sick kid help, please

Kim777

Rhett and Wyatt are throwing up. Mason hasn't yet, but he didn't want to eat breakfast so I suspect his tummy is upset. Do I offer Mason something really bland for lunch? I know he will get sick. I'm certain we all will. I feel like I should be careful what I give him. Then again, he isn't sick yet so maybe that is dumb. I know dairy isn't the best thing for upset tummies, but the blandest thing I have to offer him is crackers and maybe a couple strips of cheese. WWYD?

Also, what do I do about nursing? Do they not nurse until they stop vomitting? When do I give pedialyte? A few hours after they stop vomitting? I can't remember any of this stuff!

naclh2otaffy

Oh, how awful!  I hope it's a short-lived illiness.

Anything from the BRAT (bananas, rice, apples, toast) diet would probably be bland.  I always steer clear of liquid milk when I don't feel good, but I still eat dairy like cheese.  My grandmother always used to say "cheese binds you up" and offer it to us when we were ill.

 

I think you can nurse if you want, but expect that they may throw it up.  What about a few spoonfuls of pedialyte  about 30 minutes after they've last thrown up?  It may come up again, but at least you are trying to keep them hydrated.  I think you just keep up the cycle until they start keeping it down.

Abrooks

So sorry!!  The good news is it passes quickly (12-24 hours).  If he says his tummy hurts, give him something bland. Toast, applesauce, pedialyte or gatorade.  Something that won't be bad if/when it comes up. A said her tummy hurt about 3 hours before she got sick. She ate dinner fine and then woke up puking 2 hours later.  So.not.fun. 

Don't bf after they've thrown up.  You can try sips of pedialyte. I'd call your nurse to ask about dosage - it's different by weight/age.  We were told 1/2 - 1tsp every 5 minutes for Baby N if she couldn't keep down BM. I would bf her for 5 minutes, stop, wait 10-15 and then do 5 more.  If that didn't work, they said to then switch to the pedialyte but wait at least one hour after vomiting has stopped before trying to either bf or give pedialyte.  

mcgee

Hmmm... I'll be the voice of dissent and say that our pediatrician recommended that we steer clear of the BRAT diet as a drastic change in diet could upset the balance of the digestive system and make a stomach bug worse.

He recommended that I offer the breast and nurse whenever it was wanted. I wouldn't think that you'd need pedialyte unless they aren't keeping anything down at all.

I hope they feel better soon.

Kim777

Thanks, ladies. I think I will nurse the babies before bed. Wyatt hasn't had anything but pedialyte today, but he hasn't thrown up except one time around 10 this morning. He is still fussing and acting sick, but hopefully he will be okay with the milk.

Mason still hasn't thrown up, but he is acting like he feels bad: long naps, laying around, fussy, etc. I think we will offer him the same cheese and crackers we did at lunch since he was fine with it.

Rhett still hasn't even kept pedialyte down and I'm starting to get worried. I really hope he has a wet diaper when I check him in a minute. Otherwise it will have been close to 6 hours and I will have to call the pedi. I really hope he can keep the pedialyte down soon.

nanann

Hope they're all doing better today -- and you and your DH aren't suffering!