Vomiting occurs due to inflammation of the digestive tract, resulting in vomiting and diarrhea. Vomiting in children needs to be watched out for because children who are attacked by this disease are prone to dehydration. Therefore, parents need to recognize the symptoms of vomiting and how to deal with it.
Children, especially children under 5 years of age, are more susceptible to vomiting than adults. Some children may even experience it several times a year.
Recognizing the Causes of Vomiting in Children
Some of the common viruses that cause vomiting in children are rotavirus and norovirus. Not only viruses, some types of bacteria, such as E. coli and Salmonella; and parasites, such as Giardia and Entamoeba, can also cause children to experience vomiting.
This infection can occur when children consume water or food contaminated with feces. This is because generally the microorganisms that carry vomiting disease spread through feces.
Apart from food, vomiting can also be transmitted from one person to another, especially when environmental hygiene and sanitation are not maintained.
For example, infection can occur when a child puts his hand in his mouth, even though he just shook hands with a vomiting sufferer who has not washed his hands after defecating.
Although less common than infection, vomiting in children can also be caused by toxins or the side effects of certain drugs
How to Treat Vomiting in Children at Home
Children who are exposed to vomiting will experience several symptoms, namely vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, decreased appetite, and fever. If it is caused by a bacterial or parasitic infection, children may experience bloody stools.
Vomiting caused by a virus generally improves within 2-3 days, although diarrhea can persist for up to 10 days. During vomiting, the symptoms that the child feels can make him lose a lot of body fluids. This condition can make him dehydrated.
For that, you need to do some of these simple handling steps:
1. Increase rest time
Children need about 10-12 hours of sleep every day. When he is sick, he needs more rest time so he can recover quickly.
Therefore, try to create a comfortable atmosphere at home so that he can rest well, for example by reading a story or playing a song so that the child sleeps faster.
Ask permission for a few days from school so the child can rest until he recovers. It is also useful to minimize the risk of transmission to his friends at school.
2. Make sure your child drinks a lot
This treatment step is very important so that the child does not become dehydrated. If your child vomits or feels nauseous, give him or her to drink little by little. If the child is still breastfed, continue giving it. For older children, give electrolyte drinks every time he vomits and has diarrhea.
3. Give the right food
When you are sick with vomiting, children need to eat regularly so that their bodies are not weak and dehydrated. Give food in small portions but more often. The food you choose should be soft and easy to digest, such as bananas, mushy rice or porridge, or soupy foods such as soup.
Milk and its processed products, such as yogurt, can also be given if the child has not had problems eating them. The reason is, some children actually have diarrhea after consuming milk because they have an allergy to milk or suffer from lactose intolerance.
Foods high in fat and sugar, such as ready-to-eat foods, fried foods, cakes and ice cream, should not be given during the recovery period for vomiting so that symptoms quickly subside.
4. Avoid giving diarrhea medicine
Children who experience vomiting should not be given diarrhea medicine, especially if they are under 12 years of age. To relieve fever and pain, you can give paracetamol.
In addition, vomiting does not always require antibiotics. Vomiting is most often caused by a viral infection, which won't get better with antibiotics. This drug is only effective for vomiting caused by a bacterial infection.
To determine the cause and appropriate treatment steps, including the use of drugs, you should consult a doctor further.
As a step to prevent vomiting in children, parents need to ensure that the food and drinks consumed by children are clean, and routinely maintain the cleanliness of the environment around the child's residence. Complete the child's immunization schedule, including giving the rotavirus vaccine.
Make it a habit to teach children to always wash their hands before and after eating, touching dirty objects, or defecating.
If the vomiting symptoms do not improve in two days, the child has diarrhea with blood or mucus, a high fever, or symptoms of dehydration appear, such as dry lips, sunken eyes, tears do not come out when he cries, the child looks very weak, and rarely pees. immediately check the child to the doctor.