I created this post as part of a campaign by Teva Pharmaceuticals. I received an American Express gift card for participating.
I’m going on like 2 weeks of an on-again-off-again migraine. It’s about the most annoying thing on the planet. I’d pretty much do anything to not be sensitive to light for like 5 minutes and the nausea…But life goes on and I can’t just check-out for a few days to let this pass. Nope, I still have to be mom. And a good mom. So, I came up with 5 Games to Play with Your Toddler When You Have a Migraine. All migraine-friendly and toddler-approved, so you don’t even have to think. Just get out there and do it. Heh.
5 Games to Play with Your Toddler When You Have a Migraine
- Sardines. If you haven’t played this, you should try it, even if you don’t have a migraine. Basically, you turn off all the lights and tell your toddler to hide. Then, you close your eyes and count a little, then go find them. But rather than tagging and running (because that’s not safe inside and you really don’t want to go spend time outside when you have a migraine), you squish-up next to your kiddo in their hiding spot. If you have lots of people, this can be really fun, but even if you just have the two of you, it’s silly and fun.
- Blanket Fort. Yup. Simple, but tons of fun. We did this yesterday and my toddler spent over an hour playing in the fort. And I could hide in it, too, blocking out light and just hanging. Super fun.
- Dress-up. Mostly so mommy can wear sunglasses. Heh.
- Wash-ey Dishes. This can be fun, but like, you don’t want your toddler actually washing dishes. That would be weird, so we play with colored bubbles by just making a sink of water mixed with food coloring then I hand her a squirt bottle. She loves it, I can put my hands in the warm water (which is nice when I have a migraine, kind of relaxing), and, bonus, she’s so occupied, I can enjoy a cup of coffee. Anything to distract me from the too-bright lights.
- Coloring. So, I just like handing colors to my daughter with a blank sheet of paper–she goes to town and I can “color” with her (by which I mean, I can close my eyes and loosely hold a crayon while she chitters and has fun. If she notices I’m not doing anything, I can scribble a little and we’re back to having fun. Heh.
I wish I knew what set-off my migraines. There can be so many triggers. But no one stands out for what might have caught me this time. Maybe, if I could pinpoint it, though, I could figure out how to avoid a migraine the next time.
For more information regarding migraines and how awful they can be, I mean, how you can dig yourself out of one, check out MoreToMigraine.com.