‘The glow stick hack is the best tip for surviving gastro’

Paramedic Nikki Jurcutz shared her guide for how to get through a bad gastro outbreak, but one suggestion had followers confused.

Plenty of people were confused by the logistics of cleaning out the vomit bucket with glow sticks inside. Photo: Tiny Hearts Education

We’ve all been there, staring down the barrel of a vicious gastro attack.

First one kid gets sick, then another. All the towels are in the wash, the toilet is always occupied, every bowl has been designated a vomit bowl.

As you drop soiled clothes into the washing machine, you know it’s just a matter of time before you get sick too.

Former paramedic and child first aid expert Nikki Jurcutz of Tiny Hearts Education shared a parent survival guide for those awful gastro outbreaks.

If you carefully follow her steps, you might escape without getting sick, and your kids will get over it faster too.

Nikki’s TikTok showed a very depleted, sick-looking like boy.

Her advice was to disinfect everything, prioritise fluid over food, keep plenty of disposable puppy mats on hand, and to employ the glow stick hack.

She explained each step in the description.

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Paramedic’s guide to surviving gastro

If you’re living with a gastro-infected person, the only chance you have of not getting sick is to disinfect everything.

“Gastro is very infectious, and the last thing you want is for more people in your family to catch it,” Nikki said.

“Wash hands frequently, don’t share utensils and wipe down surfaces.”

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Since gastro dehydrates little bodies quickly, it’s important to keep giving kids fluids, whether that’s water, ice blocks, juice or milk.

“Fluid should be your priority when your child has been hit with gastro. Remember, it’s fluids over food.

“If your child wants something to eat, make sure to keep the foods plain and simple: think plain pasta, rice and dry biscuits.”

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Plenty of people were confused by the logistics of cleaning out the vomit bucket with glow sticks inside. Photo: Tiny Hearts Education

Nikki has a child of her own and so she knows how laundry can get out of control when kids are sick.

She recommends keeping a pack of disposable puppy mats on hand. “They’re going to make your life that little bit easier. Accidental spews end up on the disposable mat and not on your couch.”

The final tip isn’t one many parents have heard of, but Nikki says it works a treat.

“Pop some glow sticks at the bottom of your child’s spew container so they can easily find it at night. Spews in the bucket equal less mess for you to clean.”

Hydration is essential. Photo: Tiny Hearts Education

TikTok raves about gastro survival guide

Many people were confused about the glow stick trick, with some wondering about the logistics of cleaning up.

“Don’t the glow sticks just get covered in vom?” one person asked.

“Pop a plastic lining on top, you’ll still see the glow through the lining,” Nikki replied.

Others shared their own stories of gastro.

“The timing of this. My five-month-old and I both have it, poor baby is just barely keeping down water,” one mum said.

“My son had this last week. It was so horrible! He couldn’t keep anything down and I had to take him to the hospital,” another said.  

And that was Nikki’s final piece of advice: if a child gets very dehydrated, take them to the hospital.

Originally published as ‘The glow stick hack is the best tip for surviving gastro’