Sickness

[AnxiousD]

My 4yr old has been sick 5 times in 4hrs. It's all fluid. Is this too many times in a short time and do I need to get him to hospital? I've snuck some dirolite in his water but he hasn't had any yet as he's really sleepy.
I guess it's a bug we have to see out, but how many more times is he sick before I get him seen??
TIA

Honestly? It’s not necessary if he’s keeping down sips and it eases off after 12 hours or so. Especially age 4 rather than a tiny tot. They’re going to be sleepy as it’s night time and theyre unwell. Basin and towels at the ready and water for sips. And hope it isn’t one that spreads through the household and is over for him (and you) soon.

The general rule of thumb is 24 hours or more unless there are other symptoms like diarrhea which leads to dehydration if also vomiting.

As awful as it is, it's about right for a stomach bug in a child, they have the ability to vomit like a 15 year old in the park on a Friday night and fully recover 4 hours later.

He's sussed the dirolite and now won't drink it. I've tried to say its because of the sick taste in his mouth and he needs 10 sips for it to taste better 🙈
I think he's too smart to believe me.
He's awake and chatting. Just hope the tiny sips he's done since the last occasion stays down.
My 9 month old had sickness early hours of yesterday. I guess I'm next....
Thanks for your comments.

He's just been sick again after having sips. I don't know when this is going to stop 😞

You need to go nil by mouth if you can. Couple of hours.

Literally give 5ml of water via a syringe every 10 mins, no more. See if he is sick again within an hour

When my DC was very sick as a baby her blood sugar fell and she had to go to a&e (more medical history i won't go into here).

They couldn't/wouldn't really do anything about the vomitting except say give nothing except tiny syringes of water for a while. You have to starve a bug.

Ok, but I thought I had to keep him hydrated. He's desperate for water but I have to give it on slow amounts.

I think you’re right, OP, that’s the NHS advice for babies and young children. I’ve just checked.

What should I do. Just tried the syringe idea and he freaked thinking it was medicine,even though I explained. I could call 111 as the online option is for over 5yr olds.
I just don't think they will do anything different to me.

I’ve been here many times. The only way to stop the cycle is to introduce fluids slowly. An NHS trip here last time gave me a great tip and that was diluting juice with a spoonful of sugar In. Use a teaspoon and simply set an alarm. 5 mls every 10 mins and then increase if the child isn’t sick after an hour. If they are, you go back to the start again until the tummy is less sensitive .

Ok that's helpful thanks. He's just brought up loads more water.
I'm using a syringe to measure 5ml every 10min but he is pleading for more.
Would the juice be better than the water?

He's had 5ml and has 1 left beforer it's around an hour.
I'll increase it to 10ml every 10min after 1hr if he hasn't been sick
He is soooo thirsty

Try ice lollies, they don’t get sicked back as much. But in a&e they would do a fluid challenge with 5mls water every 10
minutes which is what you are doing.

Yes, I thought the same. He's just brought up all the water since 1.30am
He's so thirsty
I'm really worried about him and not sure if I need to take him to hospital. They will do the same like you said

Not a medical professional but how long has he been sick for? Since last night? This is from Chat GPT… but similar to NHS guidance. I cross-checked.

Seek medical advice immediately if:

• Vomits for more than 24 hours (especially if under 2 years old)
• Shows signs of dehydration (dry mouth, no tears when crying, decreased urination, sunken eyes, lethargy)
• Has a high fever (especially in infants under 3 months)
• Is unable to keep any fluids down for more than 8 hours
• Vomits blood or green/yellow bile
• Has severe abdominal pain
• Becomes unusually sleepy, irritable, or unresponsive.

if he is still vomiting in a few hours, maybe call 111 who will ask you questions to triage abd may put you through to a nurse or doctor for advice.

it’s so distressing to see them like that and better to err on the side of caution as a parent, I think. 💐
Hope he is on the mend soon.

NHS link as well https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/stomach-liver-and-gastrointestinal-tract/vomiting-in-children-and-babies/

If concerned about dehydration, they advise contacting GP or pharmacist/ 111, op. So like I said, I would do that if he is still not holding down the small amounts of water by 8am. NHS don’t recommend fruit juice, clear liquids. (But I did used to give my DC squash sometimes once they had recovered a bit when sick as they seemed to tolerate it better.)

Peadiatrician here. All the advice you have given is right. Rehydration solution is better than water if you can get him to drink it. Failing that 50:50 clear apple juice and water or even flat coke. Ice polls are also a good call. If he is still vomiting and hasn't wee'd for 12 hours I'd consider an A&E trip. Hope he is ok.

I don’t think you need to take him to hospital OP, not at this point. Sounds like he has some kind of bug, so is likely to be sick a lot in the first 12hrs or so. If you’re concerned, call 111, but if symptoms are just vomiting then I wouldn’t consider even calling the GP to be honest as children are sick a lot with bugs. I have 3 DC (mainly grown up now) and had a few episodes like this over the years. See how he is in a few hours, hopefully the vomiting will have subsided.

Thanks all. Really appreciate it. I've had 2hr sleep and feel so helpless. I will see how he is after 8am. He's asleep now with no water in him 😞

He's just having an ice pop 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

It will pass. The sickness is alarming but it’s usually nothing to worry about and you’d be amazed how much fluid they can absorb from 5mls here and there. Only once have we needed medical intervention at hospital and we’ve had millions of sickness incidents here. In that occasion it was dehydration and the signs were obvious. No chat, no tears and no peeing. The ketones built up and I could smile pear drops quite distinctly from his breath. You are doing a great job and hopefully your wee one is turning a corner now. They generally bouce back fast

@AnxiousD how is your little one doing now?

Thanks for asking.
He hasn't been sick since 5am
Wanted to eat ready salted crisps and had 2 ice pops. He's very sleepy and lethargic. No upset stomach.
It's tricky getting him to drink this afternoon.

My 7 year old came down suddenly with a vomiting bug late yesterday afternoon and was sick 14 times in 7 hours. I tried to get her to sip Pediayte which she wasn't keen on at all, and also sips of water. Fingers crossed she is on the mend now - no vomiting for the past 9 hours and perked up quite a bit. Last night I thought it was never going to end...Solidarity.