Now is the time of year when all the stomach bugs are floating around. When you have a large family like we have it can get very stressful. So how do we handle the stomach bug or nasty bug as my little ones call it?

First, I try to keep the bathrooms and kitchen cleaned every day to prevent the nasty bugs from declaring war on us. This includes sanitizing the doorknobs and light switches. I think this helps cut down on the number of germs that are passed back-and-forth.

Second, when someone starts to show signs of being sick they are quarantined. This doesn’t mean that they have no contact at all with anyone I just try to limit the contact as much as possible.

Third, we have a puke bucket and old beach towels. The puke bucket is just an old sand bucket that is lined with a grocery bag for easy clean up. This bag also has a couple of scrunched up paper towels in the bottom of it to help absorb anything that gets deposited. The bucket is small enough that even the little ones can keep a hold of it. (Old ice cream pails work as well.)

I keep some old beach towels on hand also. Sometimes the The Littles can’t be or don’t want to be left in their bedrooms so we let them sit on a beach towel to help with the cleanup.

Fourth, we keep plenty of Gatorade on hand. The green Lemon-lime Gatorade seems to work best here. Of course we try to keep plenty of crackers and ginger ale also.

When the kids are sick, whether they are vomiting or have diarrhea, we try to keep to a simple diet. They can have bananas, toast, crackers, applesauce, or other bland foods. We also keep Jell-O on hand for when they feel up to it.

As their strength and appetite comes back they will start to eat more soups and other foods. We generally try to stay away from dairy products when they’re sick.

Lastly, it is important to keep up with the cleanliness of the house. Sometimes it is possible to catch the nasty bug early enough that it doesn’t go through the whole family.

We try to keep the laundry done up. Sometimes that is easier said than done when you have Littles that are sick. We also try to make sure we disinfect and clean up any accidents that may occur.

And the bathrooms may get cleaned several times a day during periods of illness. I do recommend that you keep disinfecting wipes on hand for these emergencies.

Being prepared goes a long way as the nasty bug can hit at any time without warning. If you find your house under siege from nasty bugs just remember that this too shall pass.