Coronavirus Anxiety -What Am I Stockpiling & Why?

No, the answer is not mountains of toilet rolls. Although since we are a larger than average family we get through lots of toilet roll so I always buy those giant packs and now think people are judging me at the checkout.

toilet roll Photo by Anna Franques on Unsplash

In all seriousness though as a parent to an autistic child with food issues I have bought a pile of his favourite foods entirely to alleviate his growing anxiety about Coronavirus.

I know I'm not alone in this. On forums for parents of SEN children there has been a level of panic about what we will do if we can't get hold of the crucial items which make up our children's limited diet. One mum already is having trouble sourcing the brand and shape of pasta which forms the basis of her child's diet.

A note here. To anyone without an autistic child who is thinking:" If they are hungry enough they will eat other foods." No they won't, especially if they are already stressed worrying about COVID-19.

My son is an enigma in that getting him in the shower or to change his underwear or to wash his hands is a battle.  But a speck or a smear on c cutlery of a glass or plate will be enough for him to refuse to eat or drink.

We are trying to limit negative conversations about coronavirus around him but one of the things he worried about was not being able to go shopping for food or supermarkets running out of food.

So yesterday I went to our nearest store and bought multiple packets of barbecue beef Super Noodles, tins of spaghetti hoops with frankfurters in (thankfully they were part of a multi-buy offer) and boxes and boxes of his favourite breakfast cereals.

super noodles, BBQ beef


I also bought flour and passatta and long dated mozzarella balls so I can knock up pizza if for some reason I can't buy either of the two pizza brands and flavours he will tolerate.I also bought tube yoghurts and his favourite ham and froze them and made sure we had a full jar of chocolate spread.

Wandering round the supermarket I noticed lots of empty shelves even half an hour after the store opened. I can see why people panic buy - seeing most of the toilet roll was gone I was tempted to pick up more "just in case."

Luckily I am slightly obsessed with soap in bar form and before COVID-19 was a threat to the UK had bought three back from Cyprus. I have papaya, olive oil and donkey milk soaps. Who knows, donkey milk may prove vital in the fight against the virus.

I read somewhere that soap and hot water are more effective than hand sanitiser agains coronavirus. Something to do with the structure of the virus. That's all the excuse I need to stockpile more gorgeous soap bars.