Games to Entertain a Kiddo While Struggling With a Migraine

A lot of us know what it's like to wake up with a migraine or develop a migraine during the day, but you're fully, 100% responsible for entertaining kiddos (and keeping them safe)!

What do you do?

I know I struggle with this a lot, so I wanted to put together a reference guide for you.

How can you care for your infant?

Most babies under the age of six months just need to be fed, changed, and rocked back to sleep. If you're caring for the baby, feeding is going to be the hardest part. Whatever can wait until later (washing/sterilizing bottle parts, etc.) definitely leave for later. And when your baby sleeps, even if your baby sleeps on you, I highly recommend curling up against the back of the couch or in the center of a large bed where your baby can't go anywhere and you can doze if you need to, or at least keep your eyes closed.

How can you care for your toddler?

The toddler age is hard, in my opinion, because they're always on the move but they can't do anything on their own.

This is where having toys that you can lay on the floor and play with that don't make any noise seem like a win to me. Examples include magnatiles, character sets, stuffed animals/dolls, puzzles if your kiddo is advanced enough, a play kitchen/sink, etc. This way you can lay beside them, not move much, but still be "engaged."

How can you care for your preschooler/kindergartner?

This is the prime stage for games! Here are some of my favorites:

• Whats on my behind? Simply lay on your belly and have your kids put items on your back. Your job is to guess what object they placed there!
• Treasure hunt. Simply hide some "treasures" (anything your kiddo would be excited to find) anywhere in your house. Instead of giving them a map or directions to find the items, you can either send them on a blind hunt, OR you can trace a clue on their back to help direct them to the right room or right spot.
• This is definitely the age where puzzles and even games come in handy to entertain kiddos, and sometimes they dont even have to be in the same room as you are in. Silence - yay!
• Video call/Facetime. By this age, most kids know how to use video calling (pandemic babies, anyone). Simply set them up with a device and tell them who they are allowed to call. This could frankly leave you with a great deal of time - it's been my saving grace! In our house we call it Facetime babysitting.
• Cleaning toys. Give kiddos one bucket with a little soap and water, and a dry towel. Any small toys or characters in your house could probably use a clean up, and this is something you kiddo should be able to do while you either sit quietly and supervise or lay on the couch and close your eyes.

Bigger kids in elementary and middle school seem to be better at this than the little kids, and often require less setup in order to play on their own, especially when they know their parent is not feeling well.

Have you used other tricks to parent with a migraine? I'd love to hear them below!