There is no worse feeling then watching your kids throw all their food up and it doesn’t stop there. The constant tummy pains, the hot flushes, the vomiting and then there is the multiple runs to the toilet. And sometimes with little ones they don’t make it to the toilet and it results in big accidents and hard messes to clean.
TIPS
Here are some things I have been taught to make Gastro with little ones easier.
When fever hits, panadol is needed and will help your little one. If your child does not like taking the panadol like my Madison then it is a great idea to put it in 100mL of cordial or juice and get them to drink it slowly- they wont even know the panadol is there. You are able to give your child panadol from 1month and onwards. I have found though I can buy the older range like the 5-12 and it shows a less amount to give your child if they are younger, so you don't have to use as much.
After every toilet trip and more often then usual it is important to wash your hands with soap and then a hand sanitizer as well if you have one.
Keep a can of glen 20 with you everywhere you go and make sure you use it. When they touch something, after using the toilet, just everywhere to ensure you kill the germs not help them to spread. This is often how the rest of the family get the bug.
Some people say to knock food out for 24 hours… But I don’t find this makes any difference. Either way you are going to have the runs or vomit, so if the kids ask for food I will give them dry toast or biscuits and sometimes fruit if that is what they want.
Lots and lots and lots of water, you must encourage your child to sip on as much water as they can without over doing it. A fluid is much easier to bring up so if you get your little on to drink too much too quickly it can certainly make them vomit it right up.
If your finding it hard to get your kiddies to keep the fluid down and they are vomiting and have diorreah quite reguallary then a great product to give your child is Hydralyte.
There are many forms of hydrolyte on the market now and our cupboard ALWAYS has them stocked up.
You can get:
Hydralyte Orange Flavoured Electrolyte power in sachets.
The sachets are perfect for when you are on the go or even in the car. Sometimes while I am out I always look for a drink and water just doesn’t cut it after plays and long walks. So I love topping up on some hydralyte.
Hydralyte Orange Flavoured Effervescent electrolyte Tablets.
This is our camping staple as the kids and I often get dehydrated after playing in the 40 degree sun and Murray River all day. So it is great to sip on some ice cold hydralyte at the end of the day.
Sometimes we also find that were left with the runs as everything isn’t as clean environment as we are used to, so this is a must for us.
Hydralyte Orange Flavoured electrolyte ice blocks.
These are perfect on that hot day when dehydration is more likely to happen. And are one of the only products we cannot take camping as there is no freezer to keep them frozen. This is the one product I found to work best on the girls and that they finished right down to the last drop.
I also used these at a young age when they had gastro as they would be turned off by their bottle on a hot day and would much prefer a cold iceypole to gnaw on.
Hydralyte Ready to use Apple and Black Currant flavoured electrolyte solution.
This is just a bottle of product you can throw in your fridge as is and there is no need for mixing or any of that kind of thing. This is what I used to pop in Madison’s bottle when she had gastro to keep her hydrated. If needed be I would also water it down and she was only little the first time she had gastro.
The other products also have a black currant flavour but I am not sure if the whole range comes in both flavours.
The last tip I have is to make sure you provide your little one with lots of hugs, as there is no better feeling then being in Mums/Dads arms.
***I am in no way a doctor and these are just tips I found get our little ones through the tummy bug season. If you feel your child is sick the best person to speak to is a health professional.
Before I go I want to touch on how Hydralyte can help you in your every day life.
I am not sure if you are aware but a lot of the times when you are sporting a nasty headache it is due to the fact you are dehydrated. For me when I go out and drink alcoholic beverages and towards the end of the night my head pounds, it is due to the fact I am dehydrated. So I head to the bar, grab a big glass of water and drop a Hydralyte tablet in there and drink quickly.
You will always find Hydralyte in my bag, as I like to make sure I am hydrated as much as possible!
