Sometimes, the stress of my work day begins with a cough. No matter what you do to instruct on covering their mouths, grabbing a tissue, spraying down the playroom repeatedly with Lysol, misting essential oils into the air, washing hands multiple times, washing toys and naptime bedding, the germs are everywhere. Because kids still lick their hands and touch doors and toys and other children. It is inevitable that whatever the cause of the cough will spread and I will get it too. I am currently fighting something and seem to always be fighting something. I... one who didn't call in sick to work with even the slightest cold for eleven years before opening this day care. I feel the stress weighing heavy on my back when coughing won't stop from little mouths and noses. I wipe noses all day long. And it's not just during the winter. It seems all year long. Which I know all of this is just part of the job... I'm just here to share... the stress not the germs. I don't keep cough medicine on hand for these kids. If a parent doesn't supply what they want their kids to have I just have to put up with it. But cough medicine could suppress the cough enough to keep the germs from spread through coughing right? The only thing I have is cough drops and an oil diffuser. I constantly find myself strongly advising kids to cover their coughs.
The oils I diffuse are from DoTerra. I use a mixture of water, Breathe and On Guard. I also have an On Guard spray that I will spray things down with to kill germs. When the oils diffuse into the air it really does seem to help. Especially at naptime when persistent coughing is keeping everyone awake and me from getting a break during my eleven hour work day.
I have come across a couple of good looking things lately. The first one makes total sense to me, mainly by judging what the kids eat sometimes and observing the severity of their coughing after. You think I could make them a bamboo shoot pizza instead of broccoli pizza?? Maybe garlic and grapefruit jello for dessert?
And a good post about making your own tonics and tinctures to stay healthy.
Here is an easy and interesting link to...
I only wish I could find the one thing that would help me to not catch what they are carrying... me and every other day care worker in the world. I know that not all of my ailments come from my kids here and I could just as easily pick them up from the grocery or library and bring them here. It is just a vicious place for germs to live and spread when toys are in mouths and coughs go uncovered. Thanks for listening at any rate.
