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2-year-old with stomach flu... any tips?

2K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  5in9years 
#1 ·
My advice is just to nurse all the time! Every chance you get lay down with him give him lots of cuddles and nursing. Also catnip and chamomile tea. Catnip is a relaxant as well as chamomile so it will help him rest. Also at places such as wild oats traditional medicines have made a kids tea line I am sure they have a upset tummy tea made for kids that should help.
 
#3 ·
Jonah has suddenly come down with gastroenteritis. He's thrown up 4 times in about 2.5 hours. He's sleeping now, but I have a bad feeling it's not over.

Considering he can't seem to keep anything down (throws up every 30-45 minutes), what would you all advise in terms of fluid replacement? We're trying to keep him down to tiny sips of milk at the breast, but I'm not sure if there's anything else we can or should be doing.

Oh, and um... I'm phobic (literally, it's called emitophobia) about all things related to throwing up and stomach flu. I can't actually overstate how intense this is: it's literally a lifelong, extreme phobia.

Johanne is taking care of Jonah much more than me, and is the breastfeeding mom, but I'm trying to participate by keeping the laundry going and researching best treatments.
 
#5 ·
Oh mama, I'm so sorry for your little guy!

I suffer from the same phobia, so I understand. Try to stay calm and soothing as best as you can. I struggle with not wanting to instill my own fears in my DDs.

PP are right, you can give him breastmilk. My DD like pedialyte freezer pops the last time this happened. Try giving a tiny, tiny bit at a time, as well. If he keeps it down, offer more every five minutes or so.
 
#6 ·
Thanks, everyone. It's been a really rought night. He's still throwing up every hour or so. I wonder about the wisdom of letting him nurse freely when he can't keep anything down, but on the other hand we of course don't want him to dehydrate.

This too shall pass, right?
 
#8 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by skg_7 View Post
Thanks, everyone. It's been a really rought night. He's still throwing up every hour or so. I wonder about the wisdom of letting him nurse freely when he can't keep anything down, but on the other hand we of course don't want him to dehydrate.

This too shall pass, right?

Best thing for him. It will keep him hydrated AND breastmilk is used so quickly even if it's just in his tummy for a couple of minutes, he's going to get some use out of it.



-Angela
 
#9 ·
Ds just had a bad stomach flu a few weeks ago (he's almost 2). Our naturopath recommended baths with a few chamomile tea bags in the water (she said he will absorb some liquid from the bath). Ds loved the baths, they really seemed to help him feel better. We also nursed plenty; even if he only keeps it down for a little while he will still digest some of it. Probiotics also are a great help once he's feeling a little better, to get good flora back in his gut.
 
#10 ·
Doing laundry is awesome! Yes, that's a wonderful way to help out.

The best thing is to keep them hydrated even if it doesn't stay down. If it lasts longer than a day or so, then you'll want to watch for signs of lethargy and dehydration.

Breastmilk is great as long as he's willing to take it. If he refuses that I would also try an herbal tea to sooth the tummy like chamomile or peppermint. Energy drinks can be overly sugary, but there is one called Recharge that is good. Last year my ds had rotavirus for a week and I did nurse him, but I also gave him some water or the recharge in a dropper... he was to the point where he didn't want to consume anything... So each dropper that he took was helping him recover.

I think the number 1 reason kids end up in the hospital with the stomach flu is due to dehydration. So you're doing good by continuing nursing.
 
#11 ·
Since he's a nursling, I'd continue nursing but give him nothing else. When my kids have a GI bug, I actually don't give them anything at all until they stop puking (providing it's 12 hours or less). When they haven't vomited in quite a while, I do sips of clear liquids-Sprite, jello, something similar.

Once he's past the puking part, you might give him a yogurt. It's good for diarrhea. I wouldn't give other dairy products for a couple days, though, b/c a GI bug can lead to temporary lactose intolerance.
 
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