Hello,
Just wondering if anyone has experienced this before and can offer me some guidance. My 16 month old daughter started sticking her fingers in her throat about 4 or 5 months ago. Initially she would just gag and then take her fingers out but more recently she has been doing it until the point she actually vomits. Obviously this is alarming so I would respond by pulling her hand out of her mouth and telling her to stop. She has started doing it more and more - seemingly when she wants attention or is bored etc.
The advice I have been given is not to make a fuss, and if she is sick to quietly clean her up and pretty much act like it hasn't happened. I tried this for a while and it didn't make much difference. It is also extremely hard to just sit by and watch her make herself throw up! The problem I now have is that, where she used to go to bed quite happily - I could do her bedtime routine, put her in the cot and leave the room and she would be asleep within 10 mins - she is now forcing herself to be sick when I go to leave the room. If I don't get to her in time she vomits all over herself and her cot. She has done this the past 3 nights and I have had to change her sheets numerous times. It ends up with me having to sit in the room with her, constantly pulling her hand out of her mouth, until she falls asleep. This can take up to 3 hours. If I even stand up to leave the room she is starting to retch again.
Obviously this is extremely stressful on many levels and I'm worried a) about her developing this habit and b) her physical health as a result of all the vomiting: weight loss, stomach acid regurgitation etc.
I completely understand the advice about trying to ignore it but how can I physically ignore it? I can't leave her to sleep in a puddle of vomit! I also can't spend every night sitting with her until she falls asleep.
I'm at my wits end and would really love to speak to people who have experienced this. My health visitor had never come across it before which only made me feel even worse about it, and she just reinforced the advice about ignoring it and hoping it will pass. Please if anyone has been through this can you let me know what you did to overcome it, how long it went on for, or any other words of wisdom!? Thanks in advance