How To Treat A Vomiting Child At Home

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Infants and young children occasionally experience bouts of vomiting for a lot of reasons. It may be linked to a decrease of the regular motility of the stomach, therefore food does not move from the stomach to the intestine. Vomiting also occurs when the brain over stimulates the stomach and the esophagus by causing its surrounding muscle tissues contract, causing stomach contents to be expelled. Most of the time, vomiting in young children, particularly when related with fever is more probably caused by an infection in the gastrointestinal tract.

In most kids, vomiting is a symptom that should pass within a day or two and can be treated at home. Here are some valuable guidelines on how to properly manage a kid who is vomiting at home.

1. Stop offering meals or liquids for approximately 2 hours. Presence of food in the stomach can further stimulate vomiting.

2. After the two-hour period, start giving clear liquids in small sips or you may let your child suck on ice chips to stop dehydration. It is also best to give him oral hydration solutions like pedialyte to correct electrolyte loss in the body. Avoid lemonade, orange, and other acidic drinks simply because they can exacerbate the problem.

3. If there is no further vomiting after introduction of clear fluids, you may begin offering your child small amount of bland foods like dry crackers, cereals, or toast. Avoid caffeinated and dairy-containing meals.

4. Bear in mind to keep the child in a sitting position rather than lying for about 30 minutes after introduction of any water or solid meals. This is done to reduce possibility of expulsion of the food through the mouth, and to prevent aspiration of vomitus (gastric contents) into the lungs.

5. If the kid vomits while in lying position, turn his head to the side to let vomitus to flow out of his mouth.

6. You may steadily resume the child's diet 24 to 48 hours after the vomiting has ceased.

Though most instances of vomiting maybe monitored at home, a doctor should be consulted if: a) your child's vomiting persists for over 8 hours; b) if vomiting is accompanied with fever, sever abdominal pain, diarrhea, or extreme head ache; c) if the child shows signs of dehydration such as weakness, irritability, dry lips, mouth and tongue, little or no urination, sunken eyeballs, and so on.; and d) if vomit contains blood or resembles coffee ground.

Vomiting is only a symptom that encompasses a lot of possible illnesses that a kid can have. Although it is necessary to examine what causes the vomiting, each parent must realize that dehydration is the closest potential hazard when the child is vomiting, and this can only be avoided by proper institution of rehydration therapy at home.

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