My son turned 1 two weeks ago. He has learned to make himself throw up and he is averaging at least once a day. He has gone from eatting a stage 3 and a fruit plus milk at every meal barely eating half a jar of stage 2 before he turns away and when I try again he coughs and throws everything up. This is becoming a problem because the only meal we can keep in him is breakfast and formula. We have tried regular table food and he wants nothing to do with it either.
To make matters worst they found he had an ear infection the day after he turned 1 and the anitbiotics messed his tummy up really bad. Between throwing up and pooping 10+ times a day I have barely managed to keep him hydrated.
Throwing up occurs during meals or when we try to give him meds.
What can I do? Besides take him back to the doctor which i am doing tomorrow.
I very first reaction is that he is having an allergic reaction to the med. Please, please tell the Dr. right away and stop the meds. til you see the Dr. again.
I can see that you're a concerned parent and wanting to be sure that your son isn't dehydrated. Liquids are all that he needs. Other moms have listed some good ways to get them down. I want to add that my grandchildren's pediatrician said that a spoonful of a liquid, not milk, at a time is enough if that is all that their stomach can keep down at a time. Give a spoonful or two and wait 15-30 minutes and give some more. You can test the amount that they can tolerate but stop if they vomit.
I suggest that no matter why your toddler is throwing up you can never stop them from doing it. I'm responding to your phrase "make himself throw up." Stopping it requires that you find out why they're vomiting. Even if it is because they want attention or because they don't like the food you cannot just make them stop. By the way, it is rare that a toddler will make himself throw up, on purpose. If they do it's by accident. If it's for attention, you first find out why they are getting your attention this way. You stop it by giving them more attention at other times or giving them more positive attention during feeding before they vomit. If it's because they don't like or want the food, respect them and don't require that they eat it. Do you force yourself to eat what you don't like?
The best way to deal with food issues is to focus on the child's physical and emotional needs separate from the food. Your son is ill. You probably do know that is the cause. You're worried about dehydration which is good. Try giving him different foods or not giving him food at all. Even when I'm ill I often don't eat anything solid for a couple of days or more. My body tells me when it's OK to eat again. Your son cannot tell you what is wrong with words. His body, not him, is telling you something is wrong by vomiting. Follow his lead while watching for signs of dehydration.
I would make sure that this is not a physical issue first before assuming a behavioral issue. My children have behavioral issues but with the oldest it turned out to be reflux. The youngest was determined to have some serious food and enviormental allergies. The allergies are the hardest to deal with but once we started testing for allergies is really helped with his eating troubles. The reflux was helped by him eating smaller amounts at one time but more often.
I would just give him lots and lots of fluids until you see the Dr.
What a worry for you, mommy. You might be overestimating how voluntary your little guy's throw-ups are. Antibiotics do a real number on my stomach, and I generally lose my appetite in between bouts of nausea. If you are "forcing" food on him (a natural enough impulse on your part), then I suppose you could be setting up a power struggle, in which the only way he can resist is to toss his cookies.
Rather than insisting on his eating balanced meals right now, I would be inclined to offer (but not push too hard) lots of liquids, yogurt with live cultures to help normalize his intestinal flora, smoothies with same yogurt, and only foods that seem appealing to him. Don't worry about spoiling him – urging too much of what doesn't appeal to him right now is probably far more damaging.
My grandson just went through a terrible time with a tummy bug and threw up more or less constantly for 10 days. It was agonizing for all of us, and he was visibly losing weight. His parents fed him only what he found appealing or could stand to eat, and only in small quantities. He's better now, and didn't get spoiled by the "special" foods, and is eating voraciously to make up the lost weight.
Don't worry, he's not the only one. My daughter who is 16 months started doing it about that age. She only does it when she is or has been sick. She will cough and then right after comes the throw-up. I haven't figured out it she just has a sensitive gag reflex that gets disrupted when she coughs, or if she is throwing-up because of the congestion. It's usually right after a meal, that's why I feel like the cough just triggers her gag reflex and because she just ate, she will throw-up. It will go away when she is not sick, but when she gets sick again, it comes back. When I asked the other moms about this, I didn't really get what I was looking for. However, you are not alone. I asked my doc about it and she didn't really have anything to say. I guess its not an uncommon thing. I've heard other moms who say it too.
I am sure that the antibiotics have certainly played a strong part in this. I would try the pedialight to first get his electroids back up to par so that he does not dehydrate. Maybe his still throwing up has to do with the medication even now. Since you are going to the Doctors' tomorrow I would definetly ask him about the pedialight or even the drinks that you get in the stores' (for athletes) when they are working out. The name isn't going to come to me unfortunately. I wish you well, check your sons' eyes and see if they have a water around them and also his tongue to see if it looks dried. If so he could be dehydrating. Get the pedialight into him. He won't like it, thats why I'm trying to think of the name of the drink. Gatorade thats' it. Comes in different flavors' and is excellent to put the electroyds back into this system. I wish you well at the doctors', and good luck!!
There could be something in his food that is is now allergic to. and his body is getting rid of it. Take him also to an allergist.
My eldest son used to do this about the same age. My biggest advice to you is NOT to address it at all. Don't say a word and clean it up. I know it's hard for you not to react when you are concerned about his health but this is a behavior issue. If you show concern to him it will only make the behavior worse and add fuel to it and it becomes a vicious cycle. If you ignore it it will pass since there is nothing there for him. I would address the pooping issue since that is caused by the meds but I won't even discuss the throwing up in his presence at all with the doctor.
The same with eating food. He is at a an age where he is getting some control. Eating and going potty is one of the first things they have control over. Again getting upset and worrying only adds to the problem. He WILL eat when he is hungry. As long as there is no physical problem and it's just behavioral I really think it will pass in time.
Best Regards,
C.
at first i thought he was being naughty and making himself throw up. but from what the last of the paragraph states he needs to go to the doctor. that is totally not normal. either the meds arent a good match for your son or he has a stomach issue that needs to be addressed. poor little bit. hope he is feeling well soon.
