A single episode of vomiting is usually not worrying; however, when the symptom is important, all necessary measures must be taken, after consulting your trusted pediatrician. Vomiting in children, especially if they are very small, can easily lead to dehydration ; children become more easily dehydrated than adults. Let's see what are the main causes of vomiting in children and what are the possible natural remedies.
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Causes of vomiting in children
Vomiting can be acute or chronic. Most cases of acute vomiting in children are due to viral gastroenteritis or ingestion of food toxins; it can, however, also be caused by other factors, for example metabolic disorders or infections, even bacterial ones, which do not necessarily affect the gastrointestinal system.
Sometimes, chronic or recurrent vomiting in children can be related to food allergies or intolerances, such as celiac disease or allergy to cow's milk proteins; in these cases the disorder typically arises shortly after the introduction into the diet of foods to which the child is intolerant.
Two causes of recurrent vomiting in infants are gastroesophageal reflux and pyloric stenosis, ie the narrowing of the valve that separates the stomach from the duodenum.
There is also psychogenic vomiting, which can be due to stress and anxiety, for example problems at school or in the family. There are small children who sometimes cry so desperately that they get vomiting.
Natural remedies for vomiting in children
In the case of vomiting in children, the use of symptomatic drugs is generally not recommended, as they can cause serious side effects and are often ineffective. It is therefore advisable to resort to natural remedies that can reduce the symptom and prevent dehydration.
To reduce the feeling of nausea and vomiting in children over two years old, ginger may be helpful. Ginger is a well-known natural antiemetic, which is also used in the formulation of products against vomiting due to motion sickness (car sickness, seasickness, etc.). It can be used in this way: add a teaspoon of fresh ginger to a cup of water and boil for 4 or 5 minutes; sweeten with honey.
In the case of vomiting it is very important to maintain adequate hydration, administering water or other liquids, in small doses and preferably accompanied by small amounts of food; in fact, water in empty stomachs aids in stimulating vomiting.
It is advisable to continue normal feeding. In the adult, fasting usually helps to stop vomiting. In children, however, it is advisable to continue the normal diet, perhaps taking some precautions. In fact, sometimes the symptom of vomiting is so important that it manifests itself whenever food is administered; in this case, the child should be invited to eat more often, offering him small amounts of food; when the child vomits repeatedly at the slightest introduction of food it may be necessary to resort to hospitalization.
In the case of breast-fed infants, proceed with the normal diet.
Vomiting in children, what to watch out for
The aspects to pay more attention to in the case of vomiting in the child are:
- Age; the more the child is small, the more easily vomiting can lead to dehydration.
- Duration of the symptom.
- Possible presence of other symptoms, such as high fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
- Frequency of episodes.
- Previous head injury . Vomiting, in fact, can be the symptom of a hematoma resulting, in fact, in a head injury; if the child has hit his head, even several hours before the episode or episodes of vomiting, seek medical advice.
