Anyone ever traveled with a sick kid???

lisagirl88

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Aug 13, 2008
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Our kids have gotten every illness that has gone around the block this year. We have 4 kids so I kinda expect more sickness, but 6o days straight with someone sick or on antibiotics put me over the edge:) We leave for vacation in 6 days and although everyone is healthy now we were just exposed to the stomach virus/fever sickness again(my kids were with kids who came down with it the day after we hung out). We will be flying for our trip. What do you do if you have a sick kid and have a flight to catch??? My two older boys were sick on our DCL cruise last year, but we were already on the boat and we just stayed in our room(that was a total bummer!!!). I can't imagine getting on a plane with a sick kid(meaning throwing up), but I also can't imagine missing the flight. Anyone ever been in this situation?
 
I wouldn't take someone who is throwing up onto an airplane. I wouldn't want to get on an airplane if I was throwing up. But maybe that's just me.

Also, even if you get the kid on the plane, if he/she is that sick, you're probably going to be spending a good amount of time in your room rather than doing anything fun. Don't forget the bus/car ride from the airport to your hotel.

Not only that, but you're exposing everyone around you to it. I'll shrug off getting a cold, but I wouldn't be too happy if I ended up with stomach flu because someone got on a plane while they had it and were throwing up next to me.

Again...all personal opinion. Best of luck...maybe everyone will stay well and you won't have to worry. Fingers crossed for you!
 
It is quite possible that your child won't be allowed to fly if they are obviously sick. The FAs can keep you from flying. I'm guessing in part because if you are really ill you won't be able to follow any safety instructions, should the need arise.

Even if they would let you on, would you want to sit next to your child throwing up into a bag all the way to WDW? And how comfortable would your child be doing that, or how comfortable would they be even just sitting on an airplane?
 
Fortunately this is all hypothetical so I'm sure that we will all be well to get on the plane this weekend. I don't fly very much and just wondered what others do in this situation. I would be ticked if someone sat next to me or my child if they or their child were throwing up so I wouldn't want to do that to someone else. However, it is a hard pill to swallow to just miss your flight. We are flying SW and I don't even know their policy concerning this, but I assume you would have to pay to switch your flight?
 

This is why you purchase trip insurance and can cancel should someone become ill. I would have never taken one of my kids in that instance and would never want to be exposed to one either.
 
Fortunately this is all hypothetical so I'm sure that we will all be well to get on the plane this weekend. I don't fly very much and just wondered what others do in this situation. I would be ticked if someone sat next to me or my child if they or their child were throwing up so I wouldn't want to do that to someone else. However, it is a hard pill to swallow to just miss your flight. We are flying SW and I don't even know their policy concerning this, but I assume you would have to pay to switch your flight?

SW does not charge a fee to change flights but you will have to pay any increase in fare for the new flight. In other words, if you paid $100 and the new flight is $150, you have to pay $50 (per person). If the new flight is less, you would get a credit to use 1 year from the original ticket date.
 
If I were you I would clean the house like mad. Use bleach to wipe down the bathroom and kitchen surfaces. Lysol wipe every knob and switch twice a day. Throw out toothbrushes and have your kids take this as soon as they start to feel sick. It works like a charm

http://www.oscillo.com/

It is a gradular pellet that you pour under your tongue and let it disolve. It takes like sugar.

I just told my neice about this last week when her son got the flu and was sick for almost 4 days. She gave it to her DD as soon as she started to feel sick and was better in less the 24 hours!

We always carry this and ginger capsules with us when we travel. Ginger capsules can be found in the vitamin section.


Why take a kid to Disney only to spend most of the vacation in the hotel room which is a confinded space that will expose your family to the germs. Plus if the airline realizes he/she is sick they have the right to deny boarding to you. Which will end up costing you more money if you have to book another hotel till the kid is better and play for another airline ticket. I say if they get sick stay home!
 
We flew home with a sick child 2 years ago. It wasn't the plan at all though. He said his stomach hurt as we were checking out and he slept the whole way to the airport on M.E.
As we were standing in security he threw up:sad2: It was awful. My dd was already on the other side of security and I was just handing over my passport and boarding pass as it happened. They had someone help us clean up and sent us through. I would have delayed if we hadn't been standing right there with our 12 year old already through.
He slept the whole way home and when we landed we went straight home and put him to bed. It became apparent very shortly that it wasn't the stomach flu but his appendix. It had ruptured and he spent 2.5 weeks in the hospital after Emergency surgery. It makes me shudder to think what could have happened on the flight:sad1: We just assumed it was an upset stomach. Overall not an experience I would ever want to repeat and unless it was just a cold or something I would never ever fly with an ill child given the choice.
 
you can be prevented from boarding if one is sick. yes at gate. depending on seats avaible you might get to change but most likely not for that day. one family that i know got stuck at Disney for an extra week because of chicken pox and not being able to fly. thay were also confinded to their room. not a fun extra week.
 
I would not be getting on a plane if I had a child that I knew was sick with something that could be caught by others. It is simply not fair to those around you, also possibly on their way to a vacation.
 
Our kids have gotten every illness that has gone around the block this year. We have 4 kids so I kinda expect more sickness, but 6o days straight with someone sick or on antibiotics put me over the edge:) We leave for vacation in 6 days and although everyone is healthy now we were just exposed to the stomach virus/fever sickness again(my kids were with kids who came down with it the day after we hung out). We will be flying for our trip. What do you do if you have a sick kid and have a flight to catch??? My two older boys were sick on our DCL cruise last year, but we were already on the boat and we just stayed in our room(that was a total bummer!!!). I can't imagine getting on a plane with a sick kid(meaning throwing up), but I also can't imagine missing the flight. Anyone ever been in this situation?

after that experience not unexpected to be stressing this trip!

perhaps since your kids have caught most of the likely suspects this year they've already been exposed to the bug in question.

good luck
 
OP here. So my kids never got sick, but I ended up feeling very ill the day before departure and throwing up 10 minutes away from the airport:( I got on the flight and did fine. When we finally got to the hotel in Orlando a very long 7 hours later I ate some saltines and applesauce, took a 2 hour nap and felt much better. Woke up the next day and was fine. So thankful it was short lived. We struggled in the parking lot for a while as to whether to reschedule, send the rest of my family on without me, postpone....when you are in that situation it is much harder to justify putting off the vacation and rescheduling everything. I feel bad for anyone that is put in this situation. It stunk!!!
 
DB became ill, just before boarding. The airline arranged a flight for the following day. What a blessing. Soon afterwards DM and DSF began throwing up. DSF had to take a trip to the ER.
 
I worry about catching stuff on the plane after what happened to us last Jan. My daughter was doing the Disney College Program...so we all went down when she was starting the program... to have a little time together before she started and to help get her settled. My husband flew back the day after me and the boys to help her. Well my oldest son got sick the next day, STOMACH VIRUS.....BAD BAD BAD STOMACH VIRUS...then me that night...wiped me out for a good 3 days. Then my youngest son got it a few hours after mine started. Our daughter and husband didn't get it..my husband.. flew home on a different plane a day later. We were all together in the parks and the resort so we don't think we picked it up while there or they too would have gotten sick. We believe we caught it from flying on that plane. :sick: I always dread the flights for that reason.
 
And this is why I use my anti-septic wipes to wipe down my airplane seat arms, tray table, belt buckle and anything else someone might have touched when I get on an airplane. I also use my Lysol spray and spray down the hotel room as soon as I get in it - door handles, toilet, sink, TV remote and pretty much any surface I can use it on. I don't care how goofy I look - I'm just trying to spare myself everyone else's germs! Knock on wood, so far, go good.....
 
Here's another airplane passenger who wipes down the armrests, trays and our hands before we eat snacks on the planes. There are alot of things one can do to avoid the norovirus. Mostly wash hands right before you are going to eat and avoid touching bathrooms doorknob, and faucets after your hands are washed. Also, avoid touching your face, mouth and nose and eyes with unclean hands. It's not 100% but you can greatly reduce your risks if you understand how the virus is transmitted.
 
DB became ill, just before boarding. The airline arranged a flight for the following day. What a blessing. Soon afterwards DM and DSF began throwing up. DSF had to take a trip to the ER.

Wish that had happened for DSL. On his trip home after a wonderful family gathering, he became very suddently ill in the security line (projectile vomiting). DD, with twin infant sons, and DSL tried to get moved to later flight and SW woudl not work them at all! Security agents had even told them to check with Southwest and they would help them. They did not! I called and e-mailed Southwest (because I had paid for the flights) and got no where. I was honestly floored, as Dh and and I had been loyal SW flyers for several years and had always been pleased with their service. No more.
 














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