Cabin Fever Setting In? Here's How to Cope

Cabin fever set like a jalapeno Jell-O mold this past week. The boys are bickering, fuses are shortening, and the daily sofa-sparring is starting to frighteningly resemble a UFC match.

The last few weeks of winter always seem to be the most difficult for little kids. Yesterday, when the temperature soared above a whole 40-degrees, my 4-year-old said it was “hot” out and asked if we could go to the pool. And I know he's not the only one in the neighborhood feeling the effects of cabin fever.

From coloring to rearranging dresser drawers, my friend Barb Mazarakos is struggling to come up with creative ways to keep her kids occupied in the house.

“We have played with so much Play-Doh I am picking crusty clumps of it out of my carpet on a daily basis,” she said. With a 2-year old and a 5-week old, Mazarakos has had more than her share of staying inside this winter.

“We've taken to going for drives to get the car washed or take magazine subscription slips to the post office just so we can get out of the house without dragging the baby through the cold,” the Tinley Park mom said. “I am dreaming of warmer weather with trips to the zoo, picnics and running around outside to expend some toddler energy.”

I so look forward to the first time this year I won't have to stuff the kids into coats and boots before stuffing them into car seats for every little trip. Though staying in might have gotten old months ago, there are at least a few ways to keep moods from going stale.

“One of the things that I do with my 3-year-old son is to bring the outdoor activities inside,” said Tippi Graham of New Lenox. “We just set up 'camp' in our family room. We have a small tent set up by the fireplace, a lantern and sleeping bags and watch Scooby-Doo Camp Scare while lying in our tent.”

In February, I like to pick a room to redo, because at my painting pace, it typically doesn't get put back together until March. The kids enjoy the change and I let them “help” pick out the new color. It keeps our minds off spring anticipation, and at least provides us with “new” walls to look at, since we spend so much time within them.

Graham also mentioned the Kidswork Children's Museum in Frankfort as a place to visit for indoor play when the weather's bad. At Kidswork, children can play with all the Legos they want and mom doesn't have to feel guilty later when she vacuums them up, like I do.

But as long as it's not absolutely frigid, there's no reason to stay inside all the time, even with younger children, and even when mom is convinced she belongs on a tropical island, like I am.

“Sure, you have to bundle up a bit, but both me and my little guy like to hike the trails around the Pilcher Park Nature Center and then go visit the animals,” Graham said. “The best part is that it is free, outdoor play, and no matter what the weather is, that's an essential part of a child's development.”