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Kids And Stomach Flu
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What can your child eat when they have stomach flu?
Give your child nothing but fluids until at least six hours after the vomiting has ended. "It's important to start slowly and increase the amount and frequency as tolerated," says Dr. Shu. (Too much volume of liquid will only irritate his intestine and cause more vomiting.) "Wait 10 to 15 minutes between sips of fluid, or small amounts of bland food, and avoid anything too spicy, greasy or difficult to digest."
Safe bets when it comes to food include: plain white toast, white rice, chicken noodle soup, soda crackers, bananas and applesauce. (To make bland food more appealing, try using cookie cutters to cut toast into fun shapes, or serve soup with animal-shaped noodles.)
If vomiting recurs after subsiding for a day or two, it may mean your child still isn't ready for foods that aren't super easy to digest. Start back at square one with fluids and slowly reintroduce bland foods before gradually returning to his regular diet.
Meet our expert:
Dr. Jennifer Shu is a board-certified pediatrician in Atlanta and editor-in-chief of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Baby & Child Health: The Essential Guide from Birth to 11 Years and co-author of the award-winning book Heading Home with Your Newborn and Food Fights, both published by the AAP. www.jennifershu.com
