Can you actually stop sick bugs from spreading?

[SinkGirl]

How is it that toddlers always get sick at the worst possible time? Like 30 minutes in to a long nursery day, where you’ve paid for extra hours because you’re a blink away from nervous exhaustion?

Anyway, can I stop us all from getting sick? This morning he puked on the sofa and the rug - the sofa covers I can wash but the rug I’ve just had to scrub with disinfectant.

Using alcohol hand gel etc but we are doomed aren’t we? I will never forget the norovirus week of 2018 - holding puking twins over the bath while I puked in the toilet. Please don’t let it be that again!

Sickness bugs are normally contagious before any symptoms so it may be too late. Sorry op but apart from disinfecting regularly, hand washing and putting things on hot washes I don't think you can stop it

Us lot had the norovirus in March, it was hell so you have my sympathy

Alcohol gel isn’t effective on noro virus and it’s partly airborne due to aerosols of sick and vomit so you are probably doomed.

We've just had it too.
My worst though was Christmas 2016.
Extended family all vomiting in holiday cottage. No spare bedding, Christmas eve night. The worst Christmas day ever!

Oh I’m sorry everyone - solidarity!

DT1 has now started too (I heroically caught the sick with my head and chest so either way I’m now fucked).

Have just taken an anti-emetic in the hope that I can at least delay mine until they’re over the worst.

What’s weird is that DT2 threw up on Friday, just the once, so who knows if that was related.

It’s fucking horrible
And the twisted cruelty of being so sick you pray for death, whilst trying to manage multiple small hurling children.
I’ve got no answers, I will say that I’ve been immune to puking bugs for four years in a row now (youngest is six).
That’s all I’ve got.
Sorry.

When it hits my house my anxiety goes into overdrive. But I wash hands a lot, keep towels separate for everyone, and I bleach all commonly touched surfaces like door handles and bannisters. Keep drinking cups separate. Sit children on towels in the sofa to try and catch it if it happens. Also towels on beds just in case. I also have gloves and kitchen roll, and bags and a bucket upstairs for midnight disasters. Oh and make sure there is hot water before you go to bed. Nothing worse than trying to bathe a vomit covered child in cold water at 2am. Good luck!!!

It is possible, lots of handwashing, wipe down door knobs, got wash towels etc as soon as they are used.

I just hope it’s not norovirus and is some other puking bug. To be fair, when we had that last year, once the twins started puking they didn’t stop, DT2 puked every 15 mins for four hours, and then it slowed down but we were all sick for 48 hours and I couldn’t eat for five days. Please don’t be like that.

DH has just sheepishly informed me hes felt sick all day so looks like I’ll be the nurse this evening - lets hope mine doesn’t start til tomorrow. I’d much prefer staggered sick days!

And of course for extra fun DT2 has a condition which means hypoglycaemia if he doesn’t eat every couple of hours so now I’m trying to ply him with glucose drinks in the hope he doesn’t drop before the bug passes.

I’m in for a long night I think!

Poor you. The good thing as they get older (3 ish) is that they at least puke in a bowl. I stick them on lounge floor with tv, bowls on rotation and me on sofa. We stay there the night.

As lillybug said, I go into overdrive.
I wipe door handles, taps, remote controls , phone screens, toilets inc flush button with weak solution of bleach and so far ( touching wood) I’ve seen ds 19 and ds 12 through sick bugs with nobody else but the person having it .

The sick bugs aren’t always norovirus. JT can be rotavirus (?) which kids get but adults are immune to generally as they had them as kids.

Best thing is to just maintain hygiene. I always have millions of runners gloves around and bleach for cleaning.

The Noroviruses become airborne when someone pukes near you though so no amount of hygiene can save you.
It does get easier and better when they’re older.
Fingers crossed for a nice, staggered 4-day incubation one.

We always use a separate tool for anyone who has a bug, was advised this by a doctor once. Good hand washing obviously ,bleaching or disinfecting bathroom etc and use an an antiviral hand foam.

I’ll do my best but I’m not hopeful! They had the rotavirus vaccine as babies but I’m not sure how long that lasts.

They are 3 now but both autistic and non verbal / no understanding so sadly we are still at the “rush them away from soft furnishings and try to catch the puke with your own body stage”. Never thought I’d manage that before I had kids!

Aww you poor fucking bastard.
As said before, no useful advice (it’s all faffing around the edges of a sinkhole in these sitches)
I’m sure you’ve got easily changed/washed bedclothes etc.
Solidarity, and I really fucking hope you don’t get it!

Thanks Sleight, and everyone.

Not being able to have a sick day when you are sick is the absolute worst part of parenting IMO - add in twin puking toddlers and it’s always going to be hell.

Positive thinking - I’ll be fine! I won’t get sick! If it is norovirus I lost 8lb last time...!

😬

I escape the worst of it usually. Fingers crossed for you.

Thanks all. It’s been awful here but so far DH and I haven’t been sick (touch wood). DT2 hasn’t been sick since early hours of Tuesday and managed to eat some yesterday but still woke up with a blood sugar level of 2.7 this morning which is very bad - now trying to coerce him into eating and plying him with treatment to see if we can avoid hospital today.

Sickness bugs are the worst. Unmumsnetty hugs to anyone dealing with one!

Ah sinkgirl at least you have managed to avoid it so far!! Good luck for today