Surviving Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease With Twins

Last updated on July 9th, 2023 at 07:58 pm

This year our family survived one of the most epic sick seasons I could imagine. This is primarily because our twins have been in daycare since they were 6 months old and no matter how clean and diligent a school is (we love and trust our daycare and know how hard they work to keep it clean), germs spread so quickly and easily among small children. We’ve accepted this aspect of life as working parents. We have 11 month old twin boys in daycare and a 4 year old daughter in preschool. The reality is that they will get sick. We hear they’ll be stronger for it later on, and I’m banking on that being true.

What we weren’t prepared for in our first sick season with 3 little kids was the diesel viruses that led to some nasty secondary infections. This season’s list of ailments is impressive: This year our kids caught the common cold a few solid times, developed pneumonia once each, double ear-infections in all 3 kids, upper respiratory infections, one twin got croup, all 3 had conjunctivitis, and the twins had a nasty stomach virus. These illnesses took over our house and made us all miserable. But the chart topper for us this year was the time our twins got Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFM).

Two notes before I continue:

I’m not a doctor, so this piece is about life experience not medical advice.
We are beyond thankful to have healthy children with no serious illnesses, and not a day goes by that we don’t marvel at that blessing!

Healthline.com describes HFM like this: Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a highly contagious infection. It’s caused by viruses from the Enterovirus family, most commonly the coxsackievirus. These viruses can spread from person-to-person through direct contact with unwashed hands or surfaces contaminated with feces. It can also be transmitted through contact with an infected person’s saliva, stool, or respiratory secretions. Hand, foot, and mouth disease is characterized by blisters or sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet.

Here’s how I describe Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease: Baby torture.

From my experience with our twins catching HFM I can tell you that though it is not the worst thing they can catch, it is definitely harsh. The first symptoms the twins had were low-grade fevers that came on during the night. In the morning a rash around their mouths appeared. We hoped in vain that it was just their mild eczema popping up, but no–soon this rash spread. They had blisters on their hands and feet that were filled with pus that carries the contagion, and in their mouths blisters were present on their tongues and inside their cheeks. The worst days (days 1-3) were hard on them; they whimpered when they ate because their mouths were sore, and the blisters on their hands and feet were definitely uncomfortable. Giving them cool bottles and food instead of warm helped with the discomfort. Eventually (after about 3-4 days) the blisters pop and dry out. Once this happens they become less contagious, although they will continue to pass the virus in their stool for weeks. I started disinfecting our changing table after each use for about 2 weeks.

What we really didn’t want was for our 3 year old to catch HFM too, although we were told it was going to be nearly impossible to prevent. Well I’m happy to report that she DID NOT catch HFM from the twins, and here’s how we helped prevent its spread:

We kept the twins and their big sister separate as much as possible – the twins were quarantined during playtime to their playpen. They didn’t love it but it limited spreading germs for sure.
Normally we use natural products in our home, but on special occasions like HFM we break out the heavy hitters (Lysol, bleach, etc.), disinfecting surfaces and furniture regularly.
Big sister was told not to touch the twins and she washed her hands frequently.
As parents, we washed our hands nonstop. They were cracked and dry by the time HFM passed. But that meant we weren’t spreading it onto other surfaces that she could then touch.
We sanitized all the toys, every single day unpopped blisters were present. This was a huge pain, but it worked! Each night we washed plush toys in the machine on hot, and we threw all plastic toys into the sink filled with hot soapy water. We scrubbed each one – each day – repeat – UGH.
Until the blisters on their hands and feet popped we kept them out of school so they didn’t spread HFM around to more children, and they weren’t allowed to play with their big sister until there were no more blisters.

This whole HFM process lasted about 10 days, starting with one twin and about 24-48 hours later the next got sick; and, honestly, it was so exhausting because it lasted about a full week for each boy. By the end of the illness we were so glad to go back to normal and not have to sanitize and wash toys and kids all day long. Once they returned to daycare we had a pretty good stint of no sickness for about a month… then cue the stomach virus. Good times. Like all illnesses – if one twin gets it so does the other; so I suggest you brace yourself, and break out the Clorox!

Caroline Poland lives in San Francisco and works in the nonprofit sector as a youth educator. She is a proud M.O.M. of three beautiful littles – Sadie a happy 4 year old, and her 11 month old twins Sawyer and Grayson. She and her husband have an interfaith family, and love to explore and develop new traditions with their growing family. Read more articles by Caroline on Twiniversity.

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