Causes of vomiting in a child
A child may vomit for the following reasons:
- poisoning: food, drug, chemical, gas, infectious (for example, rotavirus),
- reaction to unusual, new, inappropriate food, medicine,
- force feeding,
- diseases of the central nervous system,
- diabetes mellitus and other metabolic disorders,
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: ulcers, gastritis, gastroduodenitis, gastroenteritis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, biliary dyskinesia and others,
- diseases of the endocrine system,
- diseases of the central nervous system,
- renal or heart failure,
- acute appendicitis,
- infectious diseases.
Vomiting with fever in a child
High temperature, both in adults and children, is one of the first symptoms of the development of a serious inflammatory process in the body. It appears with ARVI, viral infections, sore throat and other infectious diseases, as well as with inflammation of internal organs.
In combination with vomiting and intestinal upset, a high temperature may indicate that pathogens of intestinal infection have entered the body. Vomiting attacks and diarrhea are protective reactions of the body, with the help of which it tries to cleanse itself of toxins that have entered it.
Diarrhea, vomiting and fever in a child are very dangerous symptoms that can lead to dehydration in a short time. It should be borne in mind that the younger the child, the faster this complication develops.
When attacks of vomiting occur in combination with a high temperature, qualified medical assistance is needed to find out the cause of the baby’s condition and eliminate it as quickly as possible.
Causes of vomiting and high body temperature
Vomiting and fever can occur in children for the following reasons:
Feeding a child after vomiting
First of all, you need to know what caused the vomiting. Therefore, we strongly advise you to call an ambulance if your child is vomiting. The exception is cases of single vomiting, when you know exactly what caused it (for example, the child overate). In other cases, an ambulance is needed to rule out the above diseases and poisoning with some dangerous substance. For example, many children die or suffer serious damage to their bodies due to drinking bath soap or other household chemicals. Despite the fact that for different types of poisoning and other diseases that are accompanied by vomiting, diets vary, there are general principles of nutrition during vomiting and in the coming days after.
Nutritional Features
There are many misconceptions that lead to exacerbation of health conditions due to the consumption of products that are dangerous for people who have impaired processing of dairy products.
A fairly common thought is that milk that is skim contains less lactose - this is not true.
Therefore, eating low-fat foods cannot protect a person from diarrhea or other symptoms of the disease.
Yogurt. on the contrary, it is a safer product and many people tolerate its consumption normally, even though it contains lactose.
Chocolate milk will be appreciated by people who suffer from problems digesting lactose. This product, in addition to its pleasant taste, contains calcium, which the body needs. Cocoa, which is included in the composition, stimulates the activity of lactose. As a result, the product is well tolerated.
Cottage cheese and homemade cheese are dangerous for people with lactose intolerance, so their consumption must be stopped to restore health.
If you have symptoms that indicate intolerance to milk and products that contain it, you should seek help from a doctor.
First day (food for vomiting)
In the near future after vomiting, even if the condition has stabilized, it is better to limit yourself to compote and water; this regimen can be followed for up to a day without harm to the baby’s health. Usually food is given a few hours after the vomiting stops, and, of course, at the request of the child. Don't give him food if he doesn't want it. Liquid dietary porridge (oatmeal, rice, buckwheat) is what a child can eat after vomiting, after some time. You need to add food a little at a time, literally a tablespoon at a time, taking breaks of 2-2.5 hours.
Second day after vomiting
On the second day, in addition to cereals, you can start giving your child pureed baked apples and boiled vegetables such as carrots and broccoli. Food should be made liquid, processed in a blender, to relieve the digestive system. In addition, food must be boiled or steamed, with the exception of bananas, which can be eaten as raw puree. A piece of soaked biscuits or homemade white crackers will not be harmful. The portions are still small, with a break of 2.5 hours. The child may develop an appetite and may ask for something more or more without being able to eat as much food. This is normal and means he is getting better. But you should not make any mistakes in your diet so that the delicate mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines do not become inflamed again. As a drink, you can add chamomile tea to your diet, which has an anti-inflammatory effect and helps improve the functioning of the digestive system.
Nutrition after vomiting in a 6 year old child
A child may vomit for the following reasons:
- poisoning: food, drug, chemical, gas, infectious (for example, rotavirus),
- reaction to unusual, new, inappropriate food, medicine,
- force feeding,
- diseases of the central nervous system,
- diabetes mellitus and other metabolic disorders,
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: ulcers, gastritis, gastroduodenitis, gastroenteritis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, biliary dyskinesia and others,
- diseases of the endocrine system,
- diseases of the central nervous system,
- renal or heart failure,
- acute appendicitis,
- infectious diseases.
Feeding a child after vomiting
First of all, you need to know what caused the vomiting. Therefore, we strongly advise you to call an ambulance if your child is vomiting. The exception is cases of single vomiting, when you know exactly what caused it (for example, the child overate).
In other cases, an ambulance is needed to rule out the above diseases and poisoning with some dangerous substance. For example, many children die or suffer serious damage to their bodies due to drinking bath soap or other household chemicals.
Despite the fact that for different types of poisoning and other diseases that are accompanied by vomiting, diets vary, there are general principles of nutrition during vomiting and in the coming days after.
First day (food for vomiting)
In the near future after vomiting, even if the condition has stabilized, it is better to limit yourself to compote and water; this regimen can be followed for up to a day without harm to the baby’s health.
Usually food is given a few hours after the vomiting stops, and, of course, at the request of the child. Don't give him food if he doesn't want it. Liquid dietary porridge (oatmeal, rice, buckwheat) is what a child can eat after vomiting, after some time.
You need to add food a little at a time, literally a tablespoon at a time, taking breaks of 2-2.5 hours.
Second day after vomiting
On the second day, in addition to cereals, you can start giving your child pureed baked apples and boiled vegetables such as carrots and broccoli. Food should be made liquid, processed in a blender, to relieve the digestive system.
In addition, food must be boiled or steamed, with the exception of bananas, which can be eaten as raw puree. A piece of soaked biscuits or homemade white crackers will not be harmful. The portions are still small, with a break of 2.5 hours.
The child may develop an appetite and may ask for something more or more without being able to eat as much food. This is normal and means he is getting better. But you should not make any mistakes in your diet so that the delicate mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines do not become inflamed again.
As a drink, you can add chamomile tea to your diet, which has an anti-inflammatory effect and helps improve the functioning of the digestive system.
Fourth and fifth days
The child can be gradually returned to the usual portions. Food should still be dietary, low-fat, healthy. The child should eat every 3 hours and eat exactly enough food to satisfy his hunger.
Any overfeeding is harmful not only during the recovery period, but also as such. We must remember that a child’s body is delicate and still growing. Many doctors believe that the basis of a child’s health is formed in the first 7 years of life.
Fractional nutrition allows you to maintain organs and systems in good working condition without overloading.
- fatty, fried, smoked, peppered, salty and sweets: any homemade food prepared in this way, lard, fatty meat and fish, store-bought waffles, candies, crackers, ice cream, chocolate, etc. (it is generally better not to give this to children),
- one-day kefir, whole milk, prunes, legumes, nuts, carbonated drinks, black bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh juices, eggs, yeast and fresh baked goods (all this causes fermentation and, as a result, abdominal pain or repeated vomiting),
- various sauces,
- canned food,
- vegetable and butter (can only be added in small quantities to dishes on the 5th-6th day),
- cabbage soup, borscht,
- black tea, cocoa,
- pasta (can be added in small quantities to soups).
So, knowing what to feed your child after vomiting, and what foods it is not advisable to give, you will provide your child with a quick and easy recovery without spasms and bloating, with the least burden on the gastrointestinal tract.
Before you think about a diet for vomiting in a child, you need to find out the cause. Nausea and vomiting are manifestations of various diseases: food poisoning, infection, pathology of the stomach and intestines, biliary dyskinesia, head injury. Vomiting often accompanies physiological moments of children's growth: teething, reaction to fear, stress.
Trying to feed the child better, adults forget that the baby’s digestion is not ready for the effects of spices, fried foods, fatty creams, ice cream, and chocolate. Only at 3 years (in some children the process stretches up to 5 years) do the organs produce a sufficient amount of enzymes, and the necessary reflex connections are established for the complete digestion of food.
Source: https://moy-zheludok.ru/pitanie/pitanie-posle-rvoty-u-rebenka-6-let
Fourth and fifth days
The child can be gradually returned to the usual portions. Food should still be dietary, low-fat, healthy. The child should eat every 3 hours and eat exactly enough food to satisfy his hunger. Any overfeeding is harmful not only during the recovery period, but also as such. We must remember that a child’s body is delicate and still growing. Many doctors believe that the basis of a child’s health is formed in the first 7 years of life. Fractional nutrition allows you to maintain organs and systems in good working condition without overloading.
- fatty, fried, smoked, peppered, salty and sweets: any homemade food prepared in this way, lard, fatty meat and fish, store-bought waffles, candies, crackers, ice cream, chocolate, etc. (it is generally better not to give this to children),
- one-day kefir, whole milk, prunes, legumes, nuts, carbonated drinks, black bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh juices, eggs, yeast and fresh baked goods (all this causes fermentation and, as a result, abdominal pain or repeated vomiting),
- various sauces,
- canned food,
- vegetable and butter (can only be added in small quantities to dishes on the 5th-6th day),
- cabbage soup, borscht,
- black tea, cocoa,
- pasta (can be added in small quantities to soups).
So, knowing what to feed your child after vomiting, and what foods it is not advisable to give, you will provide your child with a quick and easy recovery without spasms and bloating, with the least burden on the gastrointestinal tract.
Before you think about a diet for vomiting in a child, you need to find out the cause. Nausea and vomiting are manifestations of various diseases: food poisoning, infection, pathology of the stomach and intestines, biliary dyskinesia, head injury. Vomiting often accompanies physiological moments of children's growth: teething, reaction to fear, stress.
Trying to feed the child better, adults forget that the baby’s digestion is not ready for the effects of spices, fried foods, fatty creams, ice cream, and chocolate. Only at 3 years (in some children the process stretches up to 5 years) do the organs produce a sufficient amount of enzymes, and the necessary reflex connections are established for the complete digestion of food.
What to feed a child after vomiting: review of foods and diet
What to feed a child after vomiting and diarrhea? All parents ask this question, since food poisoning happens to everyone from time to time. No one is 100% protected from them.
Even when preparing food yourself, you cannot be sure of the quality of the products and that the child will not eat something in kindergarten or school, and even with dirty hands.
In this article, we told you what you can eat after a child vomits, when you should start eating, what foods you can eat, and which you should avoid for a while.
Causes of vomiting and diarrhea
Vomiting and diarrhea are common symptoms in children of different age categories. They may be signs of a functional malfunction in the body, an inflammatory or infectious process, intoxication or poisoning .
Any episode of nausea, vomiting or diarrhea that occurs in a child requires parental attention. It is necessary to monitor the baby’s condition and try not to miss any other symptoms.
Below are the main reasons that can cause diarrhea and vomiting in children of different ages:
- Food poisoning. It can develop due to consumption of stale and poor-quality food, also due to the child’s failure to observe basic personal hygiene. Poisoning is manifested by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, increased formation of gases in the intestines, and abdominal pain. This condition can occur without fever.
- Intestinal infection (salmonellosis, dysentery, rotavirus infection, etc.). These diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms that can even be found in fresh foods. For example, the source of salmonellosis are eggs, dairy or meat products. An intestinal infection is manifested by profuse watery diarrhea, which may be streaked with blood, mucus, nausea, severe abdominal pain and fever. If left untreated, severe dehydration develops.
- Acetone syndrome is a condition in which the level of ketone bodies in the blood increases. This disease develops in children under 7 years of age. A characteristic symptom is the smell of acetone from the baby’s mouth and urine.
- Child overheating, heatstroke or sunstroke. This condition can be manifested by vomiting, tachycardia, and occasional diarrhea may occur. Children under 6 years of age are more sensitive to the effects of the sun and high temperatures. Due to high sweating, they develop electrolyte imbalance and experience rapid fluid loss.
- Inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (pancreatitis, gastritis, cholecystitis). These pathologies were previously considered more “adult”. But over the past 10-20 years, their age category has changed dramatically. Poor quality food, ecology, and chemicals have “rejuvenated” these diseases. For example, there are frequent cases of chronic gastritis in a child aged 4 years or pancreatitis in a child aged 2 years.
- Intolerance to any food products, food allergies. For example, your baby's digestive system may not be able to digest dairy products or gluten. Most often, such individual characteristics are identified in a child at an early age, and parents, knowing about them, carefully plan the diet.
A child may vomit from a feeling of disgust towards something or during crying or a nervous experience. Children under 5 years of age often vomit due to high fever due to ARVI and influenza. It is necessary to monitor the condition of your baby and try to understand the cause of his symptoms.
A child doesn’t eat well after poisoning, what to feed him?
There is nothing better than mother's milk for infants. If a baby under 1 year of age has already been fed, complementary feeding should be abandoned during treatment.
All necessary recommendations for the treatment of poisoning in infants should be obtained from a pediatrician.
With mild forms of the disease at 2–3 years old, a child can be helped independently, but if you are in doubt about choosing safe products, consult a doctor.
The first day after poisoning is the most difficult and responsible. If you manage to eliminate vomiting, do not let your baby starve, but you should eat right. There are a lot of restrictions during this period.
Anything that can cause irritation to the gastric mucosa is prohibited from being given to a child. A strict diet excludes fatty, sweet, fried, salty, sour, etc. You can feed a one-year-old baby rice and oatmeal porridge with water.
Older children (5–6 years old) can be given dried bread.
In the following days, the menu is gradually supplemented with products. When the condition improves, it is allowed to introduce broths and lean meat (preferably chicken and turkey), fermented milk products, and vegetable soups into the diet.
Those with a sweet tooth can be pampered with bananas, baked apples, natural yogurt and berry jelly. After poisoning, dried fruits are very useful.
Dried apricots, dates, prunes, figs - they compensate for the lack of vitamins and stimulate the restoration of the intestinal mucosa.
Basic rules of nutrition for diarrhea and vomiting
A diet after vomiting in a child is not required if this symptom occurs due to disgust, crying or ARVI . In all other cases, it is necessary to draw up a specific menu for the child after vomiting and carefully monitor his diet.
According to the latest WHO protocols, feeding a child with vomiting and diarrhea can begin on the first day of illness. Scientists have proven that hunger does not promote rapid recovery. However, you shouldn’t eat if you feel nauseous or have a complete lack of appetite. Thus, you can provoke a repeated vomiting attack.
A detailed list of food products and diet rules must be discussed with the treating pediatrician. The diet for vomiting in a child, prescribed by a doctor, has individual characteristics and takes into account the disease and condition of the toddler, his age.
Below we have collected general recommendations that can guide you when thinking about nutrition after a child vomits:
- Feed your baby often. Breaks between meals should not exceed 3 hours. If the child is under 3 years old, he should eat every 2 hours. Food should be given in small portions. A single volume of food should not exceed the volume of a child's fist.
- All food and drinks should be at neutral (room) temperature. Hot or cold can irritate the gastric mucosa, cause nausea and abdominal pain.
- All nutrition after vomiting and diarrhea should not only be dietary and light, but also meet the energy needs of the baby’s body. The child needs energy to recover.
- Do not force your child to eat if he feels sick on the first day of illness. But you can’t fast for a long time. Nausea can be caused by hunger and irritation of the stomach walls by hydrochloric acid.
- Eating while vomiting is strictly contraindicated; feeding the baby can be started only after it has stopped. If he vomits, start giving him small amounts of table water to drink. It is best to take a sip every 5-10 minutes. This drinking regime will help the digestive system start up and will prevent increased dehydration .
- The best way to prepare food for your baby is in a double boiler. It can also be boiled or stewed. All dishes should not be spicy or very salty. Spices, seasonings and flavor enhancers are prohibited.
Menu to improve digestion
The list of what children can eat if poisoned is supplemented after a few days with light and nutritious dishes:
- baked apples;
- aromatic berry jelly;
- steam omelette;
- boiled low-fat fish;
- tender cutlets from the steamer.
For the first 5–7 days, the baby is fed fractionally, dividing all volumes of food into 6 times. This way the stomach is not overloaded and digestive juice is released more abundantly. An approximate diet for a child after poisoning is very simple to prepare:
- Breakfast: unsweetened oatmeal porridge in water with 1 teaspoon of butter, 1 boiled egg, jelly, uzvar with crackers.
- Lunch: pureed soup or broth with dried bread, baked potatoes, steamed vegetables.
- Dinner: zucchini or carrot puree, baked apple with cottage cheese, steamed fish.
Small snacks in the form of compote, jelly, and a sandwich with pate will complement the menu. The baby must be offered clean water, sweetened with lemon juice.
What can you eat if you have vomiting and diarrhea?
Nutrition on the first day of illness is very limited . If you are poisoned, you can feed your baby only rice water, dried white bread, or plain biscuits. You can also eat oatmeal, cooked to a slimy consistency.
In case of acute gastritis, pancreatitis or intestinal infection, you can start eating only after the permission of your doctor.
Starting from the second day, the list of permitted foods and dishes expands significantly. It includes:
- Low-fat chicken broth made from sirloin. You can add a little carrots and salt to it.
- Boiled lean chicken, turkey or rabbit meat.
- Apples baked in the oven or microwave.
- Dried white bread.
- Galette cookies.
- Boiled potatoes, carrots, beets, zucchini.
- Bananas.
- Low-fat varieties of hard cheese, cottage cheese, fermented milk products.
- Buckwheat, oatmeal, rice porridge.
- Boiled eggs, steam omelet.
You can add a small amount of refined vegetable oil to ready-made dishes . Butter, margarine, and mayonnaise should be avoided for the period of diet therapy.
Source: https://dkbuu.ru/simptomatika/dieta-posle-rvoty-u-rebenka.html
Briefly about the mechanism and features of the problem
Vomiting begins with a feeling of nausea. The kids are worried and crying. Objectively, you can notice increased salivation, refusal to eat, and increased breathing. The mechanism of vomiting is associated with a reflex, including the simultaneous activation of the center in the medulla oblongata, the muscles of the diaphragm and abdominal wall, contractions of the stomach and the opening of the cardiac sphincter located between the esophagus and stomach.
In different cases, forced reflex cleansing of the stomach can be caused by: intoxication of the body, damage and overexcitation of the brain, ingestion of food that is difficult to digest. Vomiting should be distinguished from spitting up in infants. It is associated with overfeeding, the introduction of new formulas during artificial feeding, and swallowing air during feeding (the position of the baby’s head matters).
If vomiting is followed by diarrhea, then it is more likely due to an infection (rotovirus, influenza, bacterial) or toxins from food poisoning. In each case, the child must be examined by a doctor and prescribed treatment. It is impossible to cope with the disease with diet alone. Parents overestimating their abilities can have a detrimental effect on their children.
Doctors evaluate vomiting as a symptom:
- by frequency (single or repeating);
- connections with food eaten;
- time after feeding;
- the amount and nature of vomit;
- existing impurities of mucus, blood, bile, curdled milk.
The diagnosis takes into account the general condition of the child: fever, activity (weakness, lethargy - signs of intoxication), complaints of pain in the abdomen, head, and the presence of stool disorders. We will give examples of feeding a child when vomiting, which are often recommended by pediatricians, but require correction in each individual case.
Diet after vomiting in a 6 year old child
All mothers and fathers know very well that vomiting in children is not such a rare occurrence.
However, in practice, when faced with an attack, many are simply lost and do not know how to provide first aid to the baby, what to do and where to call.
Authoritative children's doctor Evgeny Komarovsky, author of numerous articles and books on children's health, explains why vomiting happens and what adults should do about it.
About vomiting
Vomiting is a protective mechanism, a reflexive eruption of stomach contents through the mouth (or nose). During an attack, the abdominal press contracts, the esophagus expands, the stomach itself relaxes and pushes everything that is in it up the esophagus.
This rather complex process regulates the vomiting center, which in all people is located in the medulla oblongata. Most often, vomit is a mixture of undigested food debris and gastric juice.
Sometimes they may contain impurities of pus or blood, bile.
The most common cause of childhood vomiting is food poisoning. Vomiting can be observed with various infectious diseases: rotavirus infection, scarlet fever, typhus.
Less commonly, this problem is caused by accumulated toxins; this condition can occur with serious kidney disease.
Other causes of vomiting include diseases of the stomach and intestines, neurological diagnoses, and head injuries.
In children, vomiting can often be provoked by severe emotional shocks.
Doctors distinguish several types of infant vomiting:
- Cyclic vomiting (acetonemic).
- Renal.
- Hepatogenic.
- Diabetic.
- Cardiac.
- Psychogenic.
- Cerebral.
- Bloody.
In most cases, vomiting in children begins at night. The baby wakes up from severe nausea. In this situation, it is important not to be scared or confused. Parents' actions should be calm and confident.
The younger the child, the more dangerous vomiting is for him, since dehydration can occur, which can be fatal for children.
A single vomiting (without any additional symptoms) in a child should not cause much concern for parents, says Evgeny Komarovsky.
The fact is that this is how the body “cleanses” itself of accumulated toxins and food elements that the child could not digest.
However, parental inaction can be fraught with tragic consequences in cases where vomiting is repeated, as well as if there are other symptoms indicating disorders in the body.
The most common cause of vomiting in children is food poisoning. Poison can enter a baby’s body through various foods: dairy, meat, seafood, vegetables and fruits.
In the vast majority of cases, the gag reflex is caused by nitrates and pesticides used on fruits and vegetables. Even very high-quality meat products can cause severe poisoning if they are prepared incorrectly.
Evgeny Komarovsky emphasizes that the first symptoms of food poisoning usually begin to appear between 4 and 48 hours after eating. Quite often, you can stop vomiting caused by food on your own, at home.
At the first symptoms of poisoning, enteral detoxification with the enterosorbent Enterosgel must be used as first aid. After administration, Enterosgel moves through the gastrointestinal tract and, like a porous sponge, collects toxins and harmful bacteria.
Unlike other sorbents, which must be thoroughly diluted with water, Enterosgel is completely ready for use and is a delicate gel-like paste that does not injure the mucous membrane, but envelops and promotes its restoration.
This is important because poisoning is often accompanied by exacerbation of gastritis, which causes the lining of the stomach and intestines to become inflamed.
However, Evgeny Komarovsky reminds that there are situations in which mothers and fathers should not engage in independent healing. Medical attention is required:
- Children from 0 to 3 years old.
- Children who vomit due to elevated body temperature.
- Children who have vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain (all or just some of the symptoms) have lasted for more than two days.
- Children who are not “alone” in their illness (if other household members have similar symptoms
There are situations in which a child needs emergency medical attention as soon as possible. You should call an ambulance in one or more of the following conditions:
- Vomiting occurred after eating mushrooms.
- The vomiting is so intense that the baby cannot drink water.
- Vomiting is accompanied by clouding of consciousness, incoherent speech, poor coordination of movements, yellowing of the skin, dry mucous membranes, and the appearance of a rash.
- Vomiting is accompanied by visual enlargement (swelling) of the joints.
- Against the background of repeated vomiting, there is no urination for more than 6 hours, the urine has a dark tint.
- Vomit and (or) feces contain impurities of blood and pus.
While waiting for the doctor to arrive, the child should be placed on his side so that during the next vomiting attack the child does not choke on the vomit. The baby should be held in your arms, on its side. There is no need to give any medications.
In order for the doctor to quickly understand the true cause of the child’s condition, parents must remember in as much detail as possible what the baby ate over the last 24 hours, what he drank, where he was and what he did.
In addition, mom and dad will have to carefully examine the vomit in order to then tell the doctor about its color, consistency, whether there is an unusual smell, whether there are any impurities of blood or pus in it.
Analyzing color
Dark vomit (the color of coffee grounds) may indicate serious stomach problems, including peptic ulcers.
If there is an admixture of bile in the masses and there is a bitter-sweet smell, one may suspect a problem with the gallbladder and biliary tract.
The green color of the vomit may indicate the neurological nature of the reflex; vomiting also occurs in a severe stressful situation, when the child cannot cope with anxiety and emotions in any other way.
It is recommended to leave samples of vomit and feces of a sick child until the doctor arrives in order to show them to a specialist. This will facilitate the fastest and most accurate diagnosis of the true cause of the condition.
Vomiting in an infant may be a completely natural process of developing digestive functions, but it is better if it is diagnosed by a doctor. Komarovsky emphasizes that vomiting in infants is often a completely expected cause of banal overeating if parents are too zealous in their desire to feed their child more and more calories.
Vomiting can also be of another nature - allergic, traumatic, and also inflammatory. In other words, this reflex accompanies a great variety of different diseases, some of which require prompt hospitalization followed by surgical care, and therefore vomiting attacks should not be underestimated.
So, parents should make every effort not to stop vomiting at any cost and try to treat something with folk remedies, but to carefully observe. It will be just great if they can provide the following information to the doctor who comes to the call:
- Frequency and periodicity of attacks (at what intervals does vomiting occur, how long does it last).
- Does the child feel better after the next attack, does the abdominal pain decrease?
- What is the approximate volume of vomit, its color and whether there are any impurities.
- What has the baby been sick with over the past year, over the past two weeks?
- What did the baby eat, and do the parents suspect food poisoning?
- Has the child's weight changed over the past 2 weeks?
Source: https://shokomania.ru/dieta-posle-rvoty-u-rebenka-6-let/
Briefly about the mechanism and features of the problem
Vomiting begins with a feeling of nausea. The kids are worried and crying. Objectively, you can notice increased salivation, refusal to eat, and increased breathing. The mechanism of vomiting is associated with a reflex, including the simultaneous activation of the center in the medulla oblongata, the muscles of the diaphragm and abdominal wall, contractions of the stomach and the opening of the cardiac sphincter located between the esophagus and stomach.
In different cases, forced reflex cleansing of the stomach can be caused by: intoxication of the body, damage and overexcitation of the brain, ingestion of food that is difficult to digest.
Vomiting should be distinguished from spitting up in infants.
It is associated with overfeeding, the introduction of new formulas during artificial feeding, and swallowing air during feeding (the position of the baby’s head matters).
If vomiting is followed by diarrhea, then it is more likely due to an infection (rotovirus, influenza, bacterial) or toxins from food poisoning. In each case, the child must be examined by a doctor and prescribed treatment. It is impossible to cope with the disease with diet alone. Parents overestimating their abilities can have a detrimental effect on their children.
Doctors evaluate vomiting as a symptom:
- by frequency (single or repeating);
- connections with food eaten;
- time after feeding;
- the amount and nature of vomit;
- existing impurities of mucus, blood, bile, curdled milk.
The diagnosis takes into account the general condition of the child: fever, activity (weakness, lethargy - signs of intoxication), complaints of pain in the abdomen, head, and the presence of stool disorders. We will give examples of feeding a child when vomiting, which are often recommended by pediatricians, but require correction in each individual case.
Nutrition rules
Nutrition for vomiting in a child is as follows. Until the causes of vomiting are clarified, parents should be guided in their diet by the general principles of helping their child with vomiting. The body must not be dehydrated.
With vomiting and diarrhea, children lose water and electrolytes. After vomiting, a process of dehydration begins in the child’s tissues, which can quickly lead to a state of shock. Therefore, even between vomiting, it is necessary to give slightly acidified water and saline solutions to drink.
Some of the liquid will have time to be absorbed from the stomach.
To restore digestion, a short pause (unloading) is necessary. One-year-old children and infants need a break of 5–6 hours in the intake of food. A child 2 years of age or older may need to fast for 24 hours. When to start feeding a child who is vomiting will be determined by his condition.
Subsequent feeding should correspond in diet and quality of preparation to the most gentle effect on the stomach and intestines (grinding food, liquid consistency, ban on fried foods, sweets). You should not load the child's stomach immediately after vomiting stops. The diet is expanded gradually.
Post-vomiting nutrition for infants
When feeding a baby after a single vomiting, provided that there is no diarrhea, fever, and the child does not respond to palpation of the abdomen (no pain), it is necessary:
- maintain a four-hour “hunger” pause (it can be increased to 6 hours per year);
- stop using all types of complementary foods;
- switch to a feeding schedule with breast milk or the baby’s usual formula, little by little after 2–2.5 hours, while the total volume of milk should be reduced by 1/3;
- Replace the missing part of the food with an aqueous solution.
If vomiting does not recur, on the second day the volume of food is increased, and on the third day it is brought up to the age norm. The frequency of feedings can be reduced. Complementary foods should be introduced only with the permission of the pediatrician.
How to feed preschoolers after vomiting once?
For a child of kindergarten age, the connection with diarrhea and fever (signs indicate a probable infection) is also important. If the general condition after vomiting does not suffer, there is no nausea, the temperature is normal, then after a 5-6 hour break, when only drinks were given, you can be allowed to eat after vomiting:
- liquid porridge cooked in water (oatmeal, rice, buckwheat);
- dried wheat bread without crusts or croutons;
- soft-boiled egg;
- mashed boiled vegetables (potatoes, carrots, zucchini);
- pureed fresh low-fat cottage cheese;
- kefir.
It is better to abstain from fermented milk mixtures with added fruits and berries. Porridge and kefir are allowed to be slightly sweetened.
From the second day, in the absence of repeated vomiting, the menu expands to include low-fat soups and boiled minced meat dishes (cutlets, meatballs, meatballs). Add butter to the puree.
It is necessary to exclude the possibility of overfeeding. The child develops an appetite and asks to eat something “tasty.”
Nutrition rules
Nutrition for vomiting in a child is as follows. Until the causes of vomiting are clarified, parents should be guided in their diet by the general principles of helping their child with vomiting. The body must not be dehydrated. With vomiting and diarrhea, children lose water and electrolytes. After vomiting, a process of dehydration begins in the child’s tissues, which can quickly lead to a state of shock. Therefore, even between vomiting, it is necessary to give slightly acidified water and saline solutions to drink. Some of the liquid will have time to be absorbed from the stomach.
To restore digestion, a short pause (unloading) is necessary. One-year-old children and infants need a break of 5–6 hours in the intake of food. A child 2 years of age or older may need to fast for 24 hours. When to start feeding a child who is vomiting will be determined by his condition.
Subsequent feeding should correspond in diet and quality of preparation to the most gentle effect on the stomach and intestines (grinding food, liquid consistency, ban on fried foods, sweets). You should not load the child's stomach immediately after vomiting stops. The diet is expanded gradually.
Children 0-6 months
Causes of vomiting
Young children rarely vomit due to food poisoning. When breastfeeding babies, the mother protects the baby from all harmful substances; they, as a rule, do not penetrate into breast milk.
Vomiting often occurs because the baby is overfed or not held upright long enough to allow him to burp. The child’s stomach is full (liquid and/or gas), and a protective reflex is activated. Follow breastfeeding guidelines.
There are a number of reasons why vomiting will be protective, i.e. the body will remove harmful substances:
- the baby is poisoned by poor quality formula, spoiled expressed milk, bad water;
- the mother suffers from severe intoxication and the body cannot cope with removing harmful substances from milk;
- During feeding, the baby swallows a lot of blood or pus from the mother's breast.
Feeding principles
What can you feed such a small child after vomiting?
First, try to find out the reason; the baby is not able to make complaints on his own that would lead to a correct assumption.
In some cases, the baby is not poisoned and maintains normal activity. This symptom is a sign of functional disorders in the digestive tract, its immaturity.
There is no need to give water during breastfeeding; this is often the cause of regurgitation. The baby gets everything he needs from his mother’s milk; a large amount of excess water “overloads” the stomach.
If your baby constantly vomits soon after feeding, try reducing the amount of food per day: feed more often, but in smaller portions. You need to feed an hour and a half after profuse vomiting; prolonged fasting is very harmful for babies.
You can give a special adapted mixture - anti-reflux. Sold in pharmacies, it is used in feeding children who often regurgitate and cannot retain food.
If you experience frequent regurgitation (vomiting), visit your pediatrician: ask about all your questions, tell us about your existing problems; A specialist will be able to give specific recommendations that are right for you. In some cases, it is possible to establish what exactly is happening to the baby and help him only after a specialized examination.
A rise in temperature, lethargy, refusal to eat, vomiting with bloody or purulent inclusions and a decrease in diuresis (urine volume) should alert young parents. If such a small child is poisoned, it is necessary to show a doctor.
Children under one year of age are practically defenseless against bacteria and their toxins and require specialized medical supervision. The pediatrician will tell you according to the situation what can be given to the baby and in what quantities.
Most likely, treatment will take place in a hospital. Try not to lose heart, mothers can be with their babies and provide all the necessary care.
Remember, a hungry baby cries loudly and actively sucks the pacifier; within an hour after vomiting, he begins to eat greedily. Although you can’t feed a baby right away when he’s vomiting, the baby won’t let his parents forget that he was hungry. You can handle this situation yourself.
If an hour has passed since the moment of profuse vomiting (he couldn’t retain anything he ate), and the baby is sleeping and reacts poorly to being disturbed, call an ambulance. Fever does not always accompany severe food poisoning in infants.
How to feed preschoolers after vomiting once?
For a child of kindergarten age, the connection with diarrhea and fever (signs indicate a probable infection) is also important. If the general condition after vomiting does not suffer, there is no nausea, the temperature is normal, then after a 5-6 hour break, when only drinks were given, you can be allowed to eat after vomiting:
- liquid porridge cooked in water (oatmeal, rice, buckwheat);
- dried wheat bread without crusts or croutons;
- soft-boiled egg;
- mashed boiled vegetables (potatoes, carrots, zucchini);
- pureed fresh low-fat cottage cheese;
- kefir.
Diet for food poisoning
The diet after vomiting in case of poisoning is as follows. The diagnosis is made on the basis of identifying a connection with the consumption of poor-quality products, violation of the rules of storage and processing of food. At home, the cause is often expired dairy products and canned food.
- rosehip decoction;
- weak herbal tea with chamomile, linden blossom, sage;
- ordinary boiled water;
- dried fruits compote.
Pediatricians use the rule to calculate the fluid required for a child of the first three years: after each vomiting and loose stool, the body needs 100 ml. In the same cases, older children are shown 150–200 ml. After the break, the usual milk formulas and rice water are added to the breast milk. For 3–4 days, maintain a reduced total food volume by 15–20%. It is replaced by liquid.
Monitoring a child requires timely identification of signs of the onset of dehydration:
- dry tongue;
- thirst;
- persistent lethargy;
- decreased frequency of urination.
Acetone crisis
What to feed a child after vomiting associated with an acetone crisis? Acetonemic conditions in childhood are caused by the expenditure on the formation of energy, except carbohydrates, fats with breakdown into ketone bodies, and a deviation towards acidosis (acidosis) of the body. Attacks of vomiting occur against this background up to 8 times a day. Acetone is excreted in breath and urine.
Food required:
- abundant intake of carbohydrates through sweet tea, compote, juice, and the use of a standard glucose solution;
- a break in food for 10–12 hours;
- from the second day, a diet containing easily digestible carbohydrates is prescribed (in addition to drinking 1–1.5 liters, sweet jelly, porridge, cottage cheese, fruit puree, a little jam, baked apple, dry cookies are added;
- restrictions apply to meat and fish dishes, eggs, fresh baked goods, sour berries and fruits (rosehip, currant, kiwi decoction);
- The frequency of feedings should be every 3 hours.
From the fourth day after the attack, vegetable soups, soft-boiled eggs, low-fat cottage cheese, fermented milk products, chicken and fish dishes are allowed. For another month, the child should follow a therapeutic diet: eat pureed dishes, exclude any fatty foods, canned food, and frying.
Nutrition of a child with rotavirus infection
Infection with rotaviruses has a serious impact on the condition of the child’s intestines and stomach. Vomiting and diarrhea are quickly complicated by dehydration. Infants, premature children, and those lagging behind in physical development suffer especially hard. Rotavirus is distinguished by its ability to suppress the production of enzymes that allow the digestion of lactose in milk. Therefore, pediatricians recommend temporarily stopping breastfeeding babies up to one year old and switching to lactose-free formula or soy-based complementary foods.
The child should be given 50–70 ml of liquid to drink every half hour. In the first days the baby has no appetite, but he drinks with pleasure. Therefore, it is recommended to alternate between rosehip infusion, tea, water, rice infusion, and non-rich chicken broth. Any fatty and rough foods are excluded from the menu. All dishes are prepared pureed, boiled, pureed.
The possibility of expanding the diet is determined by the doctor depending on the relief of acute symptoms of intestinal inflammation and reduction of intoxication. Vomiting in children may depend on a bruise or concussion, or mental trauma. Here, diet is powerless; you need to see a doctor as soon as possible and not overestimate your nutritional capabilities.
A child's nutrition should be approached very responsibly. Babies react sharply to food that is offered to them for the first time. If products of dubious quality enter a child’s stomach, serious consequences for the body can occur. When a child vomits, this means that the internal defense is working: the body is trying to rid the stomach of harmful elements.
Help for a child should be comprehensive. After the vomiting reaction has been stopped, parents must decide for themselves a natural question: what to feed the child after vomiting. There was a disruption in the functioning of internal organs. In this case, it is necessary to support a weak body and restore normal digestion.
Vomiting in an infant - causes and what to do
I would like to start with the fact that vomiting in a baby can be harmless, for example, due to ordinary overeating, but it can also be a serious symptom that absolutely cannot be ignored.
First of all, vomiting threatens extreme dehydration of the child’s body. Just think - having lost just 10% of the body's basic water content, the child is in mortal danger.
We will now look at what common causes of vomiting in newborns exist.
If the child is vomiting and the child does not want to take the breast/formula, the child is lethargic, the child has vomiting and fever, the baby vomits more than three times a day - in this case, you should not self-medicate, but call an ambulance.
Overfeeding
This is the single most harmless type of vomiting, otherwise called regurgitation. If a child has eaten an amount of food that his stomach is not able to accommodate and digest, the baby will simply vomit some of what he has eaten. Regurgitation from vomiting differs in that it does not splash out with force, but sometimes simply flows out of the child’s mouth.
What to do in this case?
Do not overfeed your baby or shake or bathe him or her after eating. Half an hour of quiet time is enough, after which you can engage in active activities and activities with your child.
Hygiene and diet of a nursing mother
The quality of breast milk - and, consequently, the health of the baby - depends on how the nutrition of a young mother is organized. The mother's consumption of fatty, salty, spicy foods undoubtedly affects the composition of breast milk and can lead not only to vomiting, but also to disruption of the digestive process.
Therefore, every mother, regardless of how the baby reacts to breastfeeding, whether he has allergic reactions or not, must follow the recommendations for proper nutrition. (Read about nutrition and diet)
Changing mixtures
Very often, vomiting in children 1 year of age can be caused by a change in formula. The child’s body, accustomed to the composition of one mixture, may “resist” and not accept another mixture. If you frequently change the milk formula, the problem may be limited not only to vomiting, but also to more serious disorders (allergies, dysbacteriosis, gastrointestinal dysfunction).
Nutrition after vomiting in the first days
When the vomiting has been stopped, the question arises: can the baby eat? Here experts are extremely unanimous: it is imperative to eat.
At first, the child needs a gentle diet to restore the body. A child's stomach is not ready to accept regular food right away. Parents are advised to consider preventing difficult-to-digest foods from entering the weakened digestive tract. These include:
- meat and fish dishes;
- fruit juices;
- grapes, pears, plums;
- any sweets;
- fresh baked goods and all flour products;
- raw vegetables;
- fats in the form of sunflower and butter;
- millet, barley and pearl barley;
- sausages and smoked products;
- sparkling waters.
On the first day, drinking plenty of water is a powerful weapon against illness: boil rose hips, prepare weak, slightly sweetened tea, or make a medicinal water-salt solution. This could be Glucosolan, Oralit or Regidron. For each kilogram of body weight, a child can be given no more than 170 g of solution. Portions should be 1-2 teaspoons, otherwise there is a risk of renewed vomiting.
Stomach function will improve quickly if you offer your child to eat in small portions:
- bananas;
- baked apples;
- decoction of dried fruits;
- boiled broccoli and carrots;
- yoghurts with no additives;
- kefir without oxidation.
Features of preparing food for a child after vomiting
The main task of products that a child consumes 24–48 hours after vomiting is to be well absorbed and not to irritate the mucous membrane of the child’s stomach. For this purpose, food for the baby is crushed with a blender or using a strainer.
Cereals should be brought to a boiled state; small children can grind them into jelly. Rice and oatmeal decoctions will have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the child’s gastric tract. Mashed potatoes and all kinds of porridges should not contain sugar. The most valuable food is freshly prepared food.
All food that parents give the child to eat in the very first days after vomiting is stewed, boiled, or steamed. Hot food is extremely undesirable, however, like cold food - the delicate walls of the stomach can be injured.
And don’t forget: your child won’t want to eat right away.
How to eat if you are poisoned or have an intestinal infection
The main goal of the diet for acute intestinal problems:
- maximum mechanical, chemical and temperature gentle treatment of the gastrointestinal tract, reduction of fermentation processes;
- food must have enveloping, sorbing, astringent properties;
- food should be pureed, without coarse fibers that stimulate motor skills;
- the food is warm, but not cold or hot;
- eating food should not require large enzyme expenditures (in case of poisoning, the pancreas produces fewer enzymes), put a strain on the liver (fatty, fried, spicy). Strict exclusion of all varieties of dairy and fermented milk products.
My diet tips on poisoning days:
- Listen to yourself or observe your child's needs. If you don’t feel like eating, then in the first days of the acute period - only sorbents and drinking electrolyte mixtures.
- If you are still hungry and eating does not cause increased bowel movements and vomiting, follow the food requirements indicated above.
- Enter foods in a specific order.
- Slowly return to your normal diet within 2 weeks. Why smoothly if you want cucumbers and cutlets? In order not to undermine the digestive organs, which are working at the limit, otherwise the inflammatory process may become chronic or last longer.
Accordingly, you will not absorb and synthesize vitamins longer, the incoming food will be digested worse, creating allergies and skin problems.
- The ideal product for absorption is cereals, in our case - polished white rice, buckwheat, oatmeal. Ground, boiled for a long time in water. Cereals are better at restoring microflora.
If you feel nauseous and vomiting, or grains stagnate in the stomach for a long time, causing heaviness (and there is hunger), you can eat fast-carbohydrate, starchy foods: wheat crackers, dry cereals, instant baby cereals (buckwheat, rice), mashed potatoes (yams, parsnips), starchy non-sour jelly. They are better for absorption, but worse for microflora.
- Drink tea, cocoa without sugar or additives, eat blueberries. These products are rich in tannin, which has astringent properties. However, do not overdo it: tannin is also dehydrating. Herbs like St. John's wort or chamomile are quite suitable.
- Refined sugar is undesirable, as it stimulates the growth of “bad” microflora, but in small quantities it is, for example, included in electrolyte mixtures.
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Diet
After 48 hours you can enter into the children's menu:
- Curd mass, no more than 20 g.
- Vegetable puree.
- Dishes with liquid or semi-liquid consistency (low-fat soups).
- Protein-rich foods (shredded boiled meat).
- Baked or steamed dishes.
Do not force your child to eat against his will!
The child should eat at least 7 times a day every 2.5 hours. Any amount of food eaten by the baby can be regarded as the norm. Every day the child's appetite will improve.
A return to a normal diet occurs 4-5 days after the end of vomiting. A diet and a gentle eating regimen require adherence to a cycle of 2-3 weeks after illness.
Nutritional features of children under one year old
Children who are breastfed with complementary foods do not need additional nutrition during vomiting. Formula-fed babies digest rice and buckwheat mixtures with milk well.
Porridge made from buckwheat and rice is good for six-month-old children. They should be boiled in water and milk in a 1:1 ratio. Complementary feeding is allowed to be included in the baby’s menu after vomiting stops: this should be done gradually. The nutrition of a child aged 7-8 months requires the presence, in addition to porridge, of meat soufflé, vegetable puree, and fluffy cream soup.
Parents would be wise to trust the child's own needs and not put pressure on him regarding the quality and quantity of food. Let the baby eat as much as he wants and whatever he wants.