How to Console a 5 Year Old While Vomiting for the First Time

Awwww . . . poor baby. I know exactly what you mean because I hate to vomit and will fight that feeling tooth and nail (when it would probably be better to just let it happen). I usually feel like crying too and I'm 41 years old. It probably relates to feeling out of control of his body, bless his heart.

My younger son is 14 and he still likes me close by if he throws up. I just stand there with a wet washcloth for his forehead, and tuck him into clean, cool sheets once the moment has passed.

It sounds like you did fine - hang in there. Hope this passes quickly.

poor baby. mine is 4 1/2 and has vomited one time - and he was so good about it, he even got it all in the toilet. (how he knew, and i knew to help him, i still don't know) it is heartbreaking, i HATE throwing up. unfortunately, it's not like poop - you CAN'T hold it. just continue to comfort him and be "mom". as an adult i STILL want my mom when i throw up. worst ever. hang in there mom. you're helping him more than you realize.

Everyone throws up from time to time.
Reverse peristalsis (or retro-peristalsis) is the opposite of what happens when we chew food up and swallow.
Muscles contract in a wave like fashion to move the food along and into the stomach and when we barf, it works to spew things out the other way.
There's no doubt it's miserable no matter what age you are.
Tasting bile and stomach acid (and if it came up strongly enough it can get up into your nose) is awful.
So - what do we do when it happens? - we deal with it as calmly as we can and clean up.
When my son feels like he's going to barf I tell him to head for the bath tub - it's the easiest place to clean up.
Run water, wash it down the drain and rinse out mouth and nose as best you can.
My son likes to take a warm bath afterward - it helps to calm the stomach spasms, then brush teeth (remove the taste and get stomach acid off the teeth).
You can rinse out the nose with a neti pot if you have one.
A sip of water or ginger ale might help settle the stomach but if it's still on the edge, skip this until things are more stable.
Then apply lot's of sympathy and maybe a heating pad on the stomach if he feels like it.
If he wants to sit upright for awhile that's fine.
Eventually when the stomach is empty and the dry heaves have passed he might feel like sleeping again.
Hopefully it'll be a long time before it happens again.
Chalk it up as a learning experience for both of you.

My daughter is 5 1/2 and has been sick several times, I usually just rub her back and tell her that she is ok and this will pass. She cries and cries so this is totally normal. I want to cry when I am throwing up. Just knowing you are there is a comfort to him.

Poor, sweet baby! I can't believe he hasn't gotten sick before. That's amazing! I teasingly call my 2.5 year old "my little puker" as he has a hair trigger for vomiting. He will gag if he sees dog poo! He has gotten sick so many times, he will now ask for a bucket beforehand. 90% of the time he gets it all in the bucket! LOL

I agree with Mary O., you've explained it good and that's really all that needs to be said about it. Just be there for him, rub his back, and lots of hugs (wouldn't kiss him as I wouldn't want to get to close to his face and next thing you know you'll have it next...LOL). If you act all upset and anxious about it, he's going to pick up on it.

Don't try to overexplain it, I think you did fine. Kids tend to pick up on our anxieties, so more discussion at this point probably won't help. As for the other issue, give him tons of fiber and plenty of water and he will poop more and maybe get over the phobia. Miralax is also useful, and I saw a cute book called "everybody poops" that might help.

:( the poor baby. My 4 yr old and I had a stomach bug this spring we were up all night side by side it was horrible. I'm 30 and I still want to cry when I vomit. I think you did great and i would just leave it alone at this point.