It had been a fairly normal day at my house. We had gone on a lovely Fall walk with a friend and her two little boys. We stopped at a playground, played and ate lunch. Then we walked back to my house. My daughter was sleeping in her crib and my son was doing his hourly quiet time in the basement watching Little Einsteins.
- Wait TWO hours at least after spewing to put anything back into their little digestive systems.
- If two hours have passed and everything’s remained inside (and that’s both ends) then try ice chips and, if you feel necessary, give a few sips of water or very diluted apple juice. Be very careful to not overdo it. Even an ounce of liquid can make the tummy angry and then you’re doing one more load of laundry.
- Everything’s still down and it’s been another 30 minutes to an hour? Then add in some very bland food like Saltine crackers, bananas, etc. Think BRAT diet. (BRAT stands for: Bananas, Rice, Apples or Applesauce, and Toast.) Those are the bland foods to eat when you’re having some digestive tract issues. They’re bland, safe foods.
- Most stomach bugs last one to three days so anything that lasts longer than that requires a trip to the doctor.
- Stay away from Aspirin and Ibuprofen if there’s a fever; both medications can irritate the stomach. If a fever will not break on its own or through other natural measures (lukewarm bath, cool compresses) then try Acetaminophen.
- The key to getting through the stomach nastiness is to stay hydrated. This obviously can’t happen if you can keep anything inside. Try to get some Gatorade down, the electrolytes are needed in remaining hydrated but if that won’t even stay down a trip to the doctor is needed. Kids really are resilient but you don’t want to mess with dehydration. As quickly as they are up and at ‘em again they can be just the opposite when it comes to being dehydrated.
Elizabeth (aka Bert) is a stay-at-home-mom and contributing writer for She Thinks Media. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, Ben, her son Buggie, and daughter Lady Bug. When she’s not trying to convince Buggie to expand his interests beyond Thomas the Train or put his pants back on she’s writing about her experiences as a mom on her blog, First Time Mom (FTM). After all, Bert maintains there’s a first time for everything, even if you have more than one child!
I’m Julie, a former cloth diaper retailer who discovered a passion for the industry. Now, instead of selling cloth diapers, I advocate them and promote small businesses I love who sell and manufacture them.
I’m the wife of a fireman and mother of three. I have a daughter and identical twin sons.
