Babies and children vomiting: which is normal and dangerous? & bull; hello healthy

It is perfectly normal for children and babies to experience vomiting every now and then. Generally babies and children will vomit within a day or two and that's not a sign of anything serious. To find out the causes, the difference between dangerous and not vomiting in infants and children, here is a complete explanation.

Causes of vomiting in infants and children

Quoting from the NHS, the common cause of your little one to experience vomiting is gastroenteritis caused by a virus or bacteria.

Basically, the causes of vomiting in infants and children are the same, here is the full explanation:

Gastroenteritis

As mentioned earlier, gastroenteritis is one of the most common causes of vomiting in your little one. This condition is caused by the same viruses and bacteria that cause diarrhea.

This infection is spread through contaminated food or water from an infected person. The most frequent complaint of this condition is dehydration because body fluids are wasted through vomiting and diarrhea.

Food allergies

Vomiting in infants and children can also be caused by food allergies. Apart from vomiting, food allergies can cause a reddish rash on the skin, itching, swelling of the face, eyes, lips, or roof of the mouth.

Parents need to be aware of foods that can cause vomiting in their little one. Consult with your doctor to find out and diagnose food allergies in children and babies.

Other infections

Vomiting can also be a sign of other infections in the body of the baby and child. For example, urinary tract infections (UTIs), ear infections, pneumonia, or meningitis.

Vomiting due to infection may also be accompanied by fever, diarrhea, and occasionally nausea and abdominal pain. The infection is usually contagious; if the child experiences it, some of his playmates are likely to be infected.

Rotavirus is the leading cause of vomiting in infants and young children, with symptoms often progressing to diarrhea and fever. This virus is very contagious, but there is a vaccine that can prevent it from spreading.

Call the doctor immediately if the child vomits along with other symptoms, such as high fever, fussiness, and irritability.

Appendicitis (appendicitis)

This is a condition of swelling of the appendix that often makes sufferers feel painful. Generally, this appendicitis is experienced by children with other symptoms such as very severe stomach pain.

Most cases of appendicitis require surgery to treat it.

Poisoning

The cause of vomiting in infants and subsequent children is accidentally ingesting something dangerous eating poor quality food.

This is a food poisoning condition whose symptoms can include not only vomiting, but also high fever to diarrhea.

Anxiety

This is more often experienced by children who enter school age. The reason is, vomiting can not only be triggered by physical factors but also by psychological factors.

Excessive anxiety when the child is facing the first day of school, or excessive fear of something can also trigger vomiting in children.

Gastric acid reflux

Spitting up sometimes gets worse in the first few weeks or months of a baby's life. This occurs when the abdominal muscles become too relaxed and allow the stomach contents to rise back up.

This condition is called acid reflux disease, or GERD and is usually controlled in the following ways:

Thicken milk with a small amount of baby cereal as directed by your pediatrician
Avoid overfeeding or giving smaller meals more frequently
Burp your baby often
Leave baby in a safe, calm, upright position for at least 30 minutes after feeding

If these steps do not work, immediately consult a pediatrician.

The condition of vomiting in infants and children who are still normal

Even though it causes panic, actually most of the causes of vomiting in children tend to be harmless.

For example, a newborn baby will often vomit in the first weeks because he is still getting used to the food that comes in.

In addition, vomiting can also be triggered by excessive crying and coughing, as well as getting used to the new portion of food, so that you can vomit because you are too full.

Then what kind of conditions indicate that your child's condition is actually normal?

Vomiting is not accompanied by high fever
Children still want to eat and drink
Children can still play, not too fussy
The child is still responsive
The symptoms and effects of vomiting subside after 6-24 hours
There is no blood and bile (usually greenish) in the vomit

The condition of vomiting in infant children that needs to be watched out for

Although generally vomiting in infants and children is normal, parents still need to be vigilant. The things below could be a sign that there is another, more serious problem, namely:

The child is limp and unresponsive
The skin becomes pale and cold
The child loses appetite and refuses to eat
Symptoms of dehydration arise such as dry mouth, crying and not crying, and urinating less frequently
Vomits more than three times in 24 hours or lasts more than three days
Vomiting accompanied by fever
Vomiting and diarrhea at the same time
Unbearable pain in the stomach and swelling of the stomach
There is a blood substance or bile in the vomit
Shortness of breath

If conditions like the above arise, you should consider getting your child checked by a doctor.

What is the difference between vomiting and spitting up that babies often experience?

There is a difference between vomiting and spitting up. Vomiting is the forcibly expelling stomach contents through the mouth.

Vomiting occurs when the abdominal muscles and thoracic diaphragm contract strongly but the stomach relaxes. This reflex action is triggered by the "vomiting center" in the brain after being stimulated by:

Nerves from the stomach and intestines when the gastrointestinal tract becomes irritated or swollen due to infection or blockage
Chemicals in the blood, such as medicines
Psychological stimulation of terrible sight or smell
Stimulation from the middle ear, such as vomiting caused by motion sickness

On the other hand, regurgitation (spitting up) is melting the bowels that often occur when a baby burps. Spit up is most often seen in babies aged 4-6 months because their digestive system is not yet perfect.

Spitting out of the mouth like a leaky seepage, without any contraction of the stomach. While the vomiting liquid gushes out, accompanied by contractions of the abdominal muscles.

In addition, spitting up is passive, meaning that it does not require effort and coercion from the child. This differs from active vomiting where there is a compulsion to empty the stomach contents.

Regurgitation can occur because the child is too full, the position of the child is not right when breastfeeding, the air that enters the breast when feeding, and the rush to suck milk.

Spitting up is a natural and natural reaction, because the child's body tries to expel the air that the baby swallowed while breastfeeding. Vomiting is a sign of indigestion in babies.

How to deal with vomiting in babies and children

When a baby or child vomits, parents need to know the cause. If due to stomach disorders such as bloating, baby massage can be done to make it more comfortable.

However, if your little one looks weak, lackluster, and experiences vomiting repeatedly, he is prone to dehydration due to the large amount of fluids released.

Here are some ways you can do to deal with vomiting in your little one.

Rest the stomach

When your baby or child vomits, avoid giving him food and drink immediately. Give pause about 30-60 minutes after vomiting, then give water and food again.

This is important to make the stomach rest from shock when all the food that has been consumed comes out again through the mouth.

Replacing body fluids

Vomiting can make a baby dehydrated, so it is important to replace lost body fluids.

How to replace body fluids is differentiated according to the age of the baby and child, here is the full explanation, reported by Kids Health:

For babies aged 0-12 months who consume exclusive breastfeeding

If a baby who is exclusively breastfed and experiences vomiting (all the milk that is drunk comes out) more than once, reduce the intensity of breastfeeding.

Mothers can breastfeed for about 5-10 minutes every 2 hours. You can increase the feeding time when your little one is accepting it.

What if the baby is still vomiting? Consult a doctor. If after 8 hours the baby has not vomited, you can return to the breastfeeding schedule.

For babies 0-12 months who consume formula milk

For babies aged 0-12 months who drink formula milk, the handling is different, namely given an oral electrolyte solution that can be purchased at the nearest pharmacy.

Give 10 ml (2 teaspoons) of the electrolyte solution every 15-20 minutes. You can consult your doctor for the type or dose of electrolytes that are suitable for your little one.

For babies over 6 months of age who have started solids, you can give half a teaspoon of juice in an electrolyte solution, so that it has a taste.

If the baby does not vomit after 8 hours, you can start breastfeeding your little one slowly, about 20-30 ml. Do it gradually so that the stomach is not startled.

For children 1 year and over

For children aged 1 year and over experiencing vomiting, parents can provide one teaspoon of water every 15 minutes. You can also add an electrolyte solution with fruit juice added for flavor.

Avoid giving milk and soda products when your child has just vomited. If the child has not vomited for 8 hours, he can start giving solid food slowly. For example, biscuits, bread, or soup.

If there is no vomiting for 24 hours, you can restore your diet to normal. But still avoid dairy products because they can trigger nausea and vomiting again.