15 Facts You Need to Know About Your Child’s Stomach Bug

The dreaded moment your child gets a stomach bug. Or GI bug. Vomiting and diarrhea. Gastroenteritis. The stomach flu. Viral illness. Viral gastroenteritis. All the same exact thing..

And what we all end up with roughly 2 days after a birthday party.

So before you freak out, lets go over the basics and the major misconceptions I see in the ER.

Facts about your child’s stomach bug

1. Vomiting and diarrhea. If your child has both of these, they likely have a stomach bug.
2. Your doctor will not do a test or a swab or any bloodwork to determine this. The vomiting and diarrhea combo gives it away….especially if multiple family members fall victim…
3. Your child will puke. And puke. And then maybe puke some more. If your child has a stomach bug, it usually isn’t initiated by a cough (See separate post on COUGH.). They just barf. And that’s ok. People puke…
4. “But she’s puking bile. Should I rush to the ER?” Yellow is not bile despite what most parents believe. Bilious emesis (BILE) is green. GREEN=BAD, but yellow is ok. If they are puking green, then yes that’s an emergency, but most children with a stomach bug end up puking yellow. We’re good with that.
5. “But it was red!” First question we will ask: “did she drink anything red recently?” And 99% of the time the parent says “yes she just had red juice.” Well there you go…
6. Should you immediately start making them drink so they don’t get dehydrated? No! Give their tummy a break. Give it a little time after they vomit or else they will keep vomiting. They aren’t going to get dehydrated immediately.
7. AFTER you have given it some time and they haven’t puked, then try some small sips of clear fluids. SMALL sips. If they have tolerated this for a generous amount of time, then you can advance a little further. But you can do an excellent job of keeping them hydrated with small frequent sips or popsicles. (But not red because then you will be referred back to step #3.)
8. “When my child has the stomach bug, what should she drink?” If you’re desperate, ANYTHING! Just fluids…popsicles, slushies, syringe feed, whatever. However electrolyte drinks would be best. Pedialyte is an excellent choice.
9. “We came to the ER because he hasn’t eaten anything.” Yeah….we don’t care. He can go a week without eating anything and we still won’t care…..as long as he’s drinking. Don’t stress about food. Eating is just a bonus when they’re sick. But they have to drink.
10. “Now he’s running off.” Do you mean diarrhea? Because despite what everyone says, “running off” is not a synonym for diarrhea people. If your child is “running off,” then please go catch him and discipline him.
11. But if he’s having diarrhea, then that’s expected with your child’s stomach bug. And sadly, there’s nothing you can do. Do not give your child anti-diarrhea medication. These are not safe in children. Just make sure they are drinking and avoid sugary drinks or fatty foods (can worsen the diarrhea).
12. “His diarrhea has this horrible smell.” Yes….poop smells bad. I would be more concerned if it smelled like roses.
13. If your child has tears when crying, then you’re doing a good job. Don’t just look for wet diapers if they are having diarrhea every diaper change. How do you know there isn’t urine mixed in there? (Stop laughing. Parents literally argue this.)
14. “Should I freak out if they have a fever?” NO! Your child will probably have a fever. They have the stomach bug! They are sick! And that’s what happens when you get sick….you get a fever! (See my separate post on FEVER or HOW MUCH MOTRIN TO GIVE.)
15. “Will they need an antibiotic?” No! Most are VIRAL illnesses. Antibiotics do not work for viruses. (Antibiotics actually make diarrhea worse!) There is no treatment other than TIME. Wait it out. And keep hydrated.

Reasons to be seen by a doctor

1. Bloody/mucousy stool.
2. Bloody vomit (bright red or “coffee ground” appearing.)
3. “Projectile” vomiting in a newborn (they puke and it hits the wall).
4. Very bad belly pain that doesn’t go away.
5. Dehydration.
6. Any other worrisome symptoms.

How to tell if they are dehydrated?

1. No tears.
2. Sunken eyes.
3. For babies, a sunken soft spot.
4. Lethargy. They might lay around while they don’t feel good or when they have a fever, but dehydrated kids literally won’t “perk up” at all.
5. Refuse to drink. This doesn’t mean “not drinking as much” or “usually takes 8oz, but now is only drinking 4oz”. Dehydrated children won’t even take a single sip. They literally refuse to drink.
6. Dry mouth or cracked lips.
7. No wet diapers in 6 hours (again, don’t use this if they are having diarrhea).

When can they go back to school?

Your child’s stomach bug is no longer contagious when they go 24 hours without a fever, without having loose stools, and without vomiting.

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It sucks when your child has a stomach bug. But the good news is that these viruses are usually short-lived and everyone is better in a few days. But keep in mind they are highly contagious and maybe you should actually consider “running off……” 🙂

This is very generalized information regarding a healthy child.

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