If you have an older child or children, finding someone else to care for them during bedrest may make bedrest easier on you. Perhaps grandparents can assist or a neighborhood teenager/tween. Some times contacting the local college or high school or place of worship can get you in contact with helpers.
This can be challenging, but try to make the best of the situation. The days/weeks/months you are on bedrest are really just a short period of time in your children’s lives, and in the long run delivering the healthiest babies possible is better for the babies, their older siblings and for you.
· If you have toddlers and no older children, make your bedroom into a giant playpen. Put everything out of reach and shut the door so you do not have to worry about where your child is.
· Watch television, read, play board or video games or just talk
· Make videos together of you and your child(ren) singing or talking
· Have a small ice chest next to your bed packed with the day’s drinks and snacks and keep supplies/toys in a laundry basket near your bed.
· Make a paper chain and have your child take one off for every day
· Keep a roll of paper towels near your bed for spills
· Use an old sheet or blanket as a playtime cover to spare your bedspread
· Let your child play under the covers or Play “I Spy”
· Play “bed-bowling” with paper cups and a small ball
· Play “bed-basketball” by tossing rolled up socks into an empty basket
· Play “bedspread traffic” using small cars to follow the bedspread design
· Go bed fishing using magnets and paper fish with paper clips
· Use a mirror to make faces expressing feelings
· Make hand shadows on the wall with a flashlight
· Work jigsaw puzzles, construct building blocks or play board games
· Play red light-green light with you being the traffic cop
· Cut up magazines and paste them on cardboard for paper dolls
· Get children’s books from the library or download on a tablet and read together
· Use coloring books or play dough
· Trace letters/numbers on your child’s back that they can guess
Did you need to take care of other children? What did you do?
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