Should You Feed Your Baby After Vomiting?
Vomiting, in which your baby forcefully ejects the contents of their stomach, can occur after eating something that disagrees with her stomach or during a bout with a stomach virus. Parents might wonder what types of foods or drinks are appropriate for babies under 1 year of age who vomit.
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Significance
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It's important to verify that your baby is vomiting rather than experiencing reflux. Reflux, common in babies less than 1 year old, involves harmless regurgitation of one or two mouthfuls of milk or other stomach contents and requires no dietary modifications.
Diet for Breast-Fed Babies
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Offer your baby small amounts of breast milk on a frequent basis; since breast milk contains needed fluids and electrolytes, an additional oral rehydration supplement (ORS) such as Pedialyte shouldn't be needed.
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Diet for Formula-Fed Babies
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Instead of formula, which contains milk and might make baby's vomiting worse, use a spoon or syringe to offer your baby one teaspoon of ORS every five minutes. After four hours without vomiting, give baby double this amount every hour until vomiting stops completely.
Considerations
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If your baby eats solid food, Dr. Barton D. Schmitt, professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado and author of "Your Child's Health," suggests offering bland solid foods after eight hours without vomiting. He recommends that parents slowly increase the amounts of foods and liquids offered rather than giving too much at once.
Warning
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The main health concern relating to vomiting in babies is dehydration. If your baby has no urine in more than eight hours, cries without tears, experiences a dry mouth or seems excessively lethargic, call your doctor for advice.
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