My Kid Vomited on a Flight and the Flight Attendant Was the Hero

Even though my daughters are seasoned travelers, things don’t always go as planned. In fact, one of my worst nightmares came true during a flight.

When my daughters were younger, we would fly from Washington DC to Louisiana to visit family. We boarded without any problem and took our seats. My youngest daughter sat near the window, my oldest daughter in the middle seat, and I in the aisle. My husband was in front of me.

Our girls knew the drill, having been flying since they were born: seat belts firmly in place, Game Boys fully loaded at the ready, and the plane was taxiing down the runway.

And then my daughter, next to me, patted my arm and said, “Mom, I don’t feel well.” Immediately, she vomited on herself, on her seat, on the seatback in front of her, on the floor below her, and on me.

I didn’t know what to do next.

Fortunately, a flight attendant quickly came to the rescue.

The flight attendants were strapped in for takeoff, but gestured for me to wait. And so, I sat there, in my very dirty clothes – both my daughters were now crying loudly (the youngest was crying in sympathy).

The smell alone was overwhelming. Everyone looked around, trying to determine the source of the loud screams and horrible stench. My husband was helpless.

Finally, I heard the flight crew unfasten the seat belts. One of them came down the aisle with a container filled with airsickness bags, wet wipes, and paper towels. Together, she and my daughter scrubbed the front of my and my daughter’s clothes, so we could go to the back bathroom to clean ourselves as much as possible.

The flight attendant sprayed us both with a white powder that was supposed to kill the smell and disinfect our clothes. Meanwhile, another flight attendant was going through the same routine of cleaning our seats, with my youngest daughter looking on. I kept praying that she wouldn’t throw up, like she had once when her best friend threw up at school.

In the end, it was as clean as possible. As the seat cushions were damp, we each sat on a magazine.

I had to find something for the smell

The smell had diminished considerably, but it still hung in the air.

Then I remembered an interview with New York City garbage collectors who said they took Vicks VapoRub to work. Rubbing it under the nose protected them from the most nauseating odors.

Since then, I have had a small container in my handbag. This has saved me from bad smells many times, from teenagers in my class right after PE to nasty toilets on car trips. This was one of those occasions.

Rubbing it under my nose helped me get through the rest of the flight.

During a recent flight, I had the opportunity to use my Vicks hack again

Most recently, my husband and I had boarded and were seated across from each other. A woman with three young children came down the aisle, carrying her youngest son. I looked up just in time to see him vomiting all over himself, his mother, the floor of the plane, and the man sitting behind my husband.

A flight attendant came running from the back. She rushed to the back of the plane to get cleaning supplies. Meanwhile, I reached into my purse for my best travel hack: my little container of Vicks VapoRub.

She returned, after putting on a mask and rubber gloves. Quickly, she sprinkled the area with white powder and, on all fours, began scrubbing the floor and seats with wet wipes.

The young mother was horrified and offered to help, but the flight attendant responded in a calm, compassionate voice: “No ma’am. Just take care of your child. I have this.” And she did.

The flight attendants are the real heroes here

As I watched the flight attendant quickly clean up the mess, I remembered my horrible experience with my daughter. I knew exactly how this mother felt and how grateful she was to the flight attendant.

I am still very grateful that the flight attendants acted so warmly and professionally in both instances.

After flying frequently for over 50 years, the day my daughter threw up on that flight still ranks among the top three worst experiences I’ve had on a plane, and it was the day I learned to never board a plane without a change of clothes and my Vicks.