How to survive the vomiting bug with kids

1. Take them downstairs.

   Once your child vomits more than once in a short space of time it's likely they have a vomiting bug. If it's during the night, you could consider getting them up out of bed and bring them downstairs on the sofa, you are likely not going to sleep anyway having to get up and down to your child in bed while the poor pet soils every set of bedlinen in sight is not practical.

2. Wash their bedsheets immediately.

   Strip the bed if it is soiled and change your child’s clothes and throw them all in the washing machine and turn it on to very high heat to kill bacteria. This should be done straight away to avoid any germs spreading around and it might save the rest of the family from falling ill. In any case, the smell will turn anyone’s stomach so get them out of the way soon as!

3. Distract them.

   I suggest getting some towels or blankets and a basin and settling your child down for the night on one end of the sofa and you the other, the basin in between you! Grab kitchen towel to mop up any mess and it can be easily thrown away after rather than washing a load of towels. Switch on the T.V if they are very upset (you will be surprised to find that there are 24hour children’s channels, who knew!)

4. Take turns.

   If in a relationship, make a pact with your partner that you do the first few hours and then they take over so you can catch up on the zzzz’s too!

5. Keep them hydrated.

   Through the night keep your child hydrated even though it will probably come back up, it means they won’t start dry reaching if they have fluid in their belly. They may become agitated and upset while vomiting but try to stay calm, rub their back and use a hot water bottle to soothe their belly. Let them sleep when they can and of course take a nap yourself too just keep that basin close by as they will snap up to vomit at any point- so be ready!

6. Reassure them.

   Reassure your child that this is only a bug and it will be gone soon. I know this sounds silly but pets can help too! When our little girl was ill, our dog sat by her side on the couch and she rubbed him, and it calmed her. However, our dog was very worried and stayed awake all night watching over her and when my husband came down at 5am to take over he couldn’t believe how tired our dog looked (sure he too had being up all night!) Having a pet really does help children when they are sick or stressed! Failing that their favourite teddy is also useful or their favourite blanket, but it's hard to try to avoid any vomit getting on them!

7. Clean, clean clean.

   Keep your hands well sanitised and wash down all surfaces with soapy water and disinfectant. These bugs are extremely resilient and spread so easily, so take caution to disinfect to avoid everyone in the house getting the dose. If it happens, be prepared for a few more days of bedlam!

8. Try them with some toast.

   Once your child has stopped vomiting for a period of a few hours and if they are hungry try them with some toast. Fluids are vitally important to hydrate the body afterwards. It might take a few days for your child to resume eating to their usual habits but be patient and don’t force them to eat.