Vomiting and Diarrhea
- Repeated vomiting in children is usually caused by a virus affecting the gastrointestinal tract.
- Vomiting caused by a virus is often accompanied by or followed by diarrhea. Patients will often have fever and stomachache.
- Most vomiting will stop in 24 hours.
- Diarrhea may last anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks.
- If your child is vomiting, we recommend the following steps be taken:
- Offer clear liquids in small volumes. Give 1 teaspoon (5mL) every 5-10 minutes.
- Do not let your child drink large amounts of liquids as this will increase vomiting.
- If no vomiting occurs for 8 hours, add a bland solid food such as crackers, rice cereal, or toast.
- If no vomiting occurs after 24 hours, you can resume formula feeding for infants and a more regular diet for older children.
- Avoid spicy or acidic foods for 2-3 days after the vomiting has resolved.
- If you are breast feeding, offer smaller amounts of breast milk than normal – try feeding on one side only or for 10 minutes instead of 30. Then, if your baby is doing well for several hours, increase the amount. You may need to pump the extra milk in order not to become engorged.
If your child has diarrhea, we recommend the following steps be taken:
- Continue breast feeding.
- Continue a regular diet if your child is not vomiting. If your child is vomiting, follow the steps above and resume a normal diet as soon as possible. Studies show that children improve more quickly when they are receiving their normal diet.
- Give your child yogurt.
Call our office or make an appointment online if your child:
- Has blood in the stool.
- Has a dry tongue or dry lining of the mouth.
- Has not had urine in 12 hours.
- Has diarrhea lasting more than 10-14 days.
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