May 3, 2018

Dr. Gellner: The stomach problems, how do you know when to keep your child at home, and how do you know when you need to bring them into the doctor? That's what nosotros're going to discuss today. I'm Dr. Cindy Gellner, on The Scope.

Announcer: Proceed your kids healthy and happy. Y'all are now inbound The Healthy Kids Zone, with Dr. Cindy Gellner, on The Scope.

Stomach Bug or the Flu?

Dr. Gellner: We all have at one point or another and we'll all have it over again at ane indicate or another and we're seeing a lot of information technology going around lately. Information technology's the tummy problems. Information technology's not the flu. Everyone says, "I've got the stomach flu." Well it'due south not the flu; it'due south non caused past the influenza virus. There are a lot of other viruses though that can cause airsickness and diarrhea, including rotavirus, and adenovirus, and a bunch of other viruses we could name. But the lesser line is it's no fun, and it's a big take a chance for kids who can sometimes get dehydrated.

Vomiting & Diarrhea

When do you know when to bring your child in for vomiting and diarrhea? Most vomiting is caused by the stomach bug. Information technology'southward usually not caused by food poisoning that frequently. All the same if more than than one person gets sick at the verbal time, food poisoning is something that you desire to consider.

If your kid has airsickness without diarrhea and it lasts for several days or you meet blood in information technology, that's the time to go checked out urgently, because that could be something much more serious than the stomach bug.

But airsickness ordinarily stops in about six to 24 hours. If you have a baby and they are vomiting and it's like beyond the room shooting, that'due south not the tum bug going effectually either. But most kids who vomit, if they are a baby they tin can spit up some, or you lot know, if they do catch this virus from somebody, so you're going to know. It's going to be a dissimilar form of airsickness than reflux or these other scary things.

And then when your child has vomiting you lot can usually wait diarrhea to come too, and unremarkably within 24 hours. How do you lot take care of your child who has vomiting and diarrhea? The almost of import affair with vomiting is yous need to make sure your child is hydrated. That means they accept enough fluid in them then that they have a moist mouth, they are still making tears, and they can have a wet diaper or utilize the bathroom to pee at to the lowest degree once every viii hours. If they are not doing any of those things, and so they are dehydrated.

Should I Make My Child Eat?

When your child is vomiting, y'all practice not want to brand them eat. That's a very common misconception that I have parents make. They call up, well my child's airsickness. They don't want to consume considering they are vomiting, so I need to make sure they get nutrient because otherwise they're going to lose weight.

Information technology's okay, nosotros expect your kid to lose a little bit of weight with the tum bug. Don't make your child eat if they're not hungry, considering if you lot do make them endeavour to eat something before they are fix, they are going to bring it right back up and you're going to be cleaning it up. Just brand certain they have minor amounts of clear fluids and no solid foods for about 8 hours once they get-go airsickness.

Keep Them Hydrated

Clear fluids are of import, merely don't give them milk. Their breadbasket won't be able to digest milk. That'due south going to come right support, too. Yous want to give babies Pedialyte, and you want to give older kids ice chips, or h2o, or you lot tin requite them some of the low carbohydrate versions of Gatorade, like G-2 or Powerade Nix. But you want to make sure that it's clear fluid.

You lot want to likewise make certain you give modest amounts. If your child just guzzles a whole bunch, because they are really thirsty, their breadbasket is only going to bring that all right back upwardly again. So you need to brand certain information technology'south a small amount, just a couple of sips. You desire to make sure that they go along it down, because the more hydrated they are the less probable they will be to vomit. Kids who are dehydrated, these are the kids that end upward going into the emergency room. The ones that have been throwing up so much they are dehydrated and they cannot go on anything down, and information technology'southward a fell cycle. They'll effort to keep something down, but information technology comes back up, on and on.

After your child has gone for viii hours without vomiting them you can commencement bland foods. These are like bananas, crackers, breads, applesauce; things like that that are very bland and non going to be hard on the stomach.

Should I Requite My Kid Medicine?

As far equally medicines, there are not whatever really good medicines for kids to get them to end vomiting that we recommend on a regular basis. There are some cases where the kids are in the emergency room they can get some anti-nausea medicines, but a lot of those have side effects. So nosotros usually don't give them in an outpatient setting.

What Can My Child Eat to Help With Diarrhea?

What nearly the diarrhea? It doesn't matter what yous give your child to eat for the diarrhea. If they've stopped vomiting your child can have their normal foods. Now the only exception is babies. If they have gone for several days with the diarrhea, and information technology'south astringent diarrhea, and they are on a milk-based formula, sometimes the digestive system isn't able to process milk proteins so well after several days of diarrhea. So y'all can switch to a soy formula for most 1 or two cans. And after that that will help you child's digestive system get dorsum on runway.

The sometime BRAT diet, yeah, at that place is some controversy as to whether it notwithstanding works or not. I unremarkably however recommend it. It'due south bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, things like that will help. Bananas and apples quite oft are constipating, so those the foods that you want to give when your child has diarrhea.

Yogurt is also bully, because it has probiotics in it. The probiotics will actually aid your tummy fight off the virus, and it will boring down the diarrhea. Yous can besides buy over-the-counter probiotics, like Culturelle or Fluorogen. Those besides help a lot for diarrhea.

So while the airsickness can last but 24 hours, diarrhea tin last up to ii weeks, then don't be surprised if it lingers. The get-go few days are the worst, but it can notwithstanding linger for awhile.

When Exercise I Need to Bring Them to the Doctor?

So when exercise you need to bring your kid to the doctor? Well if your kid just has vomiting and they are still hydrated, they are still able to be woken up even if they merely want to prevarication around and sleep. That's not anything you need to bring them in for. Considering we're just going to tell you exactly what I just mentioned, all of the advice I just mentioned.

The same with the diarrhea; if they are having it for a couple of days, but they are nonetheless happy and playful and running effectually, you don't need to bring them in.

If your kid looks actually dehydrated, their oral cavity is dry, they are not peeing anything like that, and you're actually worried, then it's time to bring them in. If they look really sick and y'all can't wake them up; their rima oris is really, really dry out, no tears. They haven't peed for over 12 hours, then it's actually fourth dimension to go to the emergency room, because they might need the IV fluids to help rehydrate themselves.

But the stomach bug is i of those things that there is not a whole lot that can be done for it, other than supportive care. And so the best affair to do is to proceed your kids dwelling house, let them rest, and if they are looking really ill you can always telephone call your pediatrician for advice, and we can tell you lot if the office is the best place, or if the emergency room is.

Announcer: Have a question about a medical process? Want to learn more virtually a health status? With over 2,000 interviews with our physicians and specialists, in that location's a pretty skillful risk you'll detect what you lot want to know. Check it out at TheScopeRadio.com.


updated: May three, 2018
originally published: Baronial 22, 2014

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