2 year old saying tummy hurts

[Mjane123]

My two year old (3 in January), has been saying her tummy hurts the last couple of weeks, just at random times and then not really mentioning it again. A week ago she had a chest infection, and tonsillitis, and then started throwing up too, I thought she’d been unlucky and been hit with a sickness bug as well, but she has said her tummy hurts again over the last couple of days, and it makes me really anxious that something is coming. I had thought we got the sickness bug over and done with but everytime she says it I panic again (emetaphobia). Tonight, she said it again as she was off to bed, she said she wanted to try for a poo but then didn’t need one, but then said her tummy still hurts, but went to bed as normal. What I’m wanting to know is, has anyone else’s little ones said this and it hasn’t amounted to anything, I’m looking for reasoning behind it not to panic myself and spiral!!

thanks in advance!

Could it be worry? That she can't explain other than with tummy ache?

What’s her usual poo routine? Could she be constipated? Very very common in children

Little one's can have tummy ache if the glands in their abdomen are raised, the glands are often swollen during and after having a bug so it could well be that.

That did cross my mind, but she doesn’t really seem worried when she says it. I’m not sure if I’m explaining it very well haha, like yesterday she said I’m hungry, so on our way to the kitchen she said “my tummy is still hurting today”. It’s random. I was hoping the sickness bug was out the way now as I’ve been worrying about it for weeks, but the more she says it the more I think that’s not what she had last week and it’s still coming!🤣

She’s only recently potty trained so her usual poo routine is a little out of balance.

Not saying it is this but coeliacs can get stomach ache after eating gluten. But there would usually be other symptoms too like iron deficiency or growing slowly.

No advice but my 3 year old DS has been sporadically saying this for a few months too! We have had a few sickness bouts in that time too but the tummy complaining started before those. We also recently potty trained so I thought it may be him getting used to the sensation of wind/needing to poo etc.

When he says it he wants to go lie down and after a couple of minutes springs back up like nothing happened. Bizarre!

We’ve had exactly this last week and mine says “I sick” over a week later

I’ve put it down to Covid / flu / enterovirus as they can have all sorts of symptoms

I feel you OP I’m emetophobic too, I ALWAYS catch it and I’m due a newborn next week just to add into the mix. My anxiety for the germs is through the roof

When my daughter was tiny, she was diagnosed with Abdominal Migraines. Her father had terrible migraines and apparently some children have abdominal symptoms. If there is a migraine link, it might be applicable? She grew out of it in her early teens.
https://migrainetrust.org/understand-migraine/types-of-migraine/abdominal-migraine/

Was she given any antibiotics for the chest infection or tonsillitis?

Thanks everyone!! Is it wrong I’m hoping she did have a sickness bug last week and this is just her way of communicating still feeling a little off? What are the chances she did have all 3?😕

Yes she had anti biotics, at first we thought it was a reaction to that, but the sick kept coming, and she was fine with it for the rest of the week