Maybe I’m just impatient, but after an hour or two of that numb, tingling feeling, I’d had enough.
Funny, I was the total opposite with my kid’s surgery. I was glued to the freezer swapping out ice packs every 20 minutes—probably overdoing it, but I was so worried about swelling. Even if it felt a bit numb and annoying, I just kept thinking about those horror stories of chipmunk cheeks. Warm compresses did help later, but in those first couple days, I just couldn’t let go of the “official” advice. Maybe I’m just too anxious, but I needed to feel like I was doing something.
And yeah, the food thing… my child refused pudding too. Applesauce and those drinkable yogurts were our go-tos, though even those got old fast. I wish there were more “normal” soft foods that didn’t feel like sick-day meals.
I totally get that urge to do something—especially when it’s your kid and you’re just trying to keep things under control. I remember feeling almost powerless after my own wisdom teeth came out, and ice packs felt like the only tool I had. It’s interesting how different everyone’s tolerance is for that numbness. Honestly, I probably overdid the ice too, but it did seem to help with swelling in my case. The food part was rough for me as well—mashed potatoes were my saving grace, but even those got boring fast. Did you find anything your child would actually enjoy eating after the first couple days?
Pudding was the surprise winner at our house—vanilla, not chocolate, because my kid was convinced chocolate would somehow sting. Honestly, after the first couple days, they got tired of anything mushy. We tried scrambled eggs, but those didn’t go over well. Applesauce was hit or miss. What finally worked was those little smoothie pouches for toddlers… not exactly a gourmet meal, but at least it was something different.
I totally get what you mean about the ice packs. My kid was all about them at first, but then started complaining about how cold it was and just wanted to be left alone. I started to wonder if I was being too pushy about it, but the swelling did seem to go down faster than when I had mine out years ago.
Did anyone else’s kid get super cranky from not being able to eat their favorite snacks? Ours kept asking for chips, which was obviously a no-go. Curious if anyone found a creative snack that felt “normal” but was still safe?
Ice packs were a lifesaver for me too, but yeah, after a while I just wanted to ditch them. My go-to snack was overcooked pasta with a little butter—sounds weird, but it felt closer to “real food” than pudding or applesauce. Chips were off limits for ages... the cravings were real.
Totally get where you're coming from—my kid was so over the ice packs after day two. The pasta idea is genius, wish we'd thought of that sooner. We stuck to mashed potatoes and yogurt mostly, but I remember how much they missed crunchy stuff... chips were basically a forbidden treasure for weeks. It does get better, promise.
