William woke up earlier this evening with a stomach bug. Yuck. Sadly, it started with him sweetly asking for me and then...unloading his stomach all over me. This mom gig can sure be hard work sometimes. For some reason, unexpected vomit (is there another kind?) creates a big adreneline rush after dealt with, so I can't sleep right away.
For the record, here are my tips for dealing with the stomach bug:
1. Tag team it. If you have the luxary of another adult. Split the work. One takes the kid, one cleans up the area (sheets, pillows, etc)
2. Shower curtain. William is currently sleeping on the floor next to my bed on an old shower curtain with an old comforter on top. I don't care about either one. But, it protects my carpet and the plastic is easy to wipe clean.
3. Beach towels. There are some old beach towels I hang on to for occasions such as this one. They are spread out to make a pathway to the bathroom.
4. Buckets. I highly recommend two big ice cream pails. We store ours in the laundry room. My personal rule is food bowls should not be doubled up for vomit duty. The ice cream buckets can be washed/bleached/thrown out easily. They are also good for watering outside plants, cleaning and washing cars.
5. Wash it now. It isn't going to be less stinky or less gag making in the morning. I promise.
6. Take it slow and small. Small drinks of water at first. Let it settle. Dry crackers - just a very few. Let it settle. Patience will pay off here by not creating more of a mess to clean up when it comes back up again.
7. Remain calm. Your poor kiddo is sick. They do not need to see you panicking. Do I like vomit covering most of the front of me? No. Tested that one out tonight. Don't like it. But, it doesn't do any good to throw a tantrum. The first priority has to be the sick kid. Be calm. Be loving. If they get more upset, likely they'll either 1)wake other kids for a real fun fest 2) work themselves up enough they throw up again.
8. TV. I limit how much my kids watch TV as well as what they watch. That would be a whole different post, but when they are sick, the TV can be on. I used to worry and try to get through the sickness without my TV's help. Trust me. A stationary vomiting person is much easier to clean up than a running one.
9. Have a spare. A spare set of sheets and an extra waterproof mattress pad cover will make it possible for you to change out the dirty stuff and make the bed up right away again.
10. Explain what to do. After things settle down, make sure you talk things over with the sick child. Make sure they understand what is happening with their body and what you would like them to do if they have to be sick again.
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