Survival Guide: When your small child is Vomiting and you have the Runs

This was my Tuesday night with Evalyn. Most of this I did, some I learned, all I will never forget.

The scene: Your small child wakes up screaming bloody murder, you rush in, and there is vomit on everything in the crib. You yourself have been sick for two days, see Tom Petty post.

1. Grab a trash can, you might need it yourself
2. Take whatever you have on, off, and either be in your underwear or put on a T shirt
3. Strip down the screaming child while trying to remain calm by singing or talking about something good
4. Clean the child, comfort, until they stop crying. Pray.
5. Do not dress the child, put a robe on both of you if you are chilly.
6. Call someone to pick up Gatorade, pedilite, jello, and if there is something you think you may can eat (mine is onion soup) and some thick maxi pads in case you don't make it to the bathroom due to the vomiting child.
7. Grab as many towels are you can for the vomit station, because it will happen again.
8. Throw anything from the crib or clothes in the washing machine and go ahead and get started while holding the child with a towel over your shoulder in case the child starts to throw up again. Stuffed animals can be washed in a pillow case.
NOTE: If at any point you feel you might have to go to bathroom yourself, better safe than sorrow, don't want to have wash more clothes. It is possible to do this with the child setting on your lap, remember to have the towel close in case they have to vomit at the same time. Take Imodium if needed.
9. Turn on the T.V., I'll be done with Kipper for a little while.
10. Put a sheet over the chair that you will be stationed at. Pray.
11. Get yourself and the child something to drink. Put wipes and the trash can near. A bag for the dirty towels is a plus.
12. Sit in the chair or on the couch with a towel over you and a small towel on the child's chest.
13. You will hear it coming, catch the vomitt in the small towel and tell the child "good job, spit it out". Tell the it is "ok".
14. After the episode is over, decide if you need to go to the bathroom before the next one. Bring the child with you if they start to cry because crying may induce more vomiting. Refer to the NOTE under #8 if needed.
15. Clean the child's face, hands, yourself, or whatever has vomit on it with wipes.Put the towel in the bag for the next load. Don't forget about the stuff in the wash, it may be time to put them in the dryer.
16. Pray. Call your Mom or someone close. Cancel everything you had planned for the next day.
17. Start over at #12 as the night progresses.
18. Try to drink some broth for energy. Do not try to feed the child anything except if they want something to drink like the pedilight or Gatorade.
19. If you have a second, call a friend and complain, then hang up on them as soon as the child starts throwing up again.
20. Pray.
21. As soon as someone can help, or do this yourself, make up two beds, the crib and the pack in play so that there are two places for the child to sleep in case they get sick in the middle of the night. put two towels under each sheet. Have extra sheets near by.
22. Don't forget about the load of clothes that need to be taken out of drying and new load in.
23. Wait until the child has not vomitted for at least 1/2 an hour before putting them down for the night. After, putting them down, do not even think about going to sleep for at least 1/2 hour to see if they get sick again.
24. Try to stay hydrated, put cream on your own butt if needed, try to eat some jello, pray.
25. Either turn off the T.V. or change it to something else for Pete's sake.
26. Try to get some sleep, but if not, then stay up all night doing random things that now you can't remember.
27. Sneak in and check on the child if you are awake in the middle of the night, or between bathroom runs.
28. Grab one of the clean towels to put under you in your own bed, just in case.
29. Pray.
30. Laundry.