Stop My Son from Vomiting

I was told by a doc once that eating ice chips or popsicles would cause the stomach to refrain from contracting - causing the vomitting. It makes sense - the stomach is a muscle and they don't contract as easily when they're cold. My ex-husband had food poisoning and couldn't quit dry heaving - so that's the advice he was given.

You could try a modified version of the brat diet(bananas,rice or rice cereal,applesauce,toast) just because these foods are easier to digest when young children have stomach issues like diarrhea and vomiting and so they tend to keep it down..also watch to see why he is vomiting in case you dont know and see if he's sticking his fingers too far in his mouth my friends almost 3 year old does that deliberately..p.s. try pedialyte popsicles or drinks to replenish fluids lost from vomiting it works way better than water because it has the electrolytes lost through vomiting and diarrhea while water doesn't

Try using peanut butter if he does not have a peanut allergy. I used to work in a rehab for children in Cleveland OHIO and a little girl had the same problem. We gave her peanut butter before eating ANYTHING or as just a snack. It is thick and sticky and seems to hold the food down or just keep something in the stomach. Hope this helps E.

Ginger is a good nausea reducer, you can give him some flat ginger ale or even buy a ginger root and make a ginger tea by boiling fresh ginger in some water. You can also just let him eat a tiny piece of the ginger raw...it's a bit pungent but it helps the nausea instantly. Peppermint can be added to the tea, it helps soothe too. There is also the BRAT diet, bananas, rice, applesauce and toast these are easy on the stomach. Also you might want to stock up on Pedialyte.

Also know that sometimes vomiting is good, it's the body's way of getting rid of something potentially harmful. Make sure to have him drink a lot and eat a little so that he's actually getting something out when he vomits, "dry" retching can be worse, if there's something in his stomach to actually work with vomiting will be easier on his system.

I hope this helps.

Ditto to what Dana recommended. Ginger is the perfect thing for an upset stomach. You could even burn a ginger scented candle or make some gingerbread cookies, cake, etc... And I completely agree with the BRAT diet. It has worked for both of my children. I would stay away from milk based things and water as well as citrusy juices. Good Luck to you. Vomit puts me right over the edge.
L.

I agree you shouldn't stop the vomitting itself!!!!!!! To find the cause and try to stop that would be great.
If he really vomits that much and that easily, then start pestering your doctor about it. If he doesn't seem concerned go to a pediatric specialist until someone helps you!!!

they have nausea meds for kids at walmart, it's a liquid. the directions are very specific for how, when, & how much to give. it's the walmart version that i had used for my son after i got his doctors ok to use it & after the first day i saw major improvement. good luck & God bless.

As Patti said, water is h*** o* stamach when you are sick. He needs clear liquid, but not water. Ginger is really good. Also, you might want to try 7-ups or Sprite, but makes sure the carbonation is out before you give it to him. Pedialyte works, too.

Good-luck.

there are anti-nausea medicines at the pharmacy... just ask the pharmacist which ones are appropriate for the age of the child

i have used them with my 3 and 4 year old to settle upset tummies, and it works great. It won't stop the flu, but it will make getting through the flu much more tolerable. This lessens the gagging feeling that turns into puking. They puke less but don't completely stop.

Emetrol - Can't say enough about it and they have it much cheaper in generic form too. There is also Coke syrup that you crush ice and then pour the syrup over the ice that is settling to an ill stomach.

Hope he gets better soon!

During my first pregnancy, I had morning sickness EVERYDAY! My Dr had me get an over the counter cough syrup type medicine that was made for young ones to keep them from throwing up. For the life of me, I cannot remember the name of it, but if you go to the pharmacist and ask they should know. It was a red, cherry flavor syrup, and it did work. I have used it for my children, but it has been so long I can't remember. It was an over the counter med though. Good luck!

Don't feed him too much. Our son was younger when he got the stomach flu last fall, but we were told pedialyte (we got store brand cheaper) alone or mixed with some juice to add a little flavor, and small amounts of bland things like plain pasta and crackers were the best. Their little stomachs don't recover as fast as ours so even though he may seem to be getting better, his tummy still needs to recover. Small amounts more often is the best bet.
Ginger helps a lot, you can get ginger candies or ginger ale like Verners.

his little body needs to rid itself of whatever is making him sick, so throwing up is a good thing, even if it's not good for you to clean it up. Put a bucket next to his bed and have him throw up in that.

Good luck

I swear by the coke a cola extract that you can buy at the store. That stuff works really great and I have given it to my kids forever!!! Check your local drug store and you will find it. A little warm and flat coke a cola works too. Good luck!!

If you are thinking ahead to the flu season I would talk to you ped about getting him the flu vaccine. It may not keep him from getting the flu completely but it could hurt.

I just had all 3 (6,4, and 1) of my children vomiting last week and over the weekend!!!! I know where your coming from and mine are all getting the flu vaccine this year!!!!

Good luck
A.

In my late teens and early twenties I was a restaurant manager(would never do it again) and often times if I was sick there was never an option of being at home taking care of myself soooo off to work I would go anyway. There was an older lady who I worked with and she introduced me to the coke syrup with out carbonation. It worked wonders on an upset stomach,wether it was from a stomach bug or a hangover which I had occasionally back then;) now I know from another poster that I can find it in stores! Thank you for that! I will certainly be looking for it since flu season is right around the corner. But I highly recommend trying it.

You are actually not supposed to give them water but pedialyte when they are vomitting a lot or having bad cases of diarrhea. Water will not hep with the dehydration as well as the pedialyte. If you go to the drug store, you'll find it with the formula, and just buy the generic brand. If it's persistant for more than 24 hrs, call your pediatrician.

I don't think there is any way to stop him from throwing up if he has the flu. It's sort of the body's way of fighting the infection. There are some thing you can do to make him more comfortable though. Stock up on popsicles, Gatorade, and the BRAT diet. Honestly, the BRAT has never worked for me, but some people swear by it. Also, avoid milk products. They can make a sick tummy even worse. I can't stand vomit either, but it's just one of those little unpleasant facts of being a mother. Yucky!

I'm not sure what to tell you use to stop vomitting, but you are right that your son needs liquid to prevent dehydration. Water is hard to keep down if you are sick to your stomach. Also, a person's electrolytes can get out of balance when they are sick and vomitting. I know that Pedilyte(not sure how it's spelled)is supposed to provide hydration as well as keeping electrolytes in balance. So you might want to keep some of that on hand during flu season in case he does get sick.

Hi Dawn,
From a M. who has been there....my sympathies. My son ended up hospitalized with dehydration twice before his 3rd birthday. I started keeping track of what he ate the day or two before he got sick and found that he has some sensitivities (I won't call them allergies at this point) to certain foods. Specifically tomato sauce (so he eats his pasta sans sauce), teryaki sauce (we add it after we take his portion out), ricotta cheese (only meat lasagne and ravioli now) and if he had too many hot dogs I think the preservatives built up and caused the vomitting. (At 2 they were the only kind of meat we could convince him to eat, but they went away). Water just seemed to make him throw up more, but we found popsicles and gatorade/propel helped to at least keep him hydrated. He might still vomit, but he could usually keep that down long enough to absorb the elecrolytes. (He never went from the vomitting to the diarrhea so the sugar in those drinks did not cause a problem). If there is something safe to give children to stop the vomitting, it was not available when he was little (he's 12 now), but ask your pediatrician for some suggestions. The other thing to do is stick to the BRAT diet once he can keep foods down. (Banans, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast). We did try the liquid jello as well, just before it gelled but was cooled, but my son didn't like it too much. We taught him to throw up in a bucket at 2, so we didn't have the constant floor/furniture cleaning as he tried to get to the bathroom. We keep one in the car to this day (my daughter used to get carsick quite often). One with a lid, like from the fozen Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough is a good size and the lid helps a lot. Whenever my son felt sick we kept that in his bed right next to his pillow so he could grab it quickly, and I usually slept on the floor next to his bed. You have my sypmathies...but I will tell you that as he has grown it happens much less frequently. Hope he outgrows this soon for all of your sakes!

My son has a very weak stomach and will catch stomach virus' all the time - when he has an upset tummy I give him pepto chews for kids. He loves them! They taste just like candy - so your child will want more, but you have to let them know it is medicine - of course after they eat it. It will help soothe the belly and help get rid of the vomitting.

Hope this helps!

Hi Dawn ~

I would recommend approaching this form a nutritional standpoint. It sounds like your son might have food allergies or other conditions that might contribute to this reaction. It would be a good idea to find an integrative pediatrician (who practices both traditional and alternative medicine) who could review your son's case and give you recommendations for a healthy diet for him to follow. It's always best to try a dietary adjustment before pumping medications into a child (or adult!).

You can go to your local health food store and ask them if they have the names of any integrative doctors in your area.

Good luck! I hope you find a solution to this situation. I know your son can't possibly be comfortable living like this.

Might want to also check into PEDIALITE (not sure of the spelling....it's been a while) This helps to maintain the electrolyte balances AND keep them hydrated.

Have you tried to track what he's eating and see if there is a connection there? Not even necessarily the food itself...maybe the additives, preservatives, etc. Even if this diminishes the vomiting, something is better than nothing.

I'd also buy a copies of ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NATURAL HEALTH & HEALING FOR CHILDREN by Weber and

NATURALLY HEALTHY BABIES & CHILDREN by Romm

Try popsickles or sucking on ice. Pedialyte makes popsickles too if you are concerned about dehydration. Studies show that soda pop actually is not the best thing, although that is what we always use. Gatoraide also is good for dehydration. Even though your child may be parched, only let him drink 1 Tablespoon every few minutes. If he drinks a bunch of water all at once, he will likely throw it right back up again. That's why the popsickles are nice. My daughter was hospitalized at age 3 for dehydration, and this is what worked for us.

There is a product that will slow vomiting, but I wouldn't recommend it to control your son's vomit just because you can't handle it. The body uses vomiting to expell the bactiria that is causing the illness,, in most cases....if you stop it from doing what is natural, you could prolong his illness.

Hi Dawn,
Several times when my kids were so sick and wouldn't stop vomiting I would take them to their pediatrician for some kind of shot they give on their bottom to stop the vomiting. I can't remember the name but your pediatrician will know. It worked every time. L.

If he is vomitting, you do not want to "stop it" you want him to get the poison out. His body is rejecting something dangerous. My suggestion is to teach him how to vomit in the toilet. That leaves very little for you to clean up- bowls don;t work, they splash up if not big enough and then you have to clean the bowl- vomit in the toilet, and then just flush it away- usually all you ahve to clean up is a little on the surrounding floor or toilet sink- switch with a wipe and down the toilet as well!

Also- when someone is throwing up stick to the BRAT diet- Bannanas, Rice, Applesauce adn toast ( no butter) This is easy ont he stomach, provides needs nutrition ( bannaha have the potasium you need when dehydrated) It works wonders

You can get an anit-nausea medication over the counter at the pharmacy. Whenever my son gets the flu, he he seems to vomit a lot. This really helps to calm his stomach. His pediatrician recommended it. Hope this helps.

I agree, if your son is sick, you don't want him not to vomit. You want the bug worked out of his system. When a child starts vomiting, you only want them to take a sip of water every10-15 minutes until they can keep that down. Rarely do you really need an electrolyte solution. We always used 7 up. Seemed to help calm the stomache. You would want to take a sip only every 10-15 minutes. Once you can keep that down, it is time to move onto the BRAT diet. Don't immediately after puking try to take the drink. Wait for the stomache to calm down a little. Good luck this season. If you think your child is just prone to puking, then you can try some of the other remedies mentioned, but only if they are not sick with a stomach bug.
R.