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Nausea & Vomiting in Children

Nausea and vomiting in children can be intense and break parents' hearts when they feel helpless to stop the retching and throwing up. Both are common conditions that affect all children at some point during childhood. Nausea and vomiting tend to occur together but may also occur as isolated incidences and can be caused from a variety of stimuli such as viruses, migraines and even kidney stones.

  1. Causes

    • Nausea and vomiting in children are generally caused from a viral infections such as gastroenteritis or rotavirus, or food-related issues such as food poisoning. Nausea and vomiting may also be a symptom of a more serious underlying condition such as urinary problems, ear infections, kidney stones, bowel problems and diabetes. Certain medications may also cause your child to experience nausea and vomiting as a side effect.

    Treatments

    • General bouts of nausea and vomiting in children caused by viral infections are usually treated by letting the virus take its course and preventing dehydration. Children may not be able to keep down solids but should be encouraged to stay hydrated by drinking small, frequent amounts of clear liquids and electrolyte solutions or by sucking on ice chips. Make sure your child slowly returns to solid foods by starting with soup broths and progressing to crackers or toast, rice, applesauce and bananas. If nausea and vomiting persist longer than 24 hours, contact your pediatrician for possible medications to stop and prevent nausea and vomiting.

    Prevention/Solution

    • Preventing nausea and vomiting in children can be as simple as frequent hand washing to prevent acquiring stomach viruses. Preventing nausea and vomiting as a result of underlying medical conditions such as urinary problems, ear infections and bowel problems will depend on the medical condition. Because nausea and vomiting are the body's natural process of ridding the stomach of invaders, your pediatrician will not likely prescribe medication to stop nausea and vomiting associated with food poisoning and food-related issues.

    Misconceptions

    • Nausea and vomiting in children are not contagious. The underlying cause for nausea and vomiting may be contagious, and the sound, sight and smell of a child vomiting may trigger others to feel nauseated or vomit as well.

    Considerations

    • Nausea and vomiting can quickly cause your child to be dehydrated. Contact your pediatrician immediately if your child has nausea and vomiting for longer than 24 hours, has vomit that contains blood or bile, begins to experience increased lethargy and excessive sleepiness, has a high, persistent fever, experiences dry mouth and lips along with ah inability to produce tears when crying, decreases urination or develops headache or neck ache.

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