Causes of Vomiting & Nausea in Children

As a parent, many things your child does will worry and even frighten you, one of the most disconcerting of which is vomiting. The multiple reasons a child will vomit range from mild to serious. Knowing the reasons behind your child's sickness will help you determine whether you can treat them yourself or should make a trip to your family pediatrician.

Feeding Issues

• Babies often develop cramping and vomiting because of overfeeding or swallowing too much air during a feeding. In less common cases, the child will get physically sick because of a lactose intolerance or milk allergy.

Stomach Virus

• One of the most common causes of vomiting in children is the common flu (influenza), or rotavirus disease (often called "stomach flu"). Children will experience a number of other symptoms such as fever, chills, sore throat, and coughing, and the virus usually goes away on its own after a few days of rest.

Pyloric Stenosis

• In infants, this condition causes the pylorus muscles to enlarge, preventing food from leaving the stomach. This condition causes excessive and forceful vomiting and requires an immediate visit to the doctor as surgery is an inevitability.

Viral Gastroenteritis

• Along with nausea and vomiting, the child will suffer from watery stool when affected with this condition. Germs, viruses and parasites can cause gastrointestinal infections, which are highly infectious. Although most go away on their own after a few days, some infections can become quite dangerous.

Infection in Body

• Vomiting is not only a symptom of stomach-related issues; children can also become nauseated when suffering from urinary tract infection, pneumonia and strep throat.

Poisoning

• A child may also get sick because of ingesting or inhaling a poison. Anything from household cleaners and plants to medications and chemicals can cause a violent reaction. Children need to be taken to a hospital immediately because their small size and limited body weight make them particularly susceptible to complications.

Dehydration

• Sipping on fluids throughout the day will help prevent dehydration.

  Vomiting and dehydration go hand in hand. The excess loss of water caused by vomiting will often lead to dizziness, fever, fatigue, nausea, and often, more vomiting. It is absolutely crucial to rehydrate immediately through foods and liquids or bring the child to the hospital for professional care in severe cases. Dehydration is a very serious condition, but one that can be prevented by keeping your child hydrated through any sickness, during hot and humid weather, and when physically active.