Cold and Flu Season With Six Kids: Our Sick House Routine

I'm not a doctor. This is what we do in our house, not medical advice. If your child is very sick, can't keep fluids down, or you're worried, call your pediatrician.

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We have six kids, two parents and one bathroom in a small house. When one kid gets sick, there's no guest room to tuck them away in, and no second bathroom to keep them out of. Germs don't stay in one room here.

So I stopped trying to keep sickness in one room. Instead, I try to keep it off the things everyone touches. That shift is the whole idea behind our sick house routine, and it's gotten us through a lot of cold and flu seasons.

Here's what I stock before winter, what I do the minute someone gets sick, and the one lesson norovirus taught me the hard way.

What I stock before cold and flu season

I'd rather buy these in October than run to the store at 10pm with a sick kid at home.

A humidifier. Dry winter air makes a stuffy nose and a cough feel worse. This humidifier goes in the sick kid's room and helps them sleep.

Electrolyte drinks. When a kid won't eat, I can usually get them to sip something. Electrolyte drinks help keep them hydrated, especially with a stomach bug.

Lots of tissues. More than you think. With six kids, a box disappears in a day.

Disinfecting spray and wipes. I keep Lysol spray and wipes for the surfaces everyone touches.

Bleach. This one is mostly for norovirus, because a lot of other germ killers don't work on it.

A hand sanitizer spray that works on norovirus. More on this one below, because it's the thing I wish every family knew about.

What norovirus taught me

A couple of years ago, norovirus went through our whole house. Every single one of us got it.

I caught it from cleaning up after a sick kid. I had no idea you could. I thought as long as I washed my hands after, I'd be fine. But norovirus is tiny, it spreads easily, and the CDC says it can spread through particles from vomit, not just from touching things.

The other thing I didn't know: most regular hand sanitizers don't work well against norovirus. The CDC recommends washing with soap and water and cleaning with a bleach-based cleaner. Since then, I take extra precautions every time a stomach bug shows up.

The hand sanitizer I buy by the box

After that, I went looking for a hand sanitizer made to kill norovirus. The one I use is GermStar One hand sanitizer spray. It's specially formulated to kill norovirus, which most hand sanitizers are not.

I buy the big box of 25 sprays. Every kid gets one for their room and one for their backpack. I keep several more around the house, and I've even donated some to the school. Honestly, I wish everyone had them.

It doesn't replace handwashing. Soap and water is still the first choice in our house. The spray is for all the times there's no sink nearby: the car, the school bus, the kid who just blew their nose on the couch.

Our sick house routine when someone gets sick

1. The sick kid gets their own sanitizer

Every sick kid gets their own hand sanitizer bottle that stays with them. Before they touch the remote, the fridge or a sibling, they use it.

2. The bowl goes everywhere with them

This is my best tip for a stomach bug. Every sick kid gets a large bowl lined with paper towels to keep with them, on the couch, in bed, in the car. When you have one bathroom for eight people, you can't count on getting there in time. The paper towels make cleanup faster, and there's a lot less to clean off the floor.

3. Wipe what everyone touches

In a small house, there's no real way to keep a sick kid apart from everyone else. So I spray or wipe the common surfaces often: doorknobs, light switches, the faucet, the fridge handle, the remote and the toilet handle. For a stomach bug, that's when the bleach comes out.

4. Humidifier, fluids and rest

The humidifier goes in their room, and electrolyte drinks go by their bed. Then I let them rest. Screens are looser on a sick day, and I don't worry about it.

5. The older kids start their cold-season supplements

When a cold starts going around, my kids who are 8 and up start oregano oil softgels and quercetin with bromelain. In our house it seems to make colds shorter, but that's our experience, not a promise, and the research in kids is limited. I explain what we use and why in my post on supplements for kids. Please ask your pediatrician before starting any of them.

Sick house checklist

Stock in the fall: humidifier, electrolyte drinks, tissues, disinfecting spray and wipes, bleach, a hand sanitizer that works on norovirus.

First sign of sickness: their own sanitizer bottle, a lined bowl for a stomach bug, humidifier in their room, fluids by the bed.

Every day they're sick: wipe doorknobs, switches, faucets, handles and the remote. Bleach for stomach bugs.

Always: soap and water first, sanitizer when there's no sink.

Call the doctor: if they can't keep fluids down, seem dehydrated, or you're worried. Trust your gut.

You can't keep germs out of a house with six kids. But you can keep one sick kid from turning into six sick kids, and most winters, that's the win.