Your Sick Child's Daily Care Record

Today’s blog has a simple but extremely valuable resource for every parent or caretaker of children. I’ve created a free printable Sick Child’s Daily Care Record to keep track of medications and symptoms for when our little ones are sick.

As a mom and foster mom to medically fragile children, I’ve cared for many sick children over the years and been to so many doctor’s appointments with babies and children in my arms. It’s stressful!

I can’t tell you the number of times a doctor has sat down in front of me and asked, “So, how long has he been sick?” and in my sleep-deprived fatigue, it’s as if all the intelligence suddenly flies out of my head.

I have no idea what day today is, let alone how long the symptoms have been going on.

This printable has a place for keeping track of when medications are given. If you have multiple caregivers (mom, dad, grandparents, babysitter), this is great. I know this can all be done digitally, but in real life we tend to just leave little post-it notes on the kitchen counter, which get lost. This record works much better, and can be taken to a doctor’s appointment or clipped to the refrigerator.

We’ve also learned that it’s really important to keep track of illnesses to recognize patterns, so I suggest keeping these sheets tucked in a folder for awhile even after the illness passes. Some of our little ones have had recurrent ear infections that required ear tubes and the specialist needed to see a record of how many ear infections and the required antibiotics.

Sometimes as a mom I suspect something isn’t right but I can’t put my finger on why. Keeping track of symptoms helps explain to a doctor why I know something underlying is going on with a child.

For our most sick and medically fragile children, we keep medical records due to our foster care requirements or my work as a CNA (Certified Nurses Assistant). I know some of my readers do the same for their children. God bless the parents who are caring for these special children who require such extra tender care! This printable is a more basic record, yet still extremely useful.

Get this FREE printable as part of the Smart Parenting Hacks printable kit. Download now: