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Children's health

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Original poster

How many sickness bugs is too many

8 replies

Moon12345 · 18/03/2023 05:56

Hi everyone
DS (20m) has just woken up and vomited up his feed (still breastfed) - he slept for a longer stretch than normal last night, woke at 5am for a feed and then threw it up instantly.

This is exactly how our last sickness bug started - he ended up vomiting for 6/7days straight - dr diagnosed norovirus at the time. (Pretty sure it was as well because we went to a 1st bday party and 5 of the families also got sick, and I got it too). This was mid Feb so about a month ago.

He also had pretty severe gastroenteritis over Xmas - again, vomiting for 7 full days and actually ended up being seen at hospital it was so severe. Me and DH also got it too (rough Christmas) so again, certain it was a bug.

Before this, he had never vomited before. Will add he goes to nursery one day a week (a Friday, so yesterday) but also goes to other activities in the week (swimming/a playgroup/play dates) so he has plenty of exposure to other kids regularly.

Is a sickness bug every 4-6 weeks normal? When he got the last one, his GP said he likely damaged his stomach lining at Xmas hence why he was suffering badly again. I have given him a probiotic most days since to help his gut recover. When he has these bugs he is generally fine in himself too, just seems to go down for a full week with the actual vomiting, and so obviously it affects his food intake/loses a bit of weight each time.

OP posts:

MissHoollie · 18/03/2023 20:37

My eldest daughter was like this and like you could always confirm . Virus as we always caught it too.
For her it eased off around age 2.5 and then she caught a bug maybe once every 2 years in primary and once or twice in secondary

WhatsMyFate · 18/03/2023 23:11

We seem to get exactly one a year, for the last 5 years (eldest is 5). I absolutely hate them so even that's too much for me so I really feel for you.

In fact I'm not feeling great right now and absolutely petrified I might be coming down with one. My anxiety is in overdrive.

But yes if you're catching them then it's probably just various annoying viruses.

Original poster

Moon12345 · 19/03/2023 21:23

Thanks so much for your replies

Bumping in case anyone else can help out an anxious mum.. thought we had avoided a bug since he wasn’t sick all weekend but he’s just vomited in his sleep and so I think we’re in for a bad night.

OP posts:

LG93 · 19/03/2023 21:41

We went through similar, we had a spell of 7 months where the longest we went without a sickness bug/temp over 40 degrees was 3 weeks, averaging once a fortnight. The GP was reluctant to bring her in with vomiting so would see her when she recovered and then tell me they couldn't do anything as she was fine then. We presented at a a&e half way through this period when she vomitted blood clots everywhere at 1am but even they weren't particularly bothered.

The GP eventually agreed after 7 months to give it another 6 weeks and if it carried on they'd refer to pediatrics, and after walking out that day the bugs just stopped, not even a cold for months!

Apparently it can be a phase where the immune system tries to 'catch up' with what it knows to fight.

I hope your little one feels better soon!

Glitteratitar · 19/03/2023 21:56

DS is almost 2, been at nursery since he turned 1.

He has never attended nursery longer than 3 weeks in a row. He attends for either 2 or 3 weeks, and then he misses a week because he’s got another bug of some sort.

I’ve asked several doctors if we should be concerned and they all say 10-12 illnesses a year is the average - so once a month. It’s somewhat reassuring to know that, but that reassurance gets cancelled when you know children the same age who have been ill maybe a total of 3 times ever so you start to worry, but it is normal apparently.

DS is ill again right now actually…

coloursquare · 19/03/2023 21:59

Between 1 and 3 is the worst age for them, from memory. Think it's because they all stick everything in their mouths so nursery toys etc have viruses on them. Plus by end of winter vitamin D is low. It will pass OP - just keep him hydrated.

WhatsMyFate · 19/03/2023 22:13

Yes I should add that even though we seem to only have 1 sickness bug a year we do have weekly illnesses with my youngest who started nursery 6 months ago. She never stays clear of green snot and cough for more than a couple of days, so I don't think constant illnesses is unusual at all, just annoying that for your LO it seems to be sickness bugs he mostly catches. Mine seems to get the bronchitis-type viruses.

Eatentoomanyroses · 19/03/2023 22:27

At that age they def pick up everything and you can count on them being ill every few weeks tbh. My primary school aged Dc seems to get stomach flu every 8 weeks or so. She’s had four ‘stomach bugs’ since September but this has been going on since going back to school following lockdown really. COVID can present with vomiting in children apparently as well. There is certainly something circulating at the moment that causes vomiting. I know lots of people including adults that have had it.

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