We are creating awareness for fostering during the Fostering Networks Foster Care Fortnight campaign. We want to share the great work that all our foster carers do day in and day out to help provide loving and caring homes for the countries most vulnerable children and young people.
Our foster carers this year have been faced with having to adapt to caring for these children through very difficult times. Our foster carer Gareth has shared his helpful tips of fostering during coronavirus.
Start your fostering journey today
We want to thank all foster carers for the amazing work that they do.
- Build some structure.
For kids like mine, a lack of routine is a huge red flag. For the rest of us, we can cope with change or lack of routine, but not normally for too long. Decide what time you’ll wake up. Stick to a bedtime. Eat 3 meals a day. Build yourself a new routine.
- Set a timer.
Set a timer for an hour and go do something. When the timer is up go do something else. When you take out meals, showers/baths, a daily walk, and a bit of TV before bed, there aren’t many one hour blocks in each day.
- Spend time apart.
Whilst we’re on the timer… with 3 kids, I also use it as a chance to give them time apart (so one kid can go watch TV in the playroom for an hour while the other two play in the garden, etc.).
- Eat well.
Eat as well as you possibly can. This doesn’t mean no treats. It means eating fresh, home-cooked meals as often as possible. Batch-cooking also allows you to keep some quality meals back for tougher days when you can’t face cooking.
- Get good sleep.
Eating well fuels this perfectly. It’s tough with kids (I know). If you eat well and sleep well, life becomes easier.
- Limit news, social media, and gaming.
And how do you sleep well? Beyond what you feed your body, think about what you feed your mind. Some things are only good for us in small doses. Some things are just bad for us. (The timer can help here too).
- Exercise
It’s no secret that a bit of exercise can help us all. Aside from instantly feeling better, you’ll sleep better, and you’ll be more likely to eat better.
- Get outside.
If possible, exercise outside. That might’ve been a bit embarrassing before, but the social rules have changed. Already done your exercise (or, like me, still recovering from yesterday’s!), have a cuppa in the garden (natural morning light is best for minds/bodies).
