Pillow protectors from trash bags...

As we head into cold & flu season, I start preparing the “fort”…so when it happens to us, we are prepared.  I make sure I have the medicines and cleaner in the event my children, or us (the parents) surprise us with an illness and we “hibernate” at home in recovery-- barricading ourselves from everyone so we won’t share the germs.  (I HATE errands with a sick child, or while feeling miserable myself.)

It seems my children always surprise me in the middle of the night.  (It rarely dawns on them in the middle of the day that they are “sick”.)  Most of the time, I wake to “Mooooom…..I puked.”  I only find out later WHERE.  I have advised my children that the BEST place to vomit is in the toilet.  BUT the 2^nd best place to puke is ON their BED.  Yes.  You heard that right.  I bought plastic mattress covers at Wal-Mart many years ago, and it has saved my mattresses countless number of times.   (In fact, NO puke has ever touched their mattresses….or pee when they were potty training, for that matter!)   There are 2 different kinds.  I prefer the ALL-encompassing zipper kind.  This makes for easy cleaning and sanitizing with 409 and putting fresh sheets on in the middle of the night and then put the sick child back into bed within 5 minutes of their vomiting.  I prewash the sheets, throw them into the washing machine and head back to bed myself, all in less than 20 minutes.  (Plus, when the mattress covers rip...and box tape won't "repair" them anymore,...you can flip them over and enjoy months MORE of the plastic covering  before having to buy a new one!)

When we 1^st learned this trick—it was great UNLESS the puke hit the pillow—then we had to throw it away.  After throwing away  3 pillows, we invested in covering them in plastic too.  They sell these at Wal-Mart—but we have devised a homemade way to do the same thing that is much cheaper and more durable as it doesn’t “pop” because there is the ability to contract and expand.

The Homemade Pillow Protector Recipe:

1.       Insert your standard size pillow into 1 plastic kitchen garbage bag.

2.       Fold down the top.
3.       Use Box Tape to tape the top edge of the garbage bag down over the pillow. 

Tip: Using 3 strips instead of one long piece of box tape allows for air to enter and escape the encasing.  (Do not cover the entire edge...you want to allow air to go in and out! If you do cover the entire opening, you'll be creating a "balloon" type situation.  When your child puts their head down, your "protection" might POP!)

Here's the FINAL look...
I love knowing that IF they get sick, my child can still go back to bed with a nice CLEAN pillow with a brand new pillow case in under 5 minutes!

Happy Stretching Pennies…

PS  Remember this plastic covering idea can help you in making potty training during the night more bearable….and cheaper.