We’ve had quite a tough six weeks. Despite all our precautions, my little toddler caught two nasty colds before ending the month with a high temperature and a bizarre seal-like barking cough.

Having a toddler with a cold is a very difficult experience. How can you explain to them that they are going to get better? That taking medicine will help their fever, even though they’re tired and don’t want to drink the orange stuff that tastes ‘yucky’.

The Hunts Post: Louisa Nevard is our Hunts Post columnist.Louisa Nevard is our Hunts Post columnist. (Image: LOUISA NEVARD)

You cuddle them and sooth them as best as you can and put vapour rub all over their chest. They repay you by rubbing their snotty nose all over your top and then snuggling into your arms (but that cuddle makes it all worth it).

As the days and nights blend into one, you comfort them and rock them to sleep and they start to recover - but now it’s your turn.

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My nasty cold stretched beyond a week, a lot more than the two days my son suffered. When I get ill, I do not get time in bed, I still have to cuddle my child as he wakes at 2am every morning and I still have to play Peppa Pig from around 5am on my phone.

This requires me to press ‘Play Next’ every 15 minutes, just so I can get those few hours. I also have to look after a healthy toddler all day when all I want to do is crawl back in bed with my snotty nose, especially after another Covid test (just to make sure).

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Despite all the exhaustion and all of the stress I do love conversing with him as he adds a new word or phrase to his every expanding cute dictionary. ”ego’rus” that’s Stegosaurus to us and “egoland” translates to Legoland.

In a desperate attempt to improve our health I decided to make everyone a vegetarian lunch that didn’t completely revolve around cheese and bread.

I lovingly prepared a chickpea, spinach, wensleydale and raisin salad with spicy dressing. Did everyone like it? No but they liked the bread and so I ended up giving in with the usual cheddar instead.

The Hunts Post: Louisa's healthy saladLouisa's healthy salad (Image: LOUISA NEVARD)