Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and diarrhea, symptoms of gastroenteritis, usually disappear with rehydration and a strict diet. The child’s immune system is able to fight the infection, so it is usually enough to be treated at home.
Initially, you need to encourage your child to drink a lot of fluids, a few teaspoons every 10 minutes, because he gets dehydrated quickly due to repeated vomiting and diarrhea. Avoid giving him solid food until the vomiting disappears, but only rehydration solutions, simple mint tea or sweetened with glucose, rice juice, plain water.
For a few days, give up fruit juices, carbonated drinks, raw fruits, except bananas, yogurt, cream, milk, cheeses and fatty dairy products, honey, tomatoes, potatoes, sweets, meat, eggs, compotes.
If still formula-fed, the baby needs a type of lactose-free formula for the first 2-3 days. The first solid foods can be banana, baked apple, pretzels, toast, calcium or cow’s cheese, vegetable soup, preferably root vegetables, boiled rice with a little salt and a splash of oil. The rest of the foods are introduced gradually, after 3-4 days, after the first normal stool and as he begins to accept them.
It is possible for the pediatrician to recommend probiotics, antidiarrheals, antithermics, antiemetics (against nausea and repeated vomiting).
How to recognize the signs of complications
If you notice the following situations, go to the pediatrician or the hospital:
– fever (over 39°C),
– dehydration (dry lips, few wet diapers throughout the day, dry and cold skin, sunken eyes),
– an accelerated heart rate (tachycardia),
– pain that encompasses the entire abdomen,
– lethargy, drowsiness, dizziness or, on the contrary, irritability,
– 3-4 diarrheal stools in 24 hours,
– refusal of liquids of any kind,
– nausea and vomiting that exceed 24 hours or their return when solid food is resumed,
– vomiting and diarrhea in children younger than 6 months, because they are prone to dehydration in a short time.
When medical tests are needed
If the health problems appeared during a trip abroad or if there is a suspicion of food poisoning, do a coproparasitological examination. Medical analyzes are also required if nausea, diarrhea and fever have persisted for several days in a row and could not be combated with the usual recommended treatment.
