CHILDREN HEALTH: VOMITING
Symptom
Forceful ejection of the contents of the stomach
Home care
- Solid foods, milk, or aspirin tablets aggravate vomiting and should not be given.
- Have the child sip ice water, carbonated beverages, tea with sugar, flavored gelatin water, commercial mineral or electrolyte mixtures, or apple juice.
- If you do not know why the child is vomiting, consult the doctor. Note if abdominal pain, fever, or headache accompany the vomiting.
Precautions
- Prolonged or severe vomiting can cause dehydration, which can be very serious in infants.
- If vomiting and diarrhea occur at the same time, control the vomiting first.
- Abdominal pain, whether it is accompanied by vomiting or not, may indicate appendicitis.
- Some phenothiazine drugs that are given to control vomiting in adults can have serious side effects in children and should not be given.
- If the child is on medication, vomiting may hinder the action of the medication.
Vomiting is a common occurrence during childhood. In most instances it is merely a nuisance, but at times it can hinder the work of medications, cause the child to lose so much fluid that dehydration (loss of body fluids) occurs, or indicate a problem that requires medical attention.
Most infants spit up and occasionally vomit. If this vomiting does not hinder weight gain, it is neither harmful nor abnormal. Excessive vomiting, however, may indicate an intolerance of formula, milk, or some foods. Frequent forceful vomiting during an infant’s first two months suggests an obstruction at the end of the stomach (pylorospasm or pyloric stenosis).
In children, a viral infection of the digestive tract (gastroenteritis or intestinal flu) or an infectious disease elsewhere in the body can cause vomiting. Less common causes are abnormalities of the brain (concussion, migraine, meningitis, encephalitis, tumours); poisoning; appendicitis; severe emotional distress; jaundice; foreign bodies in the digestive tract; abdominal injuries; and motion sickness.
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