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What to Feed Kids When They Have the Flu?

Is your child sick from the flu and you've been wondering what you can feed her to restore vital nutrients and aid the healing process? Because the flu can be a volatile virus, what she can eat depends heavily on her symptoms. Different children may experience varying symptoms; for example, they may be vomiting or they may only have respiratory issues. Observe these symptoms and feed your little patient accordingly.

  1. Nausea and Vomiting

    • If your child is experiencing a severe bout of the flu or other flu-like symptoms, there is a good chance that he should not be eating at all, particularly if there is nausea. If he is vomiting, wait until the bouts have subsided for an hour. At that point, start giving him small amounts (about 2 oz.) of water or a "flat" carbonated beverage such as ginger ale. Make sure he does not drink it too fast, as this may induce further vomiting. If the liquid remains in the stomach, continue to give him the same amount of liquid every 15 to 20 minutes.

      If there has not been any vomiting for several hours, you may give the child water, diluted fruit juice or broth to restore the liquids that have been dehydrated from the body. As the period after the last bout of vomiting grows longer (at least two hours), begin to add solid foods such as toast or Jell-O. Any other solid foods that do not induce nausea or vomiting are also OK in small amounts.

    Fever

    • If the child has a fever but no nausea or vomiting, give her plenty of cold liquids with ice in them. Water, sports drinks, flat carbonated drinks and fruit juice are all good examples of liquids that will help soothe her and perhaps even help bring the fever down.

    Diarrhea

    • If the child has diarrhea but no vomiting, feed him bananas, apple juice, applesauce, rice or rice cereal without milk---all in moderation---to help control his symptoms while providing some nutrition.

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