Tummy bug - what's normal?

[3ormorecharacters]

DS has just turned 3 and overnight has come down with what I assume is a tummy bug. As a family we're (touch wood) not really prone to them and this is his first one so I'm not really sure what's normal and whether I should be seeking medical advice.

• He was sick about 4 times overnight (first time his dinner and then small amount of liquid)

• His skin feels very warm, especially when he's about to vomit, but no temperature according to my thermometer

• Hasn't been sick since about 6am but has had a couple of runny poos

• Drinking quite well, has had most of a cup of water with some hydration salts in

• Extremely tired and lethargic, not his usual self at all. Has asked to go back to bed and has just gone back to sleep.

I feel like we'd be wasting time to take him to the doctor and they'd just tell us to keep up the rest and fluids, but I'm surprised by how tired and lethargic he is. Is this normal with a tummy bug or is it worth getting him seen?

Sounds pretty normal.
He had a really disturbed night, will be low on calories and therefore lacking energy. He will be tired and lethargic.
Keep the fluids up. Start trying some basic, plain food if he says he is hungry. Very small amounts, and slowly eaten. Don't worry about the normal rules for food - what ever he fancies for now is good!
Tummy bugs don't usually last longer than 24-48 hours so if he still has symptoms at that stage (rather than just being tired), maybe call the GP for advice.

Thank you! That's my gut feeling too but DH is a worrier. It's so sad to see him like this!

If he was up sick in the night that will add to his tiredness, and then the bug will cause tiredness as well.

I think it sounds pretty normal. He’s not been sick for a few hours, he’s keeping down water, and he’s resting.

I’m not a dr but I my youngest is 3 and I’d worry if she couldn’t keep down water, if she had a very high fever I couldn’t control, if the vomiting was lasting more than 24 hrs, or if she was so tired I couldn’t rouse her. If I was the one who’d been up vomiting multiple times in the night, I’d go back to sleep in the morning as well.

Sounds very normal and we are unfortunately a ‘prone’ family, my kids have had vomiting bugs every winter since birth 🥴

One of the worst involved vomiting over nearly 24hrs and I did contact Gp, who said over 24hrs would be a threshold for intervention, and gave advice to watch for signs of dehydration. Obviously they will be mildly dehydrated but if producing no urine etc, unable to keep any fluid down, is time to worry.

Also in my experience kids start asking to eat again before their bodies are ready and they may be sick again when they do. I tend to encourage them to wait a while and just sip water, then we try a sugary drink like flat coke or apple juice. Once that’s all being kept down they have whatever they fancy, often toast or salty snacks. It’s good he’s had some rehydration salts. Hopefully he will have a good sleep and be starting to feel a lot better after that.