1 year old with sickness bug

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Hi

My little one has a sickness bug at the moment - he's had the before but he usually only vomits over the period of a few hours and is then just recovering after that.

He's had this one for about 40 hours now - he's only been sick a handful of times though, quite a few hours between each episode

Because of it, he hasn't wanted to eat - he hadn't had anything since yesterday morning. Even though he had been sick at lunchtime today after having milk, by tea time I realised that he was inconsolable because he was hungry. He didn't want toast so I gave him a very small amount of leek and potato soup and some bread and he really perked up. He also drank a bit of milk before going to sleep.

Unfortunately he has just woken up and been sick. He's gone back to sleep with a drink of water.

What should we do about giving him food and drink when he is sick like this - I think ideally we should give him just water or milk but when he is inconsolable because he was hungry, there is not a chance he would have settled without food.

Do we just give him plenty of water, a bit of milk and then give him some food when he seems to want it, even if that is only a few hours after he has last vomited?

TIA

My 14 mth old has it too. He's just having water for 12 hrs then dry toast then gradually move on to v plain food. Avoid dairy until you're fairly sure he's ok. We did this a few weeks ago when he first got it and it seemed to do the trick.

keep on the milk!! but avoid juice or anything like that as can upset the stomach even more. DS had something similar and was sick on and off for a week- it was awful. I think offer him pieces dry toast/ oatcakes/ rich tea biscuits and lots of water but keep the quantities small and let him lead you. Hope hes better soon!!

The tummy needs time to heal and get over the bug. Start w sips of water. After a few hours, if he keeps it down, and is hungry, offer some banana or toast. Just a little at a time. If that stays down, offer white rice or apple sauce. It's called the brat diet. I agree w the op, first 12 hours best to stay away from food. there is also a powder u can mix w water for babies to keep them hydrated. It has the right amount of salt and sugar. U can get in pharmacy. There are a lot of tips online for what to do when kids have tummy bugs, which give details on how long to go w out food, when and what to reintroduce. Def stay off dairy if u can. I offer oat milk or soy milk for a few days when need to keep off dairy. For example, when daughter has super cold bc dairy makes her more mucus. Since ur baby is over one it should be okay for a few days. If under one, I would keep w the dairy.

If he can keep milk down go for that, if not Dioralyte (rehydration salts) are the way to go. Hope he's better soon

Not giving food or giving the brat diet is no longer recommended. Restricting food doesn't lessen the chance of vomiting or shorten the illness. NHS and other sites will back this up.

Advice is to eat if hungry. BUT hydration is far more important. A child is okay without food for a wee while but water is a must. Rehydration fluid even better and in small sips. Ice lollies sometimes help.

Hope he's on the mend soon.

Don't give cow's milk to a sick child - it will make them vomit again (as you've already seen). If you must give milk then get Lacto-Free (its available in any decent-sized supermarket). Otherwise, stick to water and the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce and toast). On the toast you can put a bit of jam or marmite, but avoid any kind of fat until he's keeping food down reliably.

And yes to plain biscuits too - rich tea or arrowroot or something like that. But, above all, make sure he's sipping at water regularly.

Avoid milk, it allows the bug to breed and last longer.

No dairy products for a week.

Also get some diarolyte or ake some homemade stuff

Hope he's better soon

Thanks everyone. He had a drink of water when he woke this mornkng, instead of usual milk, and he was sick a few minutes later. He had a 4 hour nap today, so is obviously feeling poorly even though he hasn't been sick again. He's had toast and banana during the day and nothing but water to drink (only ever has milk or water anyway) and hasn't been sick again. We were amazed that he went to bed without milk as he normally drinks three quarters of a pint of the stuff before bed

If he isn't sick overnight, may well try him with toast and fruit again for breakfast and then go out to get some soya or lacto free milk in case he wants milk later in the day or so he can have weetabix or porridge.

Will try to stick to plain foods for a few days.

Actual official advice for you...
"You should encourage your child to take plenty of fluids. The aim is to prevent dehydration (low body fluid). The fluid lost in their vomit and/or diarrhoea needs to be replaced. Your child should continue with their normal diet and usual drinks. In addition, they should also be encouraged to drink extra fluids."

Simple carbohydrates like pasta and bread are quite good btw simply due to ease of digestion and calories provided. Not because it helps them recover faster. NHS website also says that witholding food can prolong the illness.

I always find it best to be child led which it sounds like you are. If he's hungry, listen to what his body is telling you, simple and well known foods he's used to and keep an eye on hydration. I hate gastro bugs. Miserable. And the laundry!