Please tell me your sick bug protocol!

[ClemFandango1]

Dd1 seems to be frequently bringing home sick bugs. Ds8 never did, and is turning into an emetophobe because of it.

What's your best sick bug protocol to prevent spread?
What products do I need to have in in advance?

Please be really descriptive! I have never understood what people mean when they say 'i bleached it' (did you use bleach neat? How did you do it?).

People often forget poo/sick particles can be transmitted via the air so ventilation really important and giving each other lots of space if possible. If your daughter is always bringing bugs home, double check her hand washing and perhaps look at her diet to include prebiotics and probiotics to make her less prone, otherwise it becomes a vicious circle.

I put a plastic bag in the bowl/bucket/bin. Then when they are sick, remove bag, tie a knot, place in another bag and throw it in the outside bin.

I have a bowl or bin lined with a bag in each bedroom as a permanent feature, everyone knows where they are!

Absolutely love this idea for a thread btw!

This is genius!!

Both my children have (still have even though they are teens) a plastic bin as their normal waste bin. They were told to be sick in those (even if there was rubbish already in them) rather than sit in bed and panic or worse still try to run to the bathroom.

once the bin has been sicked in I clean it out (process depends on whether it was empty to start with!) I then line it with a carrier bag for the next episode…..

re the bleach, I wouldn’t use it undiluted on door handles etc as I wouldn’t want it on people’s hands and possibly clothes. I would use it diluted though, a good squirt in a bucket of water. Go round and wipe all handles and switches, every tap in the house. Antibacterial wipe on phones, gadgets, iPads, remotes and keep doing these as kids are still likely to use them.

Very light diet until you are sure they are over it. White toast, cream crackers, rich tea biscuits. Squash or water unless still having breast milk (or formula if under 1)

separate bathroom if you have one, otherwise definitely separate towels and keep cleaning the taps and flush plus the whole loo, keep windows open in there.

Emetophobe here so have it down to a fine art.

1. Prevention

I am SUPER stringent about hand hygiene. Hands get gelled after every shop, first thing done whenever we come in from anywhere is hands washed with soap. Before every meal and before prepping food. Hand towels are kept very separate from tea towels, dish cloth changed daily. Probiotics and vitamins every day and thieves roller daily (immune boosting). I also avoid anyone who had had a vomiting bug for a full 48 hrs afterwards.

1. Preventing the spread

Disposable sick bowls are your friend. Kept beside the bed and in easy reach. Empty down the toilet, place in bin bag. Antibac spray the toilet, pour bleach down and clean. Clean taps and obviously wash hands v well. I often use gloves but you have to remember that that is no substitute for hand washing.

Duvet stripped, placed in washing machine on hot wash with Dettol.

All touch points in the house regularly cleaned. Hand washed more than normal.

Oh, and always, always, always keep toothbrushes covered or flush with the toilet seat down.

Some brilliant advice here! Just to add, wash or soak stained bedding / clothes on a low (30-40) temp to start with as a high temperature will seal in the stain.

I always keep a bowl in each bathroom in case of attacks and it's a both-ends-at-once job.

I use kitchen spray-with-bleach on paper towel and wipe down every handle and light switch and banister, etc that could have been touched in the hour or so preceding the first symptoms. Try to keep the sufferer in one room and bathroom and wipe everything with bleachy paper after each visit.

The bowl I sluice into the toilet, rinse with water and sluice again, then spray with the bleach spray and either wipe dryish ready for the next 'go', or if it seems to be over, leave it for a few hours then rinse and dry.

If I know there's a sickness bug going round, and I wake feeling nauseous, I wrap up and take a book into the bathroom, so there's no sprint needed. I encourage older DC to do the same.

And, most importantly, DON'T EAT CARROTS when there's an outbreak locally!

The only thing I haven't seen mentioned in the thread is new toothbrushes. We always replace toothbrushes once the sickness has cleared up as you can't bleach them and they've been in your mouth brushing away vomit.

Fill from bath tap/shower and empty down the toilet to rinse, wipe with toilet roll. At the end I run it through a hot wash in an otherwise empty dishwasher to sterilise it (or with the kitchen bin lid and other manky stuff like that)

Emetophobe here, and have never caught a sick bug from my kids since starting the following regime:

Never, ever touch your face, eyes, mouth etc, when there's one in the house, use a knife and fork for all food, and yes I am the sad git who has eaten a packet of crisps with cutlery

These are viruses so they spread like any other virus, not only through vomit and faeces. If you don’t catch it it could be that you already had it or that you are asymptomatic, it doesn’t prove at all that dousing everything in bleach is helpful. I would think that some of these precautions would be more rather than less likely to accentuate a developing phobia tbh.

We use Sterizar here. Use it on door handles, light and lamp switches, remote controls, taps etc.

We have large muslins and towels dedicated for illness. As well as dedicated old washing up basins.

Sick child sleeps in living room as its easier to clean

Sick basin is emptied down the loo and washed in the shower.

I am a lifelong emetophobe (have had therapy which helped a little) so usually DP deals with the actual vomit but obviously it doesn't always work like that

We use electric toothbrushes so the heads are expensive (we replace if they are nearly due to be replaced) otherwise we boil them in a mug with water from the kettle.

Heaps of anti bac spray over anything the sicky has touched (toilet/switches/everything!)and anywhere near they have been sick. They are quarantined to the couch with only me going near them. Gloves on before touching anything.
Doing this I've managed to stop it spreading beyond patient zero several times.

You can put them in Milton

My 'sick bug protocol' is to place the sick bug in a matchbox with some cotton wool, leaving the box partly open with the bug's head out. Sometimes I give it a half a paracetamol to nibble on.

Cleaning the toothbrush never occurred to me! Milton - great idea.

Each child has their own sick bowl. How organised am I 😂 they are just cheap plastic mixing bowls from Wilko. After they've vomited I always disinfect the bowl and wash hands.

I don't use bleach, just wipe taps, light switches and door handles etc with disinfectant.

Bedsheets and clothes get washed with laundry cleanser - you can use the dettol one, or napisan. There is another nappy cleanser available too but can't remember the name of it.

Wow. Just wow. I've never done any of this and we all seem to have survived. DD has never actually physically vomited. Ever. I can't remember the last time I vomited... probably due to excess alcohol a few years ago (when I was out of practise!).

Do you ever consider that this cleaning behaviour is creating a weaker immune system in your kids? This amount of vomiting can't be normal?

I've got three children and between them all we've experienced around 5 tummy bugs this winter. So yes it's good to be prepared.

How old is your DD?

Before answering your question - how old is your child?

Also, if your child has never vomited then you would obviously have no need to have ever done any of this? People are only talking about their post vomit clean ups to avoid spread to everyone else.

We've had loads of tummy bugs. My daughter once vomited 6 times in one year. My son probably has 3 times in the last year - 2 of those times it was non stop for 48 hrs. Since having kids 10 yrs ago we've had norovirus in the house at least 3 times. I now have 4 sick buckets to hand at all times in the cupboard on the landing.

Just because you haven't experienced it and don't have a protocol doesn't mean others are weird!

Both my kids at primary school, DH and I both work in jobs where we are likely to come into contact with a lot of germs. Kids have always fallen ill first though and we have only caught something from them a few times over the last decade. Maybe we have been unlucky. It feels that way sometimes!

Currently in hospital with DS with noro and this really made me smile - a bit of light relief as I'm living the reality of this. I've brought a bottle of bleach in with me. Please don't criticise this. I'm too tired to fight

Make your child's bed up with a double layer of sheets if they are feeling ill so if they are sick in the night you can whip off the dirty sheets and not faff around too much with replacing them.

Pack kids bedding away inside a pillow case so it's easy to grab and remake beds - honestly this one is useful for everyday.

Dettol. Dettol the shit out of everything. Also, gloves. Use disposable gloves when handling sicky things.

Encourage them to rest and sleep.