Tips When Your Child is Vomiting
Seeing your little one throwing up can really break your heart! It’s such a hard thing to understand for babies and young children, and it can really wipe them out. Plus, you’re caring for them, cleaning up after them, dealing with laundry, so much else in addition to the illness. Here are some tips to help.
What to Know
Vomiting can be a part of a stomach bug, associated with fever, come after a head injury, reaction to a medication or food, or be part of an allergic reaction. Watch for other signs - do they have diarrhea? Have they eaten something new? Is anyone else sick at home? These clues can help you know why your child is having symptoms.
What to Do
Here’s what to do when your child is vomiting.
Wait about 20 minutes from the time your child vomits before trying fluids.
Choose Fluids Carefully. When children are vomiting, they need replacement with fluids that have electrolytes.
Babies < 6 months old: chat with your care team.
Babies 6 months - 1 year old: Breastmilk, formula, or electrolyte solution (like Pedialyte or pedialyte popsicles).
Children 1 year old + older: Electrolyte solution (pedialyte, pedialyte popsicle), diluted juice (1/2 juice and 1/2 water), diluted sports drink (1/2 drink and 1/2 water), Coconut water, breastmilk.
Start Low and Go Slow. Try small amounts of fluids for the first 2-4 hours.
6-12 months: 10 ml (=2 teaspoons) every 5 minutes for a couple of hours.
1-2 years old: 15 ml (=3 teaspoons) every 5 minutes.
2+ years old: 30 ml (=2 tablespoons or 1 ounce) every 5 minutes.
Follow Their Lead. Once they’re tolerating fluids for a few hours, you can start to reintroduce small amounts of regular foods (for kids who have started solid foods). They may not feel like eating, and that’s okay - even for a week. Hydration with fluids is the most important thing in their initial recovery. Their appetites will come back slowly over time - keep offering gently, and follow your child’s lead.
What to Have
Here are some things that I always keep at home just in case - they’ve helped a ton during vomiting episodes with the boys!
Barf bags
Waterproof mattress pads
Bucket - I make a “containment zone” in the tub and throw dirty clothes, sheets, towels, etc. in so that everything is in one place. Then I can just grab everything at once for the laundry.
Pedialyte popsicles or powder
Coconut water
Goldfish or saltines
Water wipes
When to Seek Help
If your child is not able to tolerate fluids per the formula above, then seek medical help. Our goal is to always try and help kids stay hydrated at home, but if they’re not able to do that, then they should be assessed for dehydration and have an evaluation. (In the ER, they will often give children Pedialyte popsicles and/or a medication to help vomiting, and see if they are able to drink before deciding if they need to be admitted for IV fluids).
Additionally, if your child is vomiting red (new blood), bright green (bile) or dark brown/black (old blood), seek immediate medical assistance.
Lastly, if they seem very tired to you (lethargic), have had a fever for more than 3 days, dehydration, or with any concerns, you should seek immediate medical care.
