Being a parent is tough at the best of times, let alone when you’re in the grip of a migraine. How do you cope with looking after children when you’re finding it hard to even look after yourself?
If this nightmare scenario sounds familiar, these tips could really help you.
Know who you can call on
Asking for help is no bad thing. We all need help from time to time, and having a plan in place for when and if a migraine strikes is a key part of being ready.
Identify people who you can call on to help care for your children while you’re not well. It might be a partner, a parent, a trusted friend, or a close neighbour. It could be as little as cooking a meal when you’re not well, or coming over to watch the children while you wait for the pain to pass.
Talking over what you might need and how they can help before the actual migraine hits will makes things so much easier and less stressful when the attack comes.
Have easy dinners ready
Being able to get meals that you don’t have to spend lots of time preparing are a huge plus when you’re in the grip of a migraine attack. These might be home-cooked meals that you make and store in the freezer, or ready-meals, or even just having pre-prepared takeaway orders ready so you just need to click a few buttons to get dinner on the table.
Prepare activities in advance
Books and audiobooks are good activities to keep the children entertained and quiet when you have a migraine. So are puzzles and art kits. Having some new books or jigsaws stored away is a good pre-migraine preparation as they’ll have something new to focus on while you focus on feeling better.
Ask the children to help
Many children thrive when they’re given a little bit of responsibility. Asking them to help you by completing little tasks, and praising them highly when they do them, will help to make you all feel good.
Some things they won’t be able to help with, but there will definitely be some things they can do. For example, if you can’t do the washing up, ask them if they can and challenge them to do it as quietly as possible. That will turn it into a game and make it both fun and helpful!
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