Episode Transcript
Interviewer: Your child is sick and vomiting and probably wondering, when should you take a vomiting child to the doctor? It's a question pediatrician Dr. Cindy Gellner gets from a lot of parents. So, Dr. Gellner, what is your advice?
Dr. Gellner: Well, most vomiting is caused by a virus. People usually call this the stomach bug. And the vomiting usually stops on its own in about 6 to 24 hours. Make sure your child is hydrated with small sips of clear fluids. No milk until they stop throwing up. And if your child just has vomiting, they're still hydrated, and you can still wake them up even though they just want to lie around and sleep, then you probably don't need to bring them in. But if the vomiting lasts for several days without diarrhea or you see blood in it, get them checked out quickly. If your child looks really dehydrated, their mouth is dry, and they haven't peed for over eight hours, it's time to get them to the ER.
updated: September 21, 2021
originally published: February 7, 2018
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