Vomiting is an unpleasant condition. It is especially difficult for children to tolerate. For this category of patients, malaise is dangerous, as it leads to dehydration and other serious complications. There are many causes for a symptom. The article discusses why vomiting occurs in children and what to do in such situations.
Process mechanism
As a result of the movements of the diaphragm, muscles of the stomach and peritoneum, the contents of the digestive organs exit through the oral cavity. Vomiting is the reaction of the human body to certain stimuli. It can appear, for example, if a child coughs heavily or chokes, occurs when eating bad food.
In addition, the reflex serves to remove harmful substances from the body (microbial waste products, toxins entering the stomach due to food poisoning). All these conditions, if they pass quickly and do not provoke a strong deterioration in well-being, are not dangerous. However, there are cases of intense and repeated vomiting in children. What to do in such a situation? This question is very important. After all, a symptom often indicates the presence of serious health problems. The state of their son or daughter largely depends on how competent the actions of the parents will be.
Factors Contributing to Vomiting
This reflex, as is known, arises as a result of the activity of certain parts of the brain. What leads to their stimulation? As such factors, you can list:
- Impact on nerve endings located in the digestive system. The situation is typical for infectious bowel disease, overeating.
- The effect of chemicals on the central nervous system. This phenomenon is characteristic of people taking strong drugs.
- Impact on the receptors located in the middle ear (if the child is motion sick when riding a vehicle, while riding a carousel).
- Emotional overstrain. It can be experiences, unpleasant shows.
So, there are many factors that provoke vomiting in children. What to do if it occurs? The exact answer to this question can be given only when the causes of the appearance of the sign are known. Vomiting is not a pathology, but a separate symptom.
Poisoning and gastrointestinal infections
Often, as a result of ingestion of microbes or the use of poor-quality food, an acute inflammatory process develops in the body. In addition to vomiting, he is characterized by signs such as loose stools, high fever, cramping in the abdominal cavity. There may be a nasal discharge, coughing, and discomfort in the throat. With this condition, they often turn to specialists in the summer. Due to the immaturity of the digestive tract at an early age, intoxication or the virus is often the cause of vomiting in a child at 2 years of age. What to do in this situation? First of all, you should call an ambulance service. After all, kids suffer such ailments very hard. Before the arrival of the doctor, the child should be given a means of restoring fluid balance.
Other pathologies of the digestive tract
Vomiting is often associated with disruption of the digestive system. It can provoke diseases of a chronic nature. These include:
- Inflammation of the tissues of the stomach. With this disease, as a rule, there is no diarrhea, and the temperature in the child is within normal limits. However, vomiting and discomfort in the upper part of the peritoneum are observed.
- Congenital malformations of the pylorus of the stomach. Symptoms are felt in the first month of life. Many young mothers ask what to do when they vomit in a baby. If the ejection of the contents of the stomach is plentiful and intense, the body weight of the newborn does not increase, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. Anomalies of this kind are eliminated only by surgery.
- Chronic ailments of the intestine, biliary tract, pancreas.
Conditions requiring immediate hospitalization
Every parent should know that vomiting can be a symptom of a pathology that can never be fought on its own. Such diseases, for example, include inflammation of the appendix. It rarely occurs in infants. Most often, patients with a similar diagnosis are older children. The accompanying signs of inflammation of the appendix are:
- Strong fever.
- Lethargy and decreased interest in food.
- Loose stool.
- Feeling of pain in the peritoneum, near the navel.
- Anxiety.
- The desire to lie on the left side.
If a child from 5 years old vomits, what should I do if it is accompanied by the indicated symptoms? The only sensible solution would be to call an ambulance. If you suspect an inflammation of the appendix, it is forbidden to use drugs. You need to immediately conduct examinations in a hospital. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the child is urgently undergoing surgery.
Another pathology requiring immediate surgical intervention is bowel obstruction. It is a consequence of neoplasms of this organ, severe diarrhea or structural abnormalities. Pathology also occurs in infants with a change in diet. Bowel obstruction is one of the possible explanations of why vomiting suddenly appeared in a child in the year. What to do in this situation? When the symptom is accompanied by crying, anxiety, the appearance of blood particles in the feces, you need to call an ambulance. Bowel obstruction is treated only in an operational way.
Other reasons
Vomiting in a child may occur if he swallows a foreign object. Symptom is accompanied by nervousness, respiratory failure, copious discharge of tears. Signs of pathologies of the digestive tract are not observed. Bright red blood is present in the contents of the stomach. It indicates tissue damage. The condition poses a threat to life. If symptoms appear, immediately seek medical help.
Vomiting may be due to increased levels of acetone in the blood. The disease develops due to infections or against the background of prolonged starvation. It is characterized by a long course. Vomiting occurs for two or more months. There is a smell of acetone from the oral cavity, weakness, discomfort in the stomach. Pathology is most often found in preschoolers. It is one of the reasons that causes a 3-year-old child to vomit. What to do in this case? You need to call a pediatrician at home and give the baby medicines containing glucose.
Vomiting occurs with pathologies of the respiratory system, which are inflammatory in nature.
Sometimes it occurs as a reaction to powerful drugs to fight viruses.
Neoplasms of the central nervous system or mechanical damage to the brain can also provoke a symptom. If it is accompanied by trembling, headache, strabismus, you should seek medical help. In case of suspected injury, you should immediately go to a medical institution.
Inflammation of the meninges is also accompanied by vomiting. It is combined with fever, headache, loss of interest in food, rashes.
Pathologies of the heart can contribute to the appearance of this symptom.
Allergic reactions also provoke a symptom.
Another common cause of vomiting is hemicrania. With this pathology, headache is combined with loose stools, and mucus from the nose. This condition can last from one day to three days.
The child’s physical well-being is affected by disturbing situations, striking events that have a negative emotional connotation. For example, when a baby feels a lack of attention or worries before speaking in public, going to kindergarten. The period of adaptation to the school is also considered difficult. Therefore, it often happens that a 7-year-old child experiences vomiting. What to do in a similar situation? First, do not force-feed your baby if you refuse food and excitement.
Better to wait for him to calm down. Secondly, if vomiting is repeated from time to time, is not associated with pathologies and goes away on its own, the child should be shown to the psychotherapist.
How to alleviate the condition of the patient?
This question certainly worries all parents. Regardless of the cause of vomiting, the following recommendations should be followed:
- Be present all the time next to the child. Put the baby in his arms and tilt his body forward a little. The older kid needs to be laid on its side and put a container near the bed. The patient's head is turned to the side so that he does not choke on the gastric contents.
- After the urge, rinse the mouth with warm water.
- Infants should be given breast milk or formula more often to avoid dehydration. Normal water also helps with dehydration. You can drink your baby with a small spoon or pipette, in small portions and regularly.
- Older children should also be provided with sufficient fluid.
- To restore the balance of necessary substances in the body, a solution consisting of a pinch of soda, sodium chloride and water with the addition of honey or granulated sugar is useful. It is given every 15 minutes in small volumes. You can use special means of dehydration.
When vomiting occurs in children - what is better to do: do you stop this reaction or, conversely, try to cleanse the body? There is no definite answer to this question. However, if it is known that the symptom is provoked by intoxication or an intestinal virus, you need to rid the stomach of harmful substances. Sometimes vomiting is accompanied by rashes on the body and frequent loose stools. The temperature does not rise. This phenomenon is caused by individual intolerance to any food. Preschool children are prone to food allergies. If in this condition the child has 4 years of vomiting, what should I do? Gastric lavage will help rid the body of harmful substances. However, you should consult a doctor to identify an allergen and relieve symptoms of the disease.
What actions cannot be performed?
Any deterioration in the well-being of the baby is of concern to the parents. Many people ask the question: “If a child has vomiting, what should be done at home?”. Some mothers, wanting to help their son or daughter, begin to perform actions that are completely unacceptable. So, what measures can not be taken in this case?
- Offer a child suffering from vomiting fruit juice, rice cereal broth, milk, broths and soda.
- To cleanse the stomach with a mixture of water with potassium permanganate.
- Give the patient any medicine without the permission of the doctor. An exception is a drug to reduce fever in the presence of severe fever.
- If the cause of the symptom is not related to intoxication with spoiled food, intestinal virus, allergies or overeating, gastric lavage is strictly prohibited.
Popular methods to help you feel better
Not all parents know what to do with vomiting in a child. This question is quite relevant. After all, malaise can adversely affect a small patient. There are several methods that facilitate the well-being of the patient. A decoction of dill and green tea mixed with honey or sugar sand helps well. Mint leaves, infused with boiling water, relieve the feeling of nausea and vomiting.
Solutions like rehydron and water are also used for this ailment. You can give tea with the addition of ginger root or a decoction of rosehip berries. Baked quince also helps with vomiting in children. What to do if blood appears in the contents of the stomach? This symptom can scare any parents. It is dangerous, therefore you should call an ambulance service. Until her arrival, do not offer the baby neither water nor food. It is necessary to put a cold lotion on the patient’s stomach and let it suck on a piece of ice. The use of any drugs in this case is also strictly prohibited.
Recovery from malaise
Now you know what measures to take if vomiting occurs in children. What to do (the child was poisoned or for another reason - it doesn’t matter), in this case, we described in detail above. But what measures will help restore the body after an attack of malaise? It must be remembered that the patient needs a full sleep. When the vomiting has completely passed, he should be put to bed. It is recommended to offer food only 12 hours after the last attack. Food should be light. You can give a light chicken broth, jelly or herbal tea, the first cereal dish or mashed soup.
Fresh vegetables, fruits, fried foods, desserts, pickles and smoked meats are prohibited.
Often there are situations when there is severe discomfort in the abdomen, loose stools, fever and severe vomiting in the child. What to do in this case? If the symptoms persist and the condition worsens, you should immediately consult a doctor. Calling a doctor at home is also necessary if there is a suspicion of acute surgical pathology or head injury.