I think my daughter is making herself sick

[S1970]

Please can someone help! My eldest daughter (6) seems to be able to make herself vomit in order to stay off school. She has a weak stomach anyway, and used to be able to do it at a very young age, but has not for years.
However, her school has a policy of not allowing a child to attend until 24hrs after being sick. She doesn't dislike school but has a best friend who is very often absent and the sickness always seems to occur the day after her friend has not been there. She'll be fine in the morning, eat her breakfast and then vomit, but not all of the food will come up, more like flegm (sorry to be so graphic). But she managed to do it last night as well, so now I'm at my wits end. Her attendance record will be shocking too.
I have twins also (3) and they are beginning to pick up on the problem. Has anyone got any suggestions?

How about talking to the school? I don't expect they are happy with this situation either. Maybe they will agree to relax their rule in her case (it doesn't sound as though she is infectious) and she may stop doing it if she doesn't get the hoped-for result of a day off.

You could try a bit of trickery on her, if the school IS happy to have her after she has made herself sick. Something on the lines of "the school nurse said that if you take this tablet you will be OK to go" and slip her a vitamin tablet from a bottle that doesnt look like a vitamin bottle, if you see what I mean. My sister did this for her son who developed a real phobia after pooing his pants at school, and it worked.

my friend`s daughter used to do that although it was while having a tamtrum and she got a hernia that needs to be operated although it could have been caused by either the vomiting or the tamtrum,maybe if you tell her about getting a hernia would make her think twice,good luck

Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.if your dd is making herself sick why don't you treat her as being poorly for example:
put her to bed for a few hours
give her plain food ie toast
refuse going out or doing the things she likes as she can't because she is SICK
At the same time make sure twins have a treat or two that dd cant because they are WELL.
It sounds drastic but I'm sure a few boring days off school in bed with toast will soon make your dd realise that life could be better in school. I have always used this method if I think my kids are trying to pull a sickie. I know then when they are really ill as they don't object. I sound really cruel but you can't carry on like this.Hope this helps.

One of my cousins used to do this for years and was taken to all kinds of specialists. Mum (who was much stricter with us) used to say that she would have sorted it out sharpish like Doormat, but the aunt (who'd had a couple of miscarriages) was too indulgent (I'm not suggesting it is your fault!). When she was a teenager, she seemed to grow out of it. Also, if she is being sick at home, and you don't think it is infectious, why can't you just make her go to school and not tell them she was sick?

Thanx outofpractice. LOL