Does your child suddenly reject the contents of his stomach, and you start to worry? If vomiting is frequent in toddlers, it is not always easy to identify its cause, as they are the common denominator of a multitude of disorders. Most often, they are completely benign. But sometimes, they can be the sign of a serious pathology, and must push to consult urgently. 

Vomiting can be caused by illness, motion sickness or collateral damage from treatment (chemotherapy).

However, it is important not to confuse vomiting with regurgitation. 

What is the difference between these two terms? 

They look alike, but vomiting and regurgitation are not the same thing. Vomiting is often preceded by nausea, the unpleasant feeling of feeling sick to your heart. This is not the case for regurgitation. Due to insufficient closure of the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach, they are very common in infants after breastfeeding. Painless, they do not reflect a pathological state.

Vomiting can come from different causes: 

Gastroenteritis

It is the most common cause of vomiting. It is to be suspected especially during periods of epidemic, this disease being very contagious. Diarrhea is another “flagship” symptom of this disease.

ENT disorder

This can be an ear infection, a sinusitis, or even a nasopharyngitis, for example.

Urinary tract infection

You don’t necessarily think about it, but vomiting in a little girl can be a sign of a urinary tract infection.

Food poisoning

Eating spoiled food can lead to vomiting. The child gets rid of foods that his body has identified as toxic.

Appendicitis

A fever, stomach pain in the lower right, and vomiting, are the main symptoms of an attack of appendicitis, acute inflammation of the appendix.

Stress, anxiety, stage fright

Anxiety can be the cause of vomiting. Everything must then be done to reassure your child.

A migraine or meningitis

It combines jet vomiting, high fever, headache, stiff neck and intolerance to light. We must go to the emergency room.

Intestinal obstruction

This means it’s blocked in the small intestine or colon. It is manifested by increasingly intense stomach pains.

Head trauma

If your child fell from the top of the slide, and his head was unfortunately not spared from the shock. It is necessary to consult immediately.

From motion sickness

Who hasn’t had their child blithely vomiting in the car, especially on a long trip? To prevent your child from “perfuming” the inside of your car, if it is hot, turn on the air conditioning.

Avoid large meals just before hitting the road. Conversely, your child should not be fasting. If he tends to be sick, don’t let him read or play. He must keep his head straight, and look at the landscape in the distance. Take frequent breaks.

In the train or the car, he should sit facing the direction of travel. By boat, it is better to avoid staying indoors. The effectiveness of anti-nausea bracelets, which stimulate acupuncture points, has never been proven. Instead, you can give your child medicine for prevention. Antihistamines that should not be used in children under 2 years of age may be prescribed by their pediatrician, or obtained without a prescription on the advice of the pharmacist. They should be taken half an hour before the start of the trip.

Adverse effects of certain drugs

On its ameli.fr site, the Health Insurance recommends a few rules in the event of vomiting.

The first being to “drink small amounts of salty and sugary drinks throughout the day.” »Split your child’s meals, and if he’s not hungry, don’t force him. Skipping one or two meals is not serious, however, drinking is essential to avoid the number one complication of vomiting, dehydration.

Infants are more at risk. “Use oral rehydration fluids,” advises Health Insurance. These solutes are a combination of water, electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chlorine), alkalizing agents (citrates or bicarbonates) and carbohydrates. They should be present in the medicine cabinet of all parents of young children.

“Make sure your child vomits with his head tilted forward and immediately spits out whatever he has in his mouth to prevent the vomited material from entering the airways,” insists the Vidal dictionary.

A baby should not be put to bed after a meal when he is vomiting. For comfort, brush your child’s teeth and wash their face after they vomit.

In most cases, vomiting stops within a few hours. But when they are accompanied by other worrying signs such as severe abdominal pain, a hard and swollen stomach, fever, stiff neck, intolerance to light, it is necessary to consult without delay.

If your child vomits blood, or if he has signs of dehydration “dry mouth, dark circles, lack of responsiveness and low volume urine”, lists the Health Insurance on its site ameli.fr.

In the event of severe dehydration, hospitalization is required. The child will then be rehydrated intravenously. A doctor should also be seen immediately if the vomiting follows a shock to the head. You must then consult your pediatrician, or contact the emergency medical aid service: 15 or 112.