Friday, January 25, 2013

Blister Cold

We live in Massachusetts and lately it has been Blistering COLD!! outside. I am talking about below 0 waking up with the temp being 3 degrees and with a wind chill of 15 makes for -8 degrees!! So imagine being a child who has JRA all I can say is pain, stiffiness. I try to protect as much as any parent, but I do have to work. I keep her heated mattress pad on all night, even thou she wakes in pain and ends up in my bed. I turn the heat up in the house to 74 degrees. I dress her in sweatpants and longsleeve shirts and cozy boots. But most of all a snow suite, yes a snow suite and I know we have no snow right now. It works, she can go outside all bundled up. I bought a winter coat that is warm but made sure it was wind resistance, water as well so if it snows or rains it rolls right off and its not wet. It has fur around her hood so cute. All I can say is its worth the money. Even thou Ava is the only child in the daycare in a snow suite besides the babies I have to remember she is even more fragile.
   Now tring having JRA and sleeping threw the night at 4 years old. In the past 1 1/2years i  have tried every thing in the books and what I have come up with myself. I have learned to give her a nice bath with some bubbles and add little salt rocks to the water lavender. Let her play and soak, next 10 minutes before bed I go and put the heated mattress pad on in her bed. We do our bedtime routine, and I tuck her in with her quilt plus 3 more blankets but when she falls asleep I take them off and leave the quilt. The mattress pad will stay on all night. If I see her sweating I will lower it. In the morning I will turn it up. I have to keep reminding myself even thou we are on a good path right now. I am lucky that the daycare lets her wear her slippers when her feet flare almost every day. Plus her preK, I am thankful for the PT and OT 3times a week. Remember if you live up here in New England we have to protect our Little Ones that have JRA or JA as well. They might look fine, but we still need to bundle them up and preserve them.

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