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Original poster

My child threw up in a friend’s car - what to do?

46 replies

Ozgirl75 · 08/01/2021 06:08

My son was taken to a party today in a friend’s car. The party activity made him feel a bit queasy (think action and adventure) and on the way back he said he wasn’t feeling well, they pulled over but he was sick in the car.
I don’t think it was massive as he was still in his t shirt.
The mum was so lovely about it, washed his shorts and, if anything, was apologetic to me!
So if a child was sick in your car, would you expect the mum to offer to have it cleaned? I was going to, but I know she’ll say no! Would you send flowers or something?
We’re pretty friendly and I just want her to know I appreciate how nice she was about it and also acknowledge the hassle of presumably having to have her car cleaned.

OP posts:
Lovemusic33 · 08/01/2021 08:34

I agree with others, tell her you will pay for a mobile valet at her home.

Zimbomama · 08/01/2021 08:41

@JulesPinkTutu ...haha ..had no idea what you were on about. Yes this is the wold wide web ...we are all tuning in! Seriously do you all think we eat turkey and ham ??? Last Christmas it was 44c here ....we always have seafood, it is traditional for us. There is nothing boastful about it. Enjoy your figgy pudding .... how very very eurocentric

LongBlobson · 08/01/2021 09:05

Definitely check how much went in the car - if only a tiny bit I think offer to clean but she'd probably say it's ok. But if it was more and would leave a smell, totally arrange for it to be cleaned properly. Vomit smell in a hot (or cold) car is grim!

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TramaDollface · 08/01/2021 09:27

If I’m totally honest, yes, I’d want it cleaned! IRL is never say so....

Send a voucher!

traces456 · 08/01/2021 09:32

This happened to me, I gave a child a lift to an activity and he was sick on the floor behind the drivers seat, I dropped him off and apologised myself (that my driving had made him ill I guess) the mum offered to clean it up and I said no it's fine, the car was 3 weeks old when this happened, I gave it a good clean myself but it smelt every single day for the whole three years I had that car, it was actually worse in winter than summer for some reason

Babababababybelll · 08/01/2021 09:33

I was in this situation last year !

My daughter for her birthday wanted to go to an indoor theme park 30 minutes drive away.
One friend got car sick on the way there and threw up all over the back seat , another one on the way home and tried to hang out of a window quickly and managed to get it all in the window frame.

We tried to clear a bit of it out in a sainsburys petrol station with wipes ect but the stink on the way home 🤮

We ended up getting it valetd at a cost of £50 in the end , cause of the smell .

I was very surprised that neither parent offered either to put towards the valet , or offer to help clean

We don't often have spare money so i wouldn't have expected them to pay as such , but i would of offered to be helping clean the car the next day at the very least.

I was surprised that it didnt seem the normal thing to do.

GU24Mum · 08/01/2021 09:42

I've got lots of experience of my own sicky children in cars, not always (but mostly) ours.........

If it was just on your son or wipe-down seats and you've offered and been refused, I'd leave it at that. If it went on any sort of cloth seats/floor, I'd be more insistent that I really wanted to pay for it to be cleaned and if then refused, would send flowers.

To the PP, I've been there with mine - driving back on the A303 on a rainy evening, just me and DS - he is a prolific vomiter in cars and I clearly remember drawing up to a roundabout with him being very sick out of the window. Still got lots all over the car and in the gap where the window is. We did the rest of the return journey with the window open for a few minutes til I got too wet from the rain then closed again for a few minutes til the smell was too bad again.

PerveenMistry · 08/01/2021 09:46

Of course you should insist on paying to have it cleaned and detailed.

Baycob · 08/01/2021 09:58

I would think it’s polite to at least offer to pay for a valet. She might even turn you down.

OhioOhioOhio · 08/01/2021 09:59

I'd definitely offer.

longwayoff · 08/01/2021 10:00

Yes, of course you should offer to have it cleaned. Why are you asking?

JulesPinkTutu · 08/01/2021 10:00

[quote Zimbomama]@JulesPinkTutu ...haha ..had no idea what you were on about. Yes this is the wold wide web ...we are all tuning in! Seriously do you all think we eat turkey and ham ??? Last Christmas it was 44c here ....we always have seafood, it is traditional for us. There is nothing boastful about it. Enjoy your figgy pudding .... how very very eurocentric[/quote]
Ha ha, my Aussie friend likes to tell us, how hot it is there, what fun they’re having all time, etc etc, hence the tongue in cheek, stealth boast post 😂😂😇😇😇😇🥶🥶🥶😷😷😷😷

SkylightAndChandelier · 08/01/2021 10:10

Oh god no - I mean, I'd offer, and my friends would probably offer back if it was my child (more likely... DS2 gets travel sick), but we'd all refuse!

If it was a regular occurrence that would be different, but a one off for a birthday party? Stuff happens.

DS threw up on the way to school a couple of months ago (gleefully telling me later that the teacher said if he's been sick he needs to stay home for two days). We pulled over and wetwiped what we could (avoided himself luckily), I sponged it down when I got home and let it air for a couple of days and it's all fine now. Now he has a carrier bag in the pocket in front of him for if the urge hits again.

I was horribly travel sick as a kid, so I have sympathy, and we both take tablets for long journeys/sea crossings, but I'm not going to dose him every day, so he's going to need to be able to cope.

andweallsingalong · 08/01/2021 10:29

Yes, I'd offer.

DD's friend once had an accident in our car and her lovely Mum offered to have it valeted. Luckily she was in a car seat so other than soaking her clothes the wee hadn't got very far so I declined.

DenisetheMenace · 08/01/2021 10:33

This happened in my shiny new car. Poor little boy was mortified. Had to strip him down by the side of the road and wrap him up in the boot liner 😁
His mum sent flowers. Completely unnecessary. If you offer lifts to kids, it happens sometimes and most people are completely understanding. One day it will be their turn.

Montsti · 08/01/2021 11:57

A friends son threw up in my car but she was in it with me. I’m emetophobic and had questioned that he looked a bit ill before getting in but she said he never throws up...he did!!

I was driving on the motorway and couldn’t stop and it was raining so couldn’t have the windows wide open. I was seriously freaking out - was also 6 months pregnant which didn’t help! My son gets queasy in the car so was whining too at how disgusting it was.

Anyway my friend called her husband and he had everything ready when we got to her house. She told me to get out and not look and they cleaned everything...

I could still smell it for weeks afterwards though. This was 6.5 years ago and I hate it if anyone asks me to take their kids anywhere. Seriously my absolute worst nightmare!

Please off to get the car cleaned! Insist!

Lovemusic33 · 08/01/2021 12:38

@Montsti

A friends son threw up in my car but she was in it with me. I’m emetophobic and had questioned that he looked a bit ill before getting in but she said he never throws up...he did!!

I was driving on the motorway and couldn’t stop and it was raining so couldn’t have the windows wide open. I was seriously freaking out - was also 6 months pregnant which didn’t help! My son gets queasy in the car so was whining too at how disgusting it was.

Anyway my friend called her husband and he had everything ready when we got to her house. She told me to get out and not look and they cleaned everything...

I could still smell it for weeks afterwards though. This was 6.5 years ago and I hate it if anyone asks me to take their kids anywhere. Seriously my absolute worst nightmare!

Please off to get the car cleaned! Insist!

This would be my worst nightmare too, I hate people throwing up and probably would have freaked out. I rarely take kids in my car other than my own.
WarmSausageTea · 08/01/2021 12:40

DP’s godson threw up in our car, but we didn’t expect his parents to pay for valeting, or even offer. I can’t remember if they did or not, but they’re good friends, so I genuinely couldn’t care less. It wasn’t much fun to deal with, but he was in our care and was our responsibility.

That said, in your position, I’d offer to pay, and depending on your friend’s circumstances, I’d insist; as your friend, I’d appreciate the offer and decline it.

Dogsaresomucheasier · 08/01/2021 13:15

I would do exactly as you have described! Both as the mother of the puker and the pukee!

LegoAndLolDolls · 08/01/2021 13:20

I think my last car had all four of my kids be sick in 🤢 withmy current car I'm not even sure I would notice now as it's a tip.

I would offer a clean but I wouldnt expect one. A bit of dettol and disinfectant would be enough for me.

However I do think my last car should be incinerated as a bio hazard eventually

DenisetheMenace · 08/01/2021 20:15

LegoandLolDolls

“However I do think my last car should be incinerated as a bio hazard eventually”

You’ll all have fantastic immune systems though 😁

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