How to Survive: A Sickness Bug

As a parent I’ve come to realise we are definitely not immune to catching our children’s cold or bugs. Over the last two years I think I’ve had more colds and nasty tummy bugs than I’ve ever had in my adult life. It still shocks me how once the bug has hit, it takes us down one by one. Luckily we’ve always managed to time it so either one parent is just getting over it as the other was rushing to the toilet. Children can seem fine one minute then all of sudden, bang they are totally different and not them selves.

High temps

Nurse Peppa

Peppa Meds

Over the weekend, Phoebe seemed to be loosing her appetite which is always a worry for me as she’s such a good eater, it normally means she cutting teeth or getting poorly. She has been teething for the last month or so with her molars so I just figured it was that. On Sunday she didn’t even attempted to pick up a single piece of her tapas style lunch, (her favourite) which is when I knew something was wrong. I went to get her some water for the kitchen, I heard her coughing then nothing…I just had this strong mothers instinct something wasn’t right. As I ran in she was mid vomit, I quickly got her out of the high chair and encouraged her to cough as she couldn’t get it out, she was so scared and in shock which in turn almost made me panic but I stayed calmed even with sick all in my hair (well everywhere) and after sicky cuddles got her changed, had a little play as she seemed okay, then she went for her afternoon nap. Not long after she woke up, she was of course sick again, much worse this time and she was very shaken up by the whole affair.

Daddy pig suggested some quiet time and snuggles on the sofa with a Sunday film ( cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2) which worked perfectly as Phoebe was tired and clingy. Surprisingly she managed to sit through most of it and half way through asked for food, so we gave her a small amount of pasty (at her request) did an early bath and bed. At around 10:30pm she started to stir and cough, daddy pig had just gone to bed so ran in and as soon as he took her out of the cot, boom more sick.

Earlier in the day, I had already dug out all the spare (stained/frayed/old) towels, sheets and pillow cases so when the midnight sickness stuck I would be prepared and not fumbling around searching getting annoyed that I couldn’t find them. The prep worked, and so did the tag team parenting, me on clean up (again) and daddy pig comforting and started to change her. She came in bed with us, and even though I knew it wouldn’t be the best nights sleep for us, I felt safe knowing Phoebe would settle and manage some sleep, and that’s the main thing.

Here are my Top Tips for surviving a tummy bug

• Making sure you are all drinking plenty of water, but hold off giving children water until  10-15 minutes after they have been sick, as it might make them sick straight away.

• Clean dummies and comforters , you have to find the pesky things first!

• Disinfect as much as you can, don’t let the germs spread. I find stocking up on wipes, easy and time effective, plus right into the bin.

• Open all the windows in the house, including the little ones bedroom (close about 15 minutes before)

• Stock up laundry liquid/powder whatever you use, as the washing build up will happen and its better to be prepared. I found out the hard way, just enough for one load, mummy error.

• Take all the extra bedding out before the nap, or bed time routine, saves time and energy when your in the middle of frequent vomit sessions throughout the night. I also suggest getting our a spare set of linen for your own bed, as they might end up in bed with you.

• Have plenty of clothes ready to change a sick, tired toddler into. Again this goes for yourself, as most of it will end up on you anyway.

• Washing your hands, especially after nappy changes/bum wiping. I get Phoebe involved with this one, as its fun and good to get them into the habit.

• Add Napisan to your wash helping to shift those nasty sicky stains. It also works if you dampen the area, add a small amount then let it soak before adding it into the load or overnight is even better.

• Have an extra pillow at the ready in your room, for the poorly poppet, as they will of course take yours at some point during the night and you don’t want to disturb them but you need a working neck.

• Always go with your gut instincts

•  When they want to play…play!

So after a rather rubbish sleep, on monday morning Phoebe seem slightly better, tired and not herself but better. We had relaxed day of TV, colouring, cuddles and some nice needed long naps for me and phoebe. When daddy pig was home from work, Phoebe kept going on about the “car” and “beach” so we went for a drive to see the sea! It was just what the doctor ordered and meant Phoebe had another nap on the way home, which on a non poorly day I might be worried about but today I just let her rest.

Beach bum

Feeling better at the beach

We didn’t do a bath, just cuddles, a big drink of water, dummies, her peppa pig and she was set for bed in her own cot. It didn’t taken her long to drift off, and we honestly thought that was that, we had dodged the tummy bug bullet…oh how wrong we were.

Not long after I put her down, I started to feel a bit weird and had awful tummy pains..and by 9:30pm I had inevitably caught the bloody bug. It was a long and sleepless night for me, and the thought of having to look after Phoebe all day was horrible, as I could barely make it to the toilet to throw up. Daddy Pig was a hero and stayed home, but he went into work first to let them know, so when I woke up alone I was shitting myself (literally at one point) but knew I would have to do it. I opened the curtains to see Daddy pig walking up the garden path, oh how happy I was. I swiftly made my exit back to bed, where I was joined by daddy pig once Phoebe was back in nap-land. It wasn’t long before daddy pig was also throwing up and had been taken down by this nasty bug.

It’s been a hard few days, but it seems it only lasts 28 hours. As I was feeling more achey and less sick, daddy pig was in the middle of his own horrible bed ridden bug. I held the fort (somehow) and even managed to get some important cleaning and laundry done thanks to Nanny J saving the day and bringing us more supplies. The washing machine hasn’t stop going and its like a chinese laundry room in here but we are all feeling better just a bit tired and drained.

Fully stocked

Washing city

What would your top tips be for when sickness comes a knocking? I would love to add more to my list.

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