What’s your vomit protocol?

[flowagurl]

DS (1) has just been properly sick again. The first time was a few months ago and … I didn’t handle it well.

How does everyone keep calm. Do you hug the sick covered child first then clear up? Is there an order/ any tips. What if you’re out and about?

I just feel so awful. I was knelt on the floor facing him and he started to wretch so I was pushed him onto the floor in an attempt to damage control. He was probably really sad and unwell and I just feel awful I panicked.

Please forgive me but that made me laugh.

I spun DS4 away from me and towards the toilet when he was about to vomit. The sick sprayed in an arc across the floor, up the walls, in every crevice and all over the toilet 🤢 in hindsight I should have hugged him close and showered us both down after!

Definitely

Rule one - always, always take them at face value. On Christmas Eve my perfectly well child announced he felt sick and I humoured him, Oh dear, do you want a bowl then, etc etc - and handed him a bowl only for him
to fill up to the brim with fountains of vomit immediately! No part of me thought he was being serious, I shudder to think what would have happened to the mountains of mid-prep Christmas food around us if I hadn’t given him that bowl!
In terms of positioning I usually put one arm across his chest and the other hand rubbing his back soothingly, to kind of manoeuvre him towards a hard floor if there’s time. Then straight into a warm bath and call dh to keep comforting him while I gather up the soft furnishings as quickly as possible to limit damage! If it happens in the nights it’s action stations, it doesn’t matter what time dh or I need to get up it’s always a code red 2 man job.

there is always a mountain of washing so in the past to cut down I have used cheap puppy pads from Wilko for beds and floor just pop into a bin bag afterwards

Definitely!

Done this while Xmas shopping dd vomited into a bag with Christmas presents in, thankfully it was toys for nieces and nephews so just took out the boxes and wrapped instead.

I came into my DS4 room this morning and he started vomited. I had no time for the bowl so I just rubbed his shoulders, reassured him and asked when he was finished. Then stripped him and offered him a few sips of water. Once he was happier I located the bowl and cleaned up the carpet and stripped the bedding that had also been got. Opened the window too! Dont worry it's natural instinct I think to panic if you arent expecting it!

Protocol? Into the toilet, or a small open bin that is already in the bathroom or bedrooms with a liner in it, so if they tell me they feel sick I place it by their bed.

My 2 have only been sick once, though.

Stick child (if at an age you can easily pick up) in empty bath. Fetch clean clothes, wash down, dress, put in cot or playpen. Go clean up mess. (Obviously if there's 2 of you it's streamlined as one can sort it out whilst other cleans child). If old enough teach to take themselves to the toilet!

Ha ha I felt I had to reply as we’ve had some sort of vomiting bug passing between the kids recently and I’m in the thick of it.

First is damage control - get them away from the hardest thing to clean (off the bed and onto carpet, off carpet onto wooden floor, off sofa to carpet or wooden floor…I’ve had it all recently lol…and I’m quick to move them!!!
Then, put them in bath and clean it off….finally, go back and assess damage/clean up. If hubby is around, he will do bath or cleaning. Kids don’t like being covered in vomit so might be upset at the whole thing anyway, so I aim to be as quick as possible. Hair usually needs washing - that’s a disaster! Lots and lots of cuddles after….And…wait for the next time….I slept one night clutching a plastic bowl in hand while sick toddler slept next to me!

Oh and I keep bicarbonate of soda for the vomit smells - brilliant stuff.

Toddler age try and keep them on a large blanket that can get chucked in the wash if they vomit. Older ages they can try and aim for a tuppaware tub but always lay some large towels under them just in case. If they vom then rub their back, hole hair out of face and say soothing things. Then into into bath if covered in vomit or wipe up / teeth clean if they want it and some sips of something which tastes nice.

@illiterato this reminded me of a 'worse for wear' friend who vomited down his sleeve in a taxi to prevent being charged! 🙈

Blimey this thread is bad for us emetephobes.

Annoyed with myself for reading it.

What a fucking twat!

Sorry your little one is unwell, Hope better soon op

Apart from once in a taxi on the way to the cinema. Sick has nearly always started overnight, mostly in beds occasionally on the bedroom carpet. More recently in the toilet. We kept a sick bucket in the bedroom.

Usually we divide one deals with dc eg fresh clothes and sick bucket or leading them to the bathroom, other with sick on surfaces. Initially everything dumped in the bath, until dc sorted/settled. Then rinse stuff in bath and move to washing machine.

I would never make a kid be sick into a toilet - that makes it even more unpleasant for them. I keep an old washing up bowl ready for such instances, to have by them (and towels for spills). Bleach thoroughly between each time they're sick. Have a wet flannel for their forehead and to clean them up when being sick.

You will know when they're going to be sick because they will suddenly get extremely hot and possibly cry out in tummy pain.

Hold off on water as much as you possibly can. Then only tiny sips to start.

Brat diet once able to eat.

We get it a lot with our two!!

Oh and towels draped around for a few days afterwards on the sofa, in bed and on the bedroom floor - just in case.

I did the same as when I heard the cats make that ‘I’m gonna be sick’ noise, try and move them as far away from any soft furnishing.

Anywhere but the frudge!

Fridge!

Running... actually breaking the world 100m record. I'm emetophobic

A great tip I read once- double or even triple layer your children’s bedding with waterproof mattress covers and normal covers. So if they vomit (or wet the bed), you can take off the soiled sheets and have a fresh set underneath. Because no one wants to change bedsheets at 3am!

DD vomits quite a bit due to her medical condition.
When she was very little we used to have rubber backed picnic rugs over both the bed and sofa, mostly by luck she was sick onto that. We would just hug her as the vomited and then clean up after.
For night time we have a spare duvet ready go in a cover and a sheet to throw on the bed.
As she got old enough to tell us we moved on to having a washing up bowl in most rooms and we could grab that in time, hold it for her and at the same time give her a hug.
Now she is able to grab the bowl herself or bolt to the toilet. And my role now is to hold her hair out of the sick, to clean up after and to fetch an ice pop!

Shout for DH. I am a sympathetic puker so anything vomit related, whether it be child or dog, is his department.

If he's away then the protocol is:
Vicks under the nose for me as smell is a trigger.
Bucket for child, lined with a bin bag and sawdust in the bottom to reduce splashing. Means you can just wrap and bin. Have a second bin on standby in case you need to swap them.
Towels scattered all around the bucket just in case they miss.
Lots of "it's ok darling" while trying to hide my retching.
Any vomit piles covered with lots of kitchen roll and then a bin bag over a hand covered in a rubber glove to scoop up the pile. Concentrate on the smell of vicks and run out of the room to recover in between scoops if needed.
Spray everywhere with varnish foaming spray while gagging.
Chuck the bin bag in the bin outside.
Shout at dh for being away.