Tummy bug - how to make sure it doesnt return?

[Mamabear12]

We are in the midst of a bad tummy bug. It went from my 16 months old son to my daughter who is 3 and now me...my daughter is currently still fighting it and its be 6 days! ARGH I also have a vomit phobia, so I am in the WORST situation. Its mainly been watery stools. But my daughter threw up in our bed last night, after just having 5 days of watery stools and no vomitting. My question is, because I have read about getting reinfected by the same virus, and dont want my husband to get it...how do I prevent this?

I have cleaned toilets w bleach, used antibac spray to clean surfaces, antibac wipes and sprays. I cleaned light switches, a few toys, door knobs, cleaned the bath. Changed sheets etc. Washed on 90 degrees. I am super paranoid and wash my hands like 20 + times a day! I use antibac gel on my daughters hands bc she is not keen to wash in the sink.

This is so frustrating and stressful for me! And obviously, I do not like the family (myself included) being sick! Its my worst nightmare.

Please help! Am I doing everything I can? How long do these things last?? Its already been 6 days for her now!

anyone?

For antibac gel to be effective it needs to be used on clean hands, you need to get your daughter to wash her hands.

I hope the bug leaves you all soon.

Thanks, I thought you could use it to kill germs on hands?? Whats the point of it if you must clean hands first? Good thing I have gotten her to wash hands more now. I have been cleaning the house a lot now...getting a little OCD about it, so will try to calm it down.

It's because it does not easily penetrate any soiling that may be present on the skin already so it does kill germs but the skin needs to be clean for it to work at it's best. Children don't really ever wash their hands thoroughly, most of us don't, so those gels are useful as an extra tool for hand hygiene and they are certainly better than nothing but don't rely on them to kill germs on their own without washing hands first.

Antibacterial hand gel doesn't kill norovirus.

I think it just is really hard to avoid it spreading between family members though! I know a friend of mine with four kids swears by having an isolation zone, but in a smaller house that isn't always possible.

Washing hands and immediately washing sheets etc (60 degrees is high enough) is all good, but don't expect to keep it fully contained, it just doesn't happen.