Child Vomits Every Other Day

[Preschool/daycare teacher]

We have a 3 yr old who vomits really often. It seems like it's an every other day thing. It's always at least once, sometimes two or three days a week she comes in and vomits in the morning. No fever, not sick in any way. But vomits. We've talked to dcm and Grandma, and they just say it's because she's so full of congestion, or it's allergies beause they have a wood stove. (They also say she runs a fever when she gets tired sometimes. Not because she's sick, but because she's just plain tired. Have any of you ever heard of this)? We have a sickness policy that says we send children home if they vomit. So according to it we should be sending her home at least once a week, sometimes more. But since she does it so often, and doesn't have a fever with it or anything, we don't think she's actually sick.

The older sister tells us nearly every morning that "x is sick today. She puked this morning at home" (so apparently she vomits every day, but sometimes it doesn't happen until she gets here, and other times she does it before she gets here). Cleaning up vomit every week, sometimes 2 or 3 times a week (and sometimes two or more times in ONE DAY) gets old really really fast! What would you all suggest? They're always bringing her to the doctor for one thing or another. It seems like they're sick more often than the other children. BUT the dcm is good about keeping them home if they're sick, so I don't think she's just trying to bring them sick on purpose. And surely she can't be contagious to the other children if the vomiting happens this often, with no other symptoms, week after week. It doesn't sound like a common illness (that could spread to another child). What do you think?

[momatheart]

Does she have anxiety? Maybe she has such bad anxiety that she throws up.

I would suggest she bring her back into the dr.

[Kaddidle Care]

If she has a lot of mucous running down the back of her throat it can upset her stomach. I would also suspect a reflux problem if she is vomiting that much. Are they giving her any allergy meds to help dry her up? I feel sorry for her. Nothing worse then feeling nauseated.

As far as the fever when over tired - I have had that with my own children. It's never really high though, always less than 100 and doesn't usually last more than a couple of hours.

[PeanutsGalore]

I get a fever with allergy attacks too. Do they know what she's allergic to? If the wood stove is making her sick, they should stop using it. If they won't, then at least suggest to them to get a new load of wood to burn. Sometimes you can get a hold of wood that is moldy or has other "stuff" in it that just causes you to be really ill when it burns. I've experienced that in my parents house. Lots of migraines and constant sinus issues (which can cause nausea), and during the winter it was often caused by the wood stove. Changing the wood we burned helped sometimes.

[daycare]

I know that being dehydrated can raise your temp. But never heard of just tired. I have a dck that has gag reflux and will vomit from time to time. The DCP went and had allergy test done and found nothing. I required a note from the doc stating what the child has.

Since I have a note, I allow for the kid to stay after vomiting. Some times he will vomit 2-3 times a day and then wont do it for weeks. I told mom that if its anymore than that in one day i will have to send him home, as I can't provide one on one care.

perhaps this could be the issue? I would require that the child be seen by a doctor with diagnosis

[SandeeAR]

I would recommend a GI doctor. When they first found out I had GERD and gastric parisis, I was throwing up daily for months.

[Unregistered]

Could be the allergies (mine has reflux, and her allergies set off more vomiting), but are they treating the allergies at all? Have they seen a specialist like a GI? Is the vomiting a new thing? I think I'd require more explanation and a doctor's note, especially if the vomiting is something relatively new.

If it is something like reflux, which often just has to be outgrown despite meds, and the child is 3, she's old enough to start learning how to use a throw up bucket.

[Childminder]

My sister pukes almost every morning due to sinus drainage. Has for years. Usually one time about an hour or so after she rises. Also I had a boy that puked every time he cried. He did it as an infant and still does and he's seven.

[Meyou]

One of my kids starting vomiting daily when she was 5. It turns out she had developed lactose intolerance. We took her off dairy and she was fine. It took sooo long to figure out what it was. We had to go get tons of scans and tests done at the children's hospital.

[boysx5]

my sister has twin boys that both do this when they are upset

[countrymom]

maybe everyone should start to make a chart, like when she does it, what color is it, is it clear, full of mucus, what she ate before she did it, did she complain. I think by doing this it will help alot and you may also narrow it down. If she has allergies has been brought to an allergiest, if its a would stove, then is the smoke blowing back into the house, thats odd and it may need to be looked at.

[Unregistered]

I had a child do it for weeks and finally I termed. I had suggested going to see the DR (many many times) and mom said it was nothing and brushed it off. Finally when I said it wasn't working out they brought her to the dr (next day) and got her on some GI meds. She also had severe anxiety and we couldnt even consider going on walks on garbage day (loud noises of all kinds made her so upset she would shake). Since mom wasnt willing to work with me on it before I termed I wasnt going to take her back after they finally took my advice and took her to the DR. I should have done it sooner as it started to control the whole daycare day. I am so glad I got rid of her.

[Preschool/daycare teacher]

Thanks for all the replies! I really like the idea of making a chart to document when it happens and what she's ate, etc. I don't think her family will do it for us, though; they don't seem to pay much attention to them at home. The children pretty much just do their own thing (like eating alone, playing alone, entertaining themselves, etc), whenever they want, while the adults do their own thing without much attention given to the children. It's really sad, I feel so bad for these two.