Preventing vomiting in children

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Extract from the article: Vomiting is not uncommon in young children. Indeed, it's normal for them to develop gastroenteritis at some point, for example, and for vomiting to occur, causing discomfort and concern for parents. Ultimately, vomiting is not uncommon in little...

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Vomiting is not uncommon in young children. Indeed, it's normal for them to develop gastroenteritis at some point, for example, and for vomiting to occur, causing discomfort and concern for parents. Ultimately, vomiting is not uncommon in little ones. However, we need to be alert for warning signs that could indicate complications or major problems. If a child vomits frequently, hydration is a priority. To do this, we need to follow the pediatrician's instructions, adapted to the child's age.

It's important to distinguish between vomiting and regurgitation. While vomiting is the involuntary, effortful return of ingested food to the mouth, regurgitation occurs when the infant or baby has fed too quickly, swallowed air and returned food effortlessly to the mouth. For this reason, it's difficult to distinguish between vomiting and regurgitation. In any case, vomiting can occur at any age, while regurgitation is typical of infants and babies.

In general, vomiting can be said to be beneficial. It's a way of eliminating food that hasn't gone down well or is harmful at the time. However, if the right measures are not taken, it can cause serious problems such as dehydration.

Causes of frequent vomiting in children

The causes of vomiting will depend on the age of the child. However, vomiting in the youngest usually has two main causes, among many others: viral gastroenteritis (caused by an intestinal virus leading to diarrhoea and vomiting) and gastro-oesophageal reflux, which occurs when the baby's still maturing oesophageal sphincter fails to relax, complicating the transit of food and causing reflux and vomiting. What's more, it generally lasts longer than 12 months. Other causes include infections (parasitic such as malaria, bacterial), food intolerance or allergy such as to cow's milk protein, metabolic disorders and intestinal obstructions.

For all these reasons, it's essential to consult a paediatrician to identify the causes of vomiting and treat them as quickly as possible.

Warning signs

Although vomiting can be a one-off event and pass as if nothing had happened, certain symptoms need to be taken into account. If they occur, the child should be taken to the doctor. However, some babies may show irritability and distress, such as abdominal pain and swelling, bloody stools, yellow vomiting or fever.

Prevent possible causes

To avoid vomiting or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, there are a number of things you can do to prevent reflux or vomiting. If you're breast-feeding, you should know that some women have found that eliminating certain foods from their diet reduces the baby's tendency to regurgitate and vomit. If the baby is formula-fed, the pediatrician can be consulted about a change. It's best to feed the child in a position that facilitates the transit of food downwards (upright position) and after feeding, don't rock or move the child too much; feed him more slowly. Especially if the child is bottle-fed, check that the nipples are suitable. The child may feed too quickly.  On the other hand, if you're breastfeeding, it's better to feed your baby more often, but for a shorter time. In this way, you can prevent the baby from having to cope with too much food, by facilitating the descent into the stomach with smaller quantities.

Treatment

Keeping the child hydrated or rehydrating is the first step to take if the child is vomiting. Depending on the child's age and the pediatrician's instructions, the child can be given an oral solution or a liquid diet until he or she recovers. In any case, they should be administered gradually to promote tolerance. The child should not be forced to eat. On the contrary, it's best to wait until he's hungry. For example, after 8 hours without vomiting, you can start introducing soft foods (broths, soups). Always consult your pediatrician and follow his or her instructions.

William O.

Article validated by Dr. Jean Claude Bakpatina, General Practitioner at the “Floreal” clinic in Lomé.