Inside: One day you will get that dreaded sick phone call from your college student. Here are some great ideas for a sick care package so you can send some TLC even if you’re far apart.
“Mommmm, I think I’m sick”…. my daughter’s congested voice croaks over the phone.
It’s the dreaded sick call from your out of town college student.
As if it wasn’t hard enough already sending your babies off into the big wide world, there will come a day when they need you and you can’t be there.
Everybody I know has been getting sick and my college kids are no exception. If anything, they run a bigger risk of getting sick – living with hoards of people in the dorms, staying up late studying, not eating right and burning the candle at both ends.
While it’s a bummer that you can’t be there to make chicken soup or put a cold washcloth on their feverish foreheads, you can send them a little love from home with a sick care package.
Tip: For a cheat-sheet of ways to build a better care package, check out the free 101+ Ideas for Care Packages printable download I created just for you. Want to send a care package just for fun? Check out this finals care package.
Before You Send Your Sick Care Package
Before you send anything, make sure that your college kid has been to their campus health center to be checked out. Thankfully, my daughter’s roommate could see that she wasn’t doing well and walked her over to the health center. Turns out she had the flu. Type B. Not the worst thankfully but it still required a prescription to knock it out fast.
Once you know your student is sick but OK, it’s time to pack them up a little love and TLC with a sick care package.
What To Include in Your Sick Care Package
- Tissues
- Tea – especially the caffeine-free echinacea herbal varieties
- Honey
- Saline Spray
- Cough Drops
- Cold Medicine
- Acetaminophen & Ibuprophen
- Chapstick
- Hand Sanitizer
- Warm Socks
- New Book or Magazine to keep them occupied if they can’t go to class
When You Can’t Send Chicken Soup
My daughter was out of class for a week and at first didn’t even feel well enough to walk over to the dining hall. Thank goodness for food delivery like Uber Eats – we were able to order two quarts of chicken soup from a local restaurant that she could keep in her dorm fridge and eat when she was hungry.
The care package won’t just help your student feel better, it will help your mama-heart feel better knowing you were able to do something for your sick student.
And next time, maybe they won’t argue about getting that flu shot…
What does your child want when they’re sick?
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