
So I should probably still write that post about toddler’s being easier, even if only so I can go back and remind myself that when we’re having a rough day.
Have you ever tried a mobile doc? What are your thoughts? In true toddler fashion, I’m still hearing requests for the “doctor on phone, mommy!”
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of American Well.
Health Info
Back to school, back to school, to prove to dad I’m not a fool…
Yesterday I got a letter in the mail. A letter I’ve been waiting for for the better part of summer.
The back-to-school letter. The one that verifies my son has a spot in preschool and the most important piece of info of all: school starts in September!
This might be the first time ever I’ve been excited for back to school season. Now don’t get me wrong, I hate every second I’m away from my son, but preschool {aka glorified daycare} is the perfection solution for our family. I get time to work and do crazy things like shower and get dressed. You know, things most people do when their kid naps. {Nap is an evil word in this house.} This can better be summed up by this: the summer insanity of trying to fit everything in can end!
But there’s one thing I’m not looking forward to: the surplus of snot. Seriously a day doesn’t go by when I walk past a kid with a runny nose. Sometimes that’s all it is, but most of the time that means colds and viruses get passed around more than the toys do.
In addition, KB has allergies and wheezes, so making sure he doesn’t get sick is going to be extra high on the priority list. When you’re kid’s around other kids there’s no fail proof solution to prevent the spread of germs, but we do what we can.
– Wash hands immediately upon leaving school. {Handsanitizer on the way out.}
– A healthy diet. You probably just laughed out loud if you also have a toddler. Even though feeding time can be battle, KB gets fruits and veggies no matter what. Vitamins and phytochemicals help build a solid foundation for immunity. If you can’t get your kid to eat the good stuff, a kid-friendly vitamin is an alternative.
– Exercise. I don’t really need to worry about this one for Kabes since he never ever stops moving, but I need to make it a priority for myself so I’m not the one bringing sickness into the house.
– Sleep. sleep sleep sleep. The forgotten health holy grail. When you’re trying to cram everything into a single day, sleep often seems like the least important thing to sacrifice. I’m telling you, it’s not. After 8 months of rarely sleeping more than an hour at a time, I can personally attest to that. Before KB learned to sleep I had more colds than I’ve had in the past 5 years at least.
Sleep isn’t just important for adults; it’s just as essential for kids too. KB almost always goes to bed at 7. If he’s realllllllly tired he might go down a little earlier, but for the most part it’s the same time every night. He’s a little unpredictable when it comes to wake up time, but he usually gets a good 10 hour chunk. I know bedtime is bound to become a battle as he gets older, but keeping a consistent bedtime can even help boost brainpower later in life, regardless of the total number of hours slept. Who’d turn that down?!
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Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Church & Dwight via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Church & Dwight.
