What to Feed a Child With a Stomach Bug: Sick-Day Guide

Vomiting and diarrhea can cause children to lose fluids quickly. While symptoms are active, preventing dehydration matters more than getting a child to eat right away. If a drink comes back up, try offering small, frequent sips instead of a full cup at once. As your child keeps fluids down, you can offer more.

An oral rehydration solution is made to replace both fluid and salts lost through vomiting or diarrhea. Follow the package directions, and ask your pediatrician what is appropriate for a baby or a child with an underlying medical condition. Juice is not an equivalent substitute; large amounts may make diarrhea worse. For more guidance on caring for a child with vomiting or diarrhea, see the American Academy of Pediatrics’ HealthyChildren.org guide.

If your baby breastfeeds or drinks formula, continue their usual feeds unless their clinician tells you otherwise. Do not dilute formula. Because infants can become dehydrated quickly, contact their clinician promptly when they are ill, especially if feeding is difficult or wet diapers become less frequent.

Check the product’s listed specifications when evaluating start with fluids, not a full meal.

Once your child can keep fluids down and wants to eat, start with a small portion of something familiar. Toast, rice, oatmeal, bananas, potatoes, or soup are possibilities, not a required menu. Their usual age-appropriate foods are also reasonable as they feel better. If eating brings nausea back, pause and try again later.

You do not need to insist on a restrictive BRAT diet or persuade a nauseated child to finish a meal. Keep offering drinks, then work toward their usual diet as appetite returns.

Check the product’s listed specifications when evaluating let appetite guide the return to food.

Contact your child’s healthcare professional if fluids will not stay down, you notice signs of dehydration, or symptoms persist or worsen. Urinating much less than usual, a very dry mouth, or unusual sleepiness deserve attention. Seek urgent medical advice for blood in vomit or stool, severe abdominal pain, or difficulty waking your child. If an infant is ill, call their clinician promptly rather than waiting for feeding to improve.

Before giving Pepto-Bismol or another anti-diarrheal or anti-nausea medicine, ask your child’s pediatrician. Some Pepto-Bismol formulations contain bismuth subsalicylate, which is generally not recommended for children with a viral illness.

Check the product’s listed specifications when evaluating know when the plan needs a clinician.

Our What to Feed Your Child with a Stomach Bug printable checklist is a digital download. You can print it for the kitchen or keep the file easy to find when you need a reminder. If you call the pediatrician, it also helps to note what your child has drunk, when they last urinated, and what has changed. You do not need a perfect record to ask for help.