"my tummy hurts"

[soccermama]

Do you think that a 3 year old can differentiate between gas and his tummy actually hurting? It started on Saturday afternoon. DS kept saying that his tummy hurt, but he hadn't eaten much all day. He had pooped twice, so it couldn't have been constipation. Throughout the day, he would take one or two bits of this and that and then I felt his forehead and he felt very warm. Turns out, he had a 102 temp. So we took it easy, he had dinner - actually gobbled that up, took some Motrin and then he was off playing soccer and basketball in his room like nothing was wrong.

Same thing happened again yesterday. He ate a ton of eggs for breakfast, but didn't want lunch and didn't really have much of a dinner. I took his temp again yesterday afternoon and it was 101. We again took some more Motrin, kept him well hydrated, and he was playing with his grandparents like everything was okay - his tummy wasn't hurting anymore - and he said he "felt good".

He was a little restless around midnight but ended up sleeping in an extra hour than normal this morning. Took his temp this morning and he had none. H took him to school and he wasn't too thrilled being left there so we're imagining that from him getting worked up that his temperature will return.

He's not complaining of his ear hurting or throat or anything like that. Just his tummy. So I'm wondering if we should really 'force' him to eat something...buy Pediasure to make sure that he is getting his nutrition. All he wants is milk and juice and Teddy Grahams.

[4evermom]

You really can't tell by a morning temperature if a child is completely well. Temperatures are normally lower in the morning, so a normal morning temperature could just mean he's past the worst of the fever not that his temperature won't go up again in the afternoon. The rule of thumb I always heard is 24 hours fever free. And it's completely normal to not feel good, be more emotional, have less energy/stamina for a few days after being sick. I'd just follow the child's lead about his appetite and encourage liquids.

[*Jessica*]

Nik (age 5) was sick last week with exactly what you describe. He said his tummy hurt and he had a fever, but he had no other symptoms. Except for two instances where his fever went up over 102, he was happy and playing. He ate less than normal because his tummy hurt, but we were sure to keep him hydrated. He was sick for three days, I think.

I definitely wouldn't force your son to eat something, and I wouldn't worry about Pediasure for something that's only been going on for a couple of days. It sounds like he has the same virus my son had and I bet he's back to normal in a day or two.