When your child is vomiting or has diarrheoa
Vomiting and diarrhoea can occur on their own or together. Gastroenteritis is the most common cause of vomiting and is caused by either viral or bacterial infection, from contaminated food or close contact with someone who else who has symptoms.
If your child is attending a crèche or school, vomiting and diarrhoea bugs can spread easily due to the close contact with other children, especially in the toddler age group. If your little one is displaying those symptoms, you should keep them at home and make sure they practice good hand hygiene to avoid spreading the infection to others.
Your child’s vomiting will usually last between 6 and 12 hours and diarrhoea between 24 and 48 hours.
Do not offer any food until 6 hours after the last vomit, but sure to keep your little one hydrated by offering sips of clear fluid, like flat white lemonade or oral rehydration solutions available over the counter in pharmacies.
Breast-fed babies can continue to be offered breast milk and bottle-fed babies should be able to tolerate small milk feeds. You should, however, avoid anti-vomiting medicines unless specifically advised by your doctor.
Be very careful about washing your hands after changing nappies or cleaning up your child’s vomit to avoid spreading the infection. Clean spills with hot water and detergent and afterwards, disinfect the area with dilute solution of household bleach.
Contact your doctor if:
· Your child’s vomiting persists for more than 6 hours
· You notice blood in your child’s vomit
· Your child complains of bad tummy pain with vomiting
· Your child cannot keep down any fluids and you are worried that they are becoming dehydrated
· Your child is on regular medication and cannot take it
· You are worried
Usually there is no specific cure and you need to let the illness run its course, but remember, the younger the child is, the sooner you should seek help and always contact your doctor if you are worried.
For more information on tummy bugs and other common illnesses such as ear aches, colds and flu, visit Under the Weather.