BRAT Diet and the Stomach Flu

It seems strange to me that he would eat all day and then throw up at the end. By evening, his breakfast should have been digested. Also, if his behavior is fine with no other symptoms, it doesn't seem like stomache flu to me. I would contact the pediatrician again or get a second opinion before he loses anymore weight. Good luck.

Have you tried the PB&J diet? Popsicles, Broth & Jello My doctor also said to give my daughter lollipops because there is something in them that calms their stomach. Maybe if you give him several small "bites" of regular foods throughout the day his stomach will be able to handle it better..

Hi M.- I would take him back to the Dr. if he isn't well in a few days. It doesn't sound like the stomach flu, it sounds like a different ailment. I say this because he is only throwing up at night. He could be intolerant of some of the foods or have a problem in his intestines. Again give if a few days and if he is not better take him back. Better yet, get a second opinion from another Dr. Good luck

I've seen a number of kids in our school come down with this week long flu. I feel for you and hope you don't get it too. I thought all of the advice provided you is good, but I had to say something with regards to one mom who suggested giving your child Coke to drink. Coke is full of acid and is exactly the opposite of what you should give your child when his stomach is so acidic already. It's an old wives tale probably started some 30 years ago by some Coca Cola salesman. Check Dr. Mercola's website for excellent advice on taking care of the flu. I refer to his website for so many health related questions. Good luck.

Hi M., I have had to go on the BRAT diet a number of times and so have my nephews. I know that my favorite was applesauce. My nephew had to go on the diet and my sisterinlaw bought him flavored rice cakes, such as the caramel flavor. You can find bland foods, such as crackers, that are made from rice. Have your tried those. Hopefully this helps and and hang in there. Sometimes stomach viruses can last a while. Good luck!!:)

Don*T stress ,, all my five grandkids and all under 5 came down with this virus too and it lasted for almost 2 months. I tried everything , cleaning my house extra good and only feeding the kids when they were hungry but most of the time they would not eat because they knew they would vomit.. BUT they did drink lots of liquids and kept most of it down and eat saltine crackers and dry cereal since Milk would make them sick..They won*t starve and as long as they drink water and juices they will be fine.When they get really hungary you know they are getting better. Just remember don*t eat in front of them for a few days,, and soup always is good.. God Bless

Hi M.,
Well, here's the bottom line. If he has energy, is acting normal, is hungry and thirsty, playful, asking for foods, he's fine to eat nearly whatever he wants. Yes, that sounds like I'm crazy and completely contradicts what everybody else is telling you here. Here's the deal. You said he eats all day long with no trouble and then throws up at the end of the day and "gets rid of all of it". Well, that's just not possible. His body is digesting what he's getting all the time. So whatever he throws up in the evening is whatever he has eaten in the last couple of hours only. He may still be losing weight, but most likely that is because you have changed his diet and he's not getting the normal foods and the amount of foods he normally gets. So he's not wasting away. Not even close. At 3 1/2 years old, he can tolerate a 6 lb weight loss with no problem. However, and here's the part everybody is going to disagree with but it's the truth, you need to start feeding him completely normally. The longer you go without feeding him normally, the harder it is on his belly when you do give him regular foods. Getting through the flu is not rocket science. If he throws up in the evening once or twice, oh well. Give the poor kid what he wants to eat, make sure he gets plenty to drink, and when/if he throws up, clean it up and move on. The key is that he is acting completely normally otherwise. So it's time to get back to normal. The stomach flu is a virus and a virus can last a day, a couple of days or linger for a month or more. You can't continue to fret over his foods for that long. Again, the key is that the vomiting is the only symptom. Here's what to look for. #1 is pain. If he starts complaining of severe, constant abdominal pain, that's a problem. Also, fever of 101 or greater, lethargy, constant vomiting (that means throwing up whatever he eats within 15-30 minutes of eating it, so vomiting only in the evening is not constant vomiting), sunken eyes, no tears when crying, no urine for 24 hours, no pooping for more than 5 days, refusing to eat or drink anything at all, blood in his vomit or blood in his urine or stool. If none of those things are happening, please give him a normal diet and let his body finish kicking the virus out. Vomiting and diarrhea are the ways the body gets rid of the virus, so don't try to stop those things from happening. Just let his body do it's work and you treat him normally. My guess is, if you do that, within 1-2 days all will be resolved. And by the way, if he asks for something and it comes back up and he asks for it again, go ahead and give it to him. Vomiting itself never killed anybody, and his belly needs to get used to regular food again, so it may very well reject something the first time, but tolerate it just fine the next. I have 4 young children and they've all gone through this and this is how I've dealt with it and it does work. The initial stages of the stomach flu are different, meaning yes, a BRAT diet for the first 48 hours of the illness is appropriate. But after that, if they're obviously feeling better but just have one or two lingering symptoms, for heaven's sake, just treat them normally. Good luck and God bless.

This happened to my daughter once and it was reccomended to eat foods with good yeasts in them .like the yougurts . I think it's probiotic. Some times the digestive system is out of balance and needs the good bacteria to digest properly. Maybe research this further on line or maybe some other mama's will be able to comment. It helped my daughter.

Hi M.,

My son, 18 months, just got done with the flu 2 weeks ago. He did the same thing. You HAVE to stay with the bland foods the doctors tell you. That is the only way my son stopped throwing up and or out the other end. He was off milk for 5 days and that scared me since he is still so young, but it helped. He basically ate, bananas, apple sauce, plain rice and some crackers. I have heard that rice checks are good too. Make sure he is drinking lots of liquid. My son didn't take to the pedialite at first, then I tried the half lemon/lime gatorage mixed with half water. He didn't like that either. He ended up drinking water, in small amounts. They tell you not to give them too much. He was begging for milk all the time, but I just kept him away from it. I also, did not eat in front of him as he would beg. My husband and I just ate dinner after he went to bed. It took him 7 days total, then he was back to eating normal. My doctor said to make sure there isn't throw up or diahrrea for at least 24 hours, then you can introduce some foods. Good luck, it is so hard.

K.

We just went thru this with my one year old but ours was coming out the opposite end (I am of the beliefe that ALL mom's should AUTOMATICALLY get a 1 week vacation for having to go thru this).

Here is what we did
1- Gerber Banana Cookies for Toddlers (they're good, bland and have bananas)
2- my son wouldn't drink the Pedialite, so I gave him water downed Gatorade but IN the bottle so he drank more because he felt like he was "older".
3-rice puffed cereal
4-rice cakes toasted
5-LOT's of applesauce
6- lot's of crackers

good luck, it does end, but it's a good 5 to 10 day flu....

I am not a fan of the BRAT diet-the only plus side I see is when they vomit-there is nothing red and staining in there.I think you should listen to what he is hungry for to see if you can figure out what nutrient he seems to be craving-and then find easy to digest foods that will meet that. Try some calorie dense fruit/milk shakes. I say feed him the foods he wants in small portions throughout the day. Also, it is old school and no longer really accepted-but my sister used to work for a Doctor who swore by Gatorade (again pick the colors that don't stain when they come back up). As long as you are able to keep him hydrated, and he otherwise seems fine, there is probably not much for the next day or so. More than 2 or 3 more days, or if he starts to look bad-color, sunken eyes, low energy-go back in to the Dr. So sorry-sick kids with energy are the worst!! :-) Good luck!

Our whole family came down with this a couple of months ago and it took about 7 days to finally be okay. Small portions and bland seem to be the key. Our son also wanted to eat but then would get sick...sometimes hours later. Those oyster crackers were a lifesave. Bland and I could give them to him one at a time. Then also wait to give liquid until at least 30 min later and then only in small doses (we used watered down gatorade). GOOD LUCK.

When my boys were young the bananas of the brat diet made them worse. I don't know if your little one is throwing up or the other end, but if it is the runs, I would recommend making white rice 1c. to 3-4c. chicken broth for the added salt and flavor, cook it till it is the consistancy of oatmeal if he will eat it, it should help stop the loose stools. Good luck and God bless!

My 4-1/2 year old daughter had this virus last month and was out of school for almost a week. She threw up all day the first day. Then for about 5 days after that she was throwing up only in the evening. We would be all excited that she would be feeling good and then at 8pm she would throw up all over. Anyway, it was over after that 6th day and back to our normal life.

I was in the same boat--except mine wouldn't eat at all. At the 15th percentile, I was really worried when he lost weight. My mom suggested trying melty ice cream (vanilla) and jello. I started with the jello, then tried ice cream later. He was able to keep both down and stopped wasting away. Other things that stayed down: Popcorn without butter, warm milk with honey, oatmeal, smarties (I was desperate). Sugar syrup is supposed to settle the stomach which is why we used to get flat soda.

Normally we don't eat a lot of sugary things, but I figured that I would worry about that after he was feeling better and had regained some weight.

Hi M.,
Besides following the BRAT diet -- I think you need to re-introduce other foods slowly. For example, chicken is easier to digest than other meats, so that is the first meat to bring back in. Others (especially your doctor) might know what foods are easy to digest, but that's what you are looking for. Go slow! :) Wishing you the best!

I know it's hard- it happened to my whole family last year, but the longer you give him food his body is not able to digest, the longer the lining of his intestines will become irritated, and the longer it takes for the enzymes/bacteria to build back up (to break down food)in his digestive system. You and your husband should go on the BRAT diet to make it easier for him, just give your son AS MUCH as he wants, he should be able to digest the BRAT diet. Just consider it a sacrifice on your part...

I just got over the same thing. Probiotic yogurt, jello and chicken broth with rice (cook until the rice is really soft) helped and I could keep those down. I'd avoid juice and soda and give pedialyte or diluted gatorade like drink instead.

M.,

I feel for you and your family! The flu is not any fun~ I know this sounds funny or weird, but have you tried the toast and then putting the applesauce on it? When I would get sick, I would do this and the combo tasted great and stayed down better. Also rice with applesauce mixed in is also good.
Hope your son is better really soon!

Molly

Try Jell-O, bananas, canned pears & other peeled fruits that aren't acidic like citrus. A Popsicle made from apple juice or pedialyte would be a nice treat too. There are anti-vomit medications but my son had an allergic reaction to one - caused seizures.
Really terrible - I think you need a second opinion.

Hi M.,

First of all I recommend you give him water. Living water is the best you can drink. Experts say most of us are dehydrated from the water that is available to us today.
I know you are concearned about what you feed your son. I do not understand why he eats different then you. If you want him to get more nutrients from his food I can share some ideas with you so you can be sure he is getting what he needs to stay healthy and help keep his immune system stronger.

I am a wellness consultant and I find when your children are craving something and they do not get it when they grow up they tend to over indulge.

If you are intersted there will be a health event next month in San Jose if you are interested in learning more.

Let me know if you need more info.

Hope your little one feels better.

Have a great week.

N. Marie

It does seem weird that he only rids himself at the end of the day. What does the doctor think?

The BRAT is now the BRATTY and has expanded to include Tea and Yogurt. Freeze some yogurt for a nice treat that seems like ice cream.

Hope your baby feels better soon!

I have found that the key is small sips at a time! Stick to the BRAT diet but just small portions. Coke somehow helps but again just a sip and take all the carbination out by putting it in the freezer for a while. Most important have you taken him to the Dr.? 5 days seems like a long time. Just remember the goal is to calm the acid in the tummy.

Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast. So many ways to make it fun when kids don't feel sick! Get really ripe bananas and mash them. Make a banana sandwich on toast. Cut the toast into strips and dip into the applesauce. Have him learn to use chopsticks to eat the rice (they make some that look like really long clothespins). Small portions is key to ease his stomach back into accepting food again.

Good Luck!

The BRAT diet is for loose stools. If he is vomiting, you might need some other approach.

I'm all for a homemade, nutritional solution, and I hope someone gives you a good one. But since this has gone on so long and he's lost so much weight, I would consider calling the doctor back and asking about an anti-nausea medication. There are some over-the-counter ones that work well, but I don't know if you can use them at age 3. Press the doctor for help. Press hard, if necessary.

Hi, we've had this problem too, as have a lot of people. wonder whats going on. but, anyway, one other thing you might try is raspberries (i think its the pectin that helps) and taking a probiotic; this has helped clear his up some. (Jarrodophilis is one good brand; just open capsule up and mix in some applesauce a couple of times a day). good luck,
J.

First of all....is he still drinking...if he is that is good...when he refuses liquids is when you should be ocncerened......Try frozen banancas....on the rice....try adding a little cinnamon to it...on the applesause....freeze it a litle bit....to whiere it is slushy consistancy...man a whole week of this ..not fun...obviously his body is trying to get this bug out....make sure you clhorox wipe everything down.....anti bactierial his hands etc...does he go to bathroom by himself...make sure he cleans his hands thoroghly..

If it lasts much longer, I would have his stool tested for parasites, just to be safe. I know it's vomiting and not diarrhea, but something like Salmonella or Giardia can cause diarrhea and/or vomiting...and can cycle..so that it seems that one is getting ebtter and then 1-2 days later, have symptoms return. Both are treatable, by the way.

Why don't you and your husband eat the bland diet with him. Create unity and stop the need to beg. And get rid of the stuff he can't eat. Out of sight.
Makes sense.
Good Luck

Hi M.,
I know how frustrated you are and probably a little scared as well. My oldest daughter had the same thing happen and it took 2 1/2 months before she stopped throwing up (she would only throw up between 1:30am and 4:00am). The only thing that helped was the BRATTY diet. When we would sit down to eat she would look at our plates and you could tell that she would rather have what we were eating. After about a week my husband and I decided that as long as she had to eat that way so would the rest of the family. "Earth's Best" makes a great line of cookies and crackers and it is all organic. My daughter loved them and they never upset her stomach. Also "Traditional Medicinals" makes a great peppermint tea that you don't have to sweeten or if you so choose you can add a little honey to taste. You can find the cookies at your local store or Walmart and the tea at your local store or Target. Good Luck!!!!!