Stomach bug - Help

jessbud

:(Hi. My 3yr old came down with a stomach bug on Friday, was pretty sick all weekend so brought him to the doc this morning but they cannot give him anything, just have to wait for the infection to clear its self out.

Looking for any ideas on what can help him. He is managing to keep down sips of Dioralite but hasn't eaten in two days and must be starving. What foods would be good for him to have? Also have a 7wk old baby and dreading her getting it.
Any help would be appreciatedThanks.

babyboom

How about some jelly? I used to find it great for the kids when they were off their food as it tastes good and slips down easily, its also good for their tummies. Also coolpops (you could make your own) are easy to suck on and great for rehydrating. Stay away from dairy products for a while though.

deisemum

dry toast or plain cracker, soup is what mine look for once they start to feel a wee bit better. Fasting for 24 hours was the recommendation when mine were small.

I think the most important think is to keep him hydrated even if it's only sips that he can manage.

Quality

+1 for the toast and soup...

Also pro biotic yogurts.... when he is feeling a bit better ! Helps build up the immune system..

Hopefully the baby and you will be ok.

**Caroline**

I agree with Deisemum. Dry toast is the way to go, little bits at a time. Steer clear of dairy foods until he's feeling better!

And again, referring back to what Deisemum said; most important thing is to keep him hydrated - plenty of water or if he's not crazy about the water, maybe try him with a bit of 7up.

Hope he's all better soon! Nothing worse than having a sick child:( Just comfort him and he'll be on the mend in no time

lostinnappies

the most sugary ice lolly you can get, even make it yourself warm some water put lots of sugar in disolve it and add some diluted juice. put a stick in it and freeze it. It will keep him hydrated, give him sugar for engergy and because he will only injest it once it melts will take so long to digest hopefully wont aggrivate his tummy.

Flat coke. Doc suggested this when mine were young.

Dfens

Poor mite...it's hard watching them like that The main thing is to make sure he drinks lots of fluids - water, flat 7Up, diluted juice dinks etc. I find my dd will ask for something when she's ready to eat whenever she has a tummy bug - best to keep it to toast, crackers, bread sticks first , nothing that would be very heavy on his stomach. She doesn't tend to eat an awful lot first either, guess their stomachs shrink a bit when they are sick.
Make sure you wash your hands well anytime you need to tend to the baby, dettol is good if sick gets on surfaces etc. My dd had a really bad tummy bug the day after I brought home our newborn son. It was the worst one she's ever got, went on for about a week & some of the kids in her creche were hospitalised for dehydration. I was terrified the baby would get it but PHN said that he would be OK as I was breastfeeding, thank god she was right.
I'm sure he'll be right as rain very soon.

deisemum

**Caroline** wrote: »

Nothing worse than having a sick child

That's bad but what's worse is when you have the same bug along with the rest of the household and you're the one who's left cleaning up after the patients and you feeling like death.

Agree with the breastfeeding helping in preventing babies catching the bug when everyone else is spewing from all ends.

Years ago hubby, myself and 2.5 year old toddler had one of the worst doses of vomiting and diarrohea that we ever had yet the 7 month old baby who was being breastfed while I lay in bed didn't catch a thing.

The Hill Billy

Echoing advice given above -
Flat 7-Up (heating it or stirring vigourously makes it flat)
Water-based ice pops (definitely not milk-based)
Dry toast or crackers

Hopefully he's feeling better soon.

John Mason

OsciiBoscii wrote: »

Flat coke. Doc suggested this when mine were young.

QFT

Apparently the evil part of coke kills the bacteria.

tallaght01

Just bear in mind that if he's not getting better after a few days, get a second opinion, particularly if you're still worried, or if he's not having wet nappies.

Sugary drinks make diarrhoea worse, dioralyte is perfect. Stay away from flat 7-up, coke etc, for this reason.

But really just wanted to reiterate the fact that even the worst tummy bugs start out mildly, so if you don't think he's getting better, get him seen again.

Good luck.

Lizzykins

What my mother used to give us when we were sick was boiled water with a bit of sugar in it. She'd let the water cool a bit and then get us to sip it. God love the poor little mite. He'll bounce back in no time but as tallaght01 says keep a good eye on him and don't hesitate to go back to doc if you're worried.

Dfens

Didn't know that about sugary drinks making diarrhoea worse but Google search suggests that it does in some cases. I am a bit disappointed in my GP now as she first suggested the flat 7Up.

tallaght01

I wouldn't believe something just because it's on google or wikipedia etc. You would be amazed at the rubbish online.

But if you ask any paediatrician, they'll tell you about the osmotic effects of sugary drinks on the bowels of kiddies with gastroenteritis. It's unfortunate that GPs still give that advice. I'm not sure why that happens. They're generally pretty good with the sick kids, but this particular message doesn't seem to have filtered down to all of them yet.

Dfens

tallaght01 wrote: »

Sugary drinks make diarrhoea worse, dioralyte is perfect. Stay away from flat 7-up, coke etc, for this reason.

Yes, very much agreed some good info/some bad info online. Does this extend to advice on Boards too, i.e. above post? :rolleyes:

I think Pubmed info would be fair game though......
Controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical trial to evaluate the impact of fruit juice consumption on the evolution of infants with acute diarrhea.

Valois S, Costa-Ribeiro H Jr, Mattos A, Ribeiro TC, Mendes CM, Lif****z F.
Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Professor Edgar Santos, Universidade Federal Da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. sandravalois@hotmail.com

tallaght01

Absoloutely. You should regard what I say with the same amount of scepticism as anything else you read on the web (ie a LOT!).

Pubmed shows most studies ever done. Lots of studies are rubbish. Only by scientifically analysing the statistics presented can you work out which are reliable, and which are not. I rarely ever even read the authors' conclusions at the end of studies, because their stats should stand up on the their own.

Pubmed doesn't differentiate between good and bad studies.

lostinnappies

Dfens wrote: »

Didn't know that about sugary drinks making diarrhoea worse but Google search suggests that it does in some cases. I am a bit disappointed in my GP now as she first suggested the flat 7Up.

i believe artifical sugars cause this, normal sugar in drinks will help keep up his energy.

Dfens

tallaght01 wrote: »

Absoloutely. You should regard what I say with the same amount of scepticism as anything else you read on the web (ie a LOT!).

Pubmed shows most studies ever done. Lots of studies are rubbish. Only by scientifically analysing the statistics presented can you work out which are reliable, and which are not. I rarely ever even read the authors' conclusions at the end of studies, because their stats should stand up on the their own.

Pubmed doesn't differentiate between good and bad studies.

Meh, why did I know my reply was going to rise you ? :rolleyes:

tallaght01

Dfens wrote: »

Meh, why did I know my reply was going to rise you ? :rolleyes:

I think you misunderstood me. I said you SHOULDN'T take what I say as being gospel.

Nevyn

Dfens wrote: »

Yes, very much agreed some good info/some bad info online. Does this extend to advice on Boards too, i.e. above post? :rolleyes:

Which is why all posters and parents are told to talk to their drs and practice nurses, they see the patient and they have their insurance for when they get things wrong.

Now if anyone wants to slug it out about medical research and it's methods, statics and how things are concluded I suggest that you go to the
Biology and medicine board. Thanks.

J Brennan

**Caroline** wrote: »

I agree with Deisemum. Dry toast is the way to go, little bits at a time. Steer clear of dairy foods until he's feeling better!

And again, referring back to what Deisemum said; most important thing is to keep him hydrated - plenty of water or if he's not crazy about the water, maybe try him with a bit of 7up.

Hope he's all better soon! Nothing worse than having a sick child:( Just comfort him and he'll be on the mend in no time

yeah, flat 7up for 24 hours..takes away the hunger.. stomach bug should die away from no food

J Brennan

think i know how he got it too..in dublin IE.. supermacs bathrooms were filthy... and the liffey makes ya sick... it appears a few days after being at the dublin parade...bad bug... i have it too...but its almost gone

J Brennan

Oh, sorry question wasnt from this year.... any way it could have been dublin...