How to survive the stomach flu when you have kids

As a busy mom with a husband who travels due to work, there is one virus that terrifies me. The norovirus aka “the stomach flu.” It knocks me on my butt and when I finally recover my kids are ruling the house Lord of the Flies style. As much as taking care of a child hit by the stomach bug sucks, trying to care for kids when you are the one puking is no walk in the park either.

Just the thought of stomach flu in my home gives me the heeby-jeebies. As far as I’m concerned, it can stay far away. However, every home is bound to get some version of the stomach bug at some point or another. If the stomach flu has you down, check out these hacks.

Survive the Stomach Flu with these tips

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First things first, if your kids get the stomach bug first then start chugging the grape juice, Moms. (Real grape juice, not the fermented variety that comes in a bottle and needs a corkscrew.) I don’t know if the grape juice trick is scientifically proven. For those that haven’t seen it floating around Facebook, the idea is that grape juice changes the pH level in your stomach making you an undesirable host for the stomach flu virus.

Again, I don’t know if this science pans out. However, I do know that I chug it at the first sign that the stomach bug has hit one of my kids. I also start popping Sambucol. I don’t know if it’s because of one versus the other but I rarely catch the stomach flu. (UGH I just jinxed myself.)

If it’s too late and you’re the man down, then follow these simple tips.

Don’t eat anything – Because you probably won’t be able to anyway! You will soon find this out. The first couple of hours of the stomach flu guarantees that you should not eat anything. If you eat, you will throw it up. So, your first hack is to avoid eating those first few hours.

Know when it’s time to eat – Listen, when it’s time to eat, you’re going to want to eat anything and everything you can get your hands on. However, this won’t work out well in your favor. A few of the best foods to eat after the stomach flu has hit you are plain white rice, bananas, yogurt, garlic, ginger, and cinnamon. Here is why these foods are good.

Foods that benefit you when you have a stomach bug

• Plain white rice – White rice soaks up the extra bile in your stomach. If you are suffering from diarrhea, this tip will help you after the vomiting stops.
• Bananas –  This is also to help the bottom end with the pooping thing. Think potassium.
• Yogurt – I love me some yogurt. The bacteria cultures in it will help replenish your good gut bacteria.
• Garlic – Garlic seems like the last thing you’d want to eat with stomach flu, but it helps give you a break from bloating and the other nasty flu stuff.
• Chamomile tea – This always helps soothe my stomach and is recommended by my doctor.

Stay close to the toilet – Why even risk it? If you’re sick, stay close to the toilet. One time I was so sick, I was throwing up in the bathtub and sitting on the toilet. Probably would have been best to just grab a bucket, but you’re not always the smartest when you’re sitting on the toilet.

Prepare a sick kit – Something I love having on hand is known as a sick kit. It’s a kit that you have on hand so that when things go wrong, you have the supplies you’ll need. I have all sorts of these types of kits. I use my sick mom kit for myself and my, wait for it, sick kid kit for the kids. It’s a true life saver. It may feel weird having random Gatorade in your house, but it’ll be worth it when you need it.

Wash your hands a million times – You may not care if you get sick, but wash your hands as much as possible. Germs spread like wildfire with the stomach bug. I literally put hand sanitizer in every room during flu season. It is worth every single squirt! Of course, washing hands is way better than sanitizer, but I’ll take what I can get.

What stomach flu hacks do you have to share with the rest of the Internet?