TODDLER
Fever and Vomiting in Toddlers
Yikes! Here’s what to do when your feverish little one is vomiting, too.
Written by
Happiest Baby Staff
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TODDLER
Written by
Happiest Baby Staff
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One of the hardest parts of being a parent is caring for your little one when they’re sick. Not only can vomiting and fever scare your toddler…it can leave even the most competent and confident parent a nervous wreck! The good news? Most of the time fever and vomiting can be safely and easily treated at home with rest and fluids.
There are so many reasons your child might be throwing up. But one of the most common culprits is something called gastroenteritis. While many folks call gastroenteritis a “stomach bug” or the “stomach flu,” it actually has nothing to do with influenza, which only affects the respiratory system. Instead, gastroenteritis is a tummy infection caused by a virus, like rotaviruses and enteroviruses, bacteria, or parasites.
With this nasty sickness, vomiting is usually one of the earliest symptoms, followed by watery, loose stool (aka diarrhea) within 12 to 24 hours. At times, a fever jumps in, too. Most of the time, vomiting subsides in less than 24 hours, while other symptoms tend to hang on for a few days. Acute gastroenteritis accounts for an estimated 2.7 million visits to health professionals a year in Australia. And a large proportion of these cases occur in children (kids under 5 account for 13.9% of cases!). Other offenders include:
Having a toddler who’s vomiting is taxing enough. Toss a fever into the mix and worry surges! But if your child is vomiting and then develops a fever (or vice versa), it’s usually not a reason to become alarmed. Many times, the fever-vomiting combo means that your child has the stomach flu (gastroenteritis), though fever can accompany some cases of food poisoning, too. Most of the time, you can take steps at home to help manage both the vomiting and fever. There are exceptions, though.
If your toddler’s temperature ekes above 40 degrees Celsius, contact your child’s paediatrician. For babies younger than 12 weeks, the call-the-doc threshold lowers to 38.0 degrees Celsius. (More on when to reach out to the doctor, below.)
Yes! One of the biggest complications of frequent vomiting to look out for is dehydration. In fact, most cases of dehydration in children are the result of acute gastroenteritis. Essentially, dehydration is when your child loses more fluids, salts, and minerals than they’re taking in. (Infants and children are more vulnerable to dehydration than grownups because they have a higher surface area to volume area. Plus, children lose more fluids from a high fever than adults.) While vomiting itself can cause dehydration, vomiting and fever together can bring on dehydration faster. Some signs your baby or big kid may be dehydrated include:
In most cases, your kiddo’s vomiting spell will stop without specific medical treatment. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do anything to help your child! When your little one is vomiting, your biggest goal should be to prevent them from getting dehydrated. Severe dehydration is serious, even life-threatening. Beyond preventing and treating dehydration, you’ll also want to simply soothe your little. Here, how to do both:
You can, of course, give your provider a ring whenever you are concerned. But if your child experiences any of the following symptoms along with vomiting, seek emergency care:
And you should call the paediatrician sooner rather than later if…
It can be scary when your tyke is vomiting…especially if they have a fever! But if their vomiting is caused by a short-term infection or foodbourne illness, know that all the ickiness should resolve in two to three days and your sweet nugget will make a full recovery. That said, it’s much better to be safe than sorry. Don’t hesitate to let your provider know if you have questions.
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Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider. Breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for babies. It is important that, in preparation for and during breastfeeding, mothers eat a healthy, balanced diet. Combined breast- and bottle-feeding in the first weeks of life may reduce the supply of a mother's breastmilk and reversing the decision not to breastfeed is difficult. If you do decide to use infant formula, you should follow instructions carefully.
