Stomach Bugs in Children: Keeping Them Hydrated and Red Flags to Watch

Gastroenteritis is very common in children, and the biggest danger is dehydration, not the bug itself. Most children recover within a few days at home. Knowing how to give fluids and which signs to watch for keeps them safe.

Imagine your toddler has been vomiting since lunchtime and now has watery diarrhoea. Every time you give a big cup of juice, it comes straight back up. You’re exhausted and scared. A nurse on the phone tells you to switch to small sips of oral rehydration solution every few minutes. It works.

Keeping your child hydrated

• Give small amounts of fluid often, such as a teaspoon or a few sips every few minutes
• Use oral rehydration solution (ORS) from a pharmacy, especially if your child is showing signs of dehydration. The World Health Organization recommends ORS worldwide.
• Keep breastfeeding, or giving formula, as normal
• Avoid fruit juice and fizzy drinks, which can worsen diarrhoea
• Offer food once your child wants it; there’s no need to starve them

Don’t give anti-diarrhoea medicines to children unless a doctor advises it. In many countries, zinc supplements are also recommended alongside ORS for children with diarrhoea.

But when is it urgent?

Get urgent medical help if your child:

• Has signs of dehydration: few or no wet nappies or pees, dry mouth, no tears, sunken eyes or soft spot, cold hands and feet
• Is very sleepy, floppy, irritable or hard to wake
• Vomits green fluid or blood, or has blood in their poo
• Has severe tummy pain, a rash that doesn’t fade under a glass, or a high fever
• Is under 6 months, or can’t keep any fluids down

Keep children off school or nursery until 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting or diarrhoea, and wash hands thoroughly, as stomach bugs spread easily.

Sources: World Health Organization (Diarrhoeal disease), NHS (Diarrhoea and vomiting), NICE guideline on diarrhoea and vomiting in under 5s, American Academy of Pediatrics. This guide is for general information and does not replace advice from your own nurse, doctor or pharmacist.