2yo vomits once at night, fine during day

[GingerMum15]

So, the week before Christmas, my Son was unusually tired one day and I let him have a nap, he woke from this nap and vomited(unsure whether he woke because he vomited or vomited on awaking). For the following 4 nights he vomited in the middle of the night (seemingly in his sleep) but would go right back to sleep no problem!

This ended on Christmas Eve. Since then there have been no issues, so I wrote it off!
Now since Wednesday night (4 nights ago), the same thing has happened! He is sick once a night. I took him to his GP who basically said he couldn't say what was wrong, it's too vague. He didn't even try and think about it.

To me this seems very strange (but he's my first, I'm a single parent, I could be wrong). He has been a little more clingy, he hasn't tried any new foods or ingested anything dodgy. He was sent home from nursery on Friday due to a runny bum, but I'm assuming that's because he's throwing up nightly and it's upset his bowels?

Something just feels off, he's completely fine otherwise, so I don't understand it!

[SleepingStandingUp]

What time does he have last food / drink vs bed vs vomit?
Is the sick snotty or slimy?

Huge sympathy for middle of the night bed and toddler change, its shit especially when its every night. Hope you still have waterproof sheets under his sheet x

[halfwitpicker]

Sympathy, it's rubbish when they're sick.

No real advice really. DD is 1 and for the past three nights has been sick just before bed. Maybe she has a touch of gastro (but weird she's sick only before bedtime??) so we've changed the food that she's been having for supper. You could try that? Might be allergies?

[Argeles]

Is there a particular food or drink that he has been consuming on the nights when he has been sick? Try and think back, and keep a food diary for him starting from now and see if you can link it to anything.

Could he be suffering from heartburn/reflux, and the action of laying down in bed is causing him to be sick? This has happened to me before.

Is there anything he could be allergic to in his bedroom?

Is it always the same kind of time he is vomiting?

[GingerMum15]

Thanks for sympathy! He's in my bed as I'm petrified of him choking! So I've got him on towels 🙈 but yeah he's not eaten anything past 6pm and he went to sleep at 9pm tonight (wouldn't settle!).

He literally just threw up without moving, I've changed him and the towels now he's fast asleep again. Just don't understand where it's coming from. So frustrating as I'm scared to sleep too, for fear of him throwing up!

[GingerMum15]

It's not the same time, just anytime between midnight and 6am. There's no common factors with food either, we already have a diary at home and at nursery. I'm just scared its more serious than just vomiting!

[robindeer]

It's probably nothing serious, most likely reflux as PPs have suggested, but I would go back to your GP and ask for a referral to paediatrics, specifically to rule out any neurological cause. Explain the symptoms, including the timing of him being sick, and tell them you would like a CT scan. There are some rare causes of symptoms like this which are easily dismissed (due to their rarity) but worth pushing to have checked out. Good luck getting to the bottom of it, and I hope he's better soon

[SleepingStandingUp]

What is the vomit like?

[GingerMum15]

SleepingStandingUp - the first time it was chunks. Each time since it has been pure liquid! But he hasn't eaten much if anything in 30 hours, just water and milk. So that's probably why the consistency has changed

[GingerMum15]

@robindeer thank you! He's already under paeds for a learning development referral, but will definitely push and ask for a referral for this!

[ObiJuanKenobi]

Oh god we've had this the past two weeks with our 22 month old twins!
Tonight twin 1 threw up at 11 - full cot change, bath..etc
Got them both back settled, turned the light off and like clock work twin 2 threw up everywhere
Now they're both wide awake and every cough makes my heart stop that someone's going to go again.

[italiancortado]

The week before Christmas your son probably had a bug. This week, he probably has another. I can't see anything to indicate there is more to it, and certainly nothing to warrant a referral?

Surely getting tummy bugs is commonplace with children?

[Plumsofwrath]

Is he vomiting in a retching way (using lots of muscles, throwing the vomit out far, gagging a bit), or is it a more gentle bringing up of food (opens his mouth and out it comes)? Does he have a temperature? Does he sleep on his front?

If you were to put him back in his cot and raise the head end a bit, do you think he would still vomit?

It’s odd that this happens when he’s in deep sleep, lying down, all muscles relaxed. Presumably during the day he’s upright apart from his nap, which I guess doesn’t see him as profoundly asleep as his nighttime sleep.

[NeverTalksToStrangers]

Is he having milk before bed just? My eldest had a couple of tummy bugs where he then seemed to have a temporary lactose intolerance afterwards. Happened my friends dd a couple of weeks ago too. Fine but being sick after milk.

Get some lactofree milk in supermarket. Tastes the same, not too expensive. See if that makes a difference.

[SleepingStandingUp]

Wondering if it was a phlegm kind of vomit but just sounds like its what's in his tummy. I think trust your gut, you know him. Keep an eye on fluid levels, wet nappies and temperature too

[GingerMum15]

He's not retching or coughing. He can't control it. He just vomits with absolutely no warning. His tummy contents just come right up! He sleeps both front and back depending on how he feels, he sleeps on a pretty plump pillow so his head is usually raised !

@italiancortado I am not saying it isn't a bug, but anytime time he had a sick bug, the entire family had it too. He was sick all day, all night. It wasn't limited to one episode of vomit per night. It's cyclic. It's strange. So I'm asking for advice. Better safe than writing it off and it's not a bug

[Luckymummy22]

I would maybe try cutting out dairy for 24/48 hours?

Or could he have a sore ear / throat?

My DS could do this at times. We do need to restrict dairy if he’s sick but a few other times it was definitely ear infections x

[GingerMum15]

@LuckyMummy22 this is a very good idea to look into! My gp didn't even look into his ears or throat. He was just not bothered. But he has been rubbing his ear this morning !

[Brandnewstart]

I had this with my son a couple of years ago. Had a tummy bug over Xmas then was sick on and off at night for about 2 months. He isn't very good with dairy, and I read after tummy upsets, some people can become sensitive to lactose so I tried him on lactose free milk and made he is diet plainer (not much sugar or fat as that seemed to trigger it too). It did stop but not sure if it just worked through his system or diet helped.

[minmooch]

Does his vomit smell like vomit? Ie acidic, sharp, nasty smell? Or nothing at all like vomit?

Has his sense of balance changed at all?

Has his sleep pattern changed at all? Ie is he sleeping at odd times, hard to rouse, just seems different?

Is he complaining of a headache?

You are his mum, you know him best, trust your instinct.

[MrsMaisel]

Hi, just to say that rare as it is, and i certainly hope it isn't, night time vomiting can be a sign of brain tumours. assets.headsmart.org.uk/live/media/filer_public/a8/06/a806a964-9a58-4c25-974e-1ab9adc3b487/headsmart_symptoms_card.pdf

[underneaththeash]

DD has something called cyclical vomiting syndrome. Have a look at this webpage.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/cyclical-vomiting-syndrome/

Hers started about 2 and eventually we worked out it as due a combination of tiredness and fruit before bed, so maybe a refluxy thing as suggested by a PP. Eyes are my speciality so i’m just suggesting it as a possibility, but it’s not very well known (my gp had never heard of it, I hadn’t either ).

[FlopIsMyParentingGuru]

In the meantime, get yourself some disposable bed mats for him to sleep on so at least you’re not running yourself ragged with laundry on top of everything else.

Hope that get to the bottom of it soon and echo other people dying don’t give up pushing for more investigations if you’re not reassured by what’s been done so far.

Though it appalls my feminist tendencies, a few well placed tears in an appointment can go well if they aren’t inclined to do anything more...

[Sunshinegirl82]

We have had a very similar thing. DS has had a cold, so far so uneventful. Was sick once last Thursday (woke in the night and was sick), fine all day Friday, Friday night and Saturday, sick again Saturday night (again woke up from being asleep and was sick), fine on Sunday. Went to nursery on Monday, was fine until lunchtime and then was sick twice after his nap and again after he went to bed last night.

I've taken him to the doctors twice and they've said as its still quite short term they think it's a virus but to bring him back if it doesn't stop.

I've read that this is a possible symptom of a brain tumour (although it's rare) so I'm now pretty panicked. I'm planning on asking the GP for a referral on Thursday if it carries on as it will have been a week then.

[minmooch]

Sunshine. Try not to panic. Have a look at the Brain tumour website for more symptoms. It is extremely rare although unfortunately my son had a brain tumour. Being sick at night was only one of the symptoms to look out for. For him it was vomit th

[minmooch]

Sorry pressed too soon.

If your child has an upset stomachs then their sick will smell acrid like vomit normally does. My son when he was sick smelt very different indeed. It was because it was for a different reason (water pressure build up). His balance had been off for a week or so and he had recurrent headaches in the same place. His sleep had also altered dramatically.

Being sick alone at night does not mean he has a brain tumour.

But, but, but you know your child best. If your instinct is screaming that something is wrong then always follow it. My dr took my concerns seriously and had the neuro team on stand by for when I took him to A& e. His symptoms were bad and ticked every one of the things to look out for.

In one respect I hate even suggesting symptom checking but on the other hand my own experience shows that these things hit randomly, out of the blue and with speed.