Mom shares some pretty epic hacks for when your kid catches a nasty stomach bug
It's gonna happen. Be prepared.

Ever parent has to deal with it some time.
Stomach bugs—they happen to all of us. And one of the many *joys* of parenting is that you get to also experience them secondhand through your kiddos. That means enjoying a soundtrack of retches, cleaning up unsightly messes, and more. Yay!
But while no parent can avoid these inevitable icky moments, one mom has a couple of tried-and-true tips for making them much more tolerable. And honestly, even if you’re living the child-free life, these hacks could come in handy next time you, or someone you’re sharing space with, is having tummy issues.
“I've seen a lot of throw up in my nine years of being a mom,” said Abby of @galpractical in a recent Instagram video. According to her video's caption, she even dealt with it “several nights ago.” Apparently one of her kids came in whimpering, "My tummy hurts."
“3 seconds later...🤮. Any parent knows the sound & the drill 🤢” she wrote. Yep, we needn’t any further visuals.
Knowing that “no one likes talking about it, but we all gotta deal with” inevitable vomit, Abby decided to offer her “best puke pointers” she’s gained from hard won experience.
Pointer #1: Disposable tablecloths. Whip these bad boys out the second someone ralphs, Abby says. Put em’ near the bed, couch, and near every trash can, everywhere the sick child could potentially be. Why? Because when they miss that trash can, you can wad it all up and throw it away, versus trying to scrub it out.
Pointer #2: Proper receptacles for…you know. Abby prefers a pitcher, which she says is more little kid-friendly thanks to the handle. That said, she also approves of disposable barf bags, especially for older kids who tend to have “better aim.” These are also great to keep in the car, since they store flat.
Pointer #3: Glow sticks in said receptacle. Invaluable at night for probably obvious reasons. Just place them under a plastic bag in the bucket and you’re good to go.
Pointer #4 Have your grade-A cleaning products at the ready. Specifically, Abby uses Lysol Laundry Sanitizer for dirtied clothes and sheets, which she also washes on the hot setting (this wouldn’t affect norovirus, she admits, but can help with other germs and odors). For carpets that have fallen victim to wayward vomiting, she swears by Folex Carpet Spot Remover
Pointer #5 Grape fruit juice. “People claim that if you drink it before you have any symptoms, it can change the pH levels in your stomach and prevent the flu.” Is there any research backing this? No. Abby merely listed it because anecdotally, “every time I've done it, I haven't gotten sick.”
And she’s not the only on to have had this experience. One person shared, “As an early childhood educator and being exposed several times over 10 years, have tested the grape juice theory and although people say it's false, I swear by it with other staff. As long as you're not vomiting yet, chug it! If you already vomited, too late. We believe there's a science to it. Also have to chug at least 1 glass a day for a full week after being exposed because it stays dormant. The grape juice lining prevents the bugs from sticking."
Still another astutely suggested, “Welch's 100% WHITE grape juice! Because if you do end up puking, it's not purple!”
So there you have it—this last one might just be a preventative measure if you’ve been exposed to a stomach bug, or if you want to justify your grape juice habit.
And if these tips don’t leave you feeling better prepared, several other parents chimed in with their own hacks, from clean-up strategies to recommended supplements:
“Glow in the dark Halloween buckets from target are my best barf bowl mom hack- they are only used for barfing.”
“I also like to put some paper towels in the bottom of the bowl so avoid any splashing 😅”
“I use gallon size zip lock bags! Easy to keep everywhere or even in your pocket! Just close it up and throw it away! No mess to clean!”
“Boiron Nausea Calm for everyone, nausea or not, and extra vitamin c, vit d3k2, and magnesium.”
While none of us can avoid this less-than-ideal aspect of being alive, thank the almighty Internet for enabling folks like Abby to share these hacks so that it can at least be a smoother process, even if it is still disgusting.