Nausea: How to Care for Your Child

Nausea is a feeling of being sick to the stomach. Children of any age can have nausea. It often happens before throwing up. It's rarely serious and usually goes away in a few days.

• Only give medicine if your health care provider recommended it.

• Try to give your child a balanced diet if possible, but don't force your child to eat.

• If your child's regular food makes the nausea worse, encourage your child to:

  • Eat plain foods, such as toast, crackers, rice, and mashed potatoes.

  • Avoid greasy, fried, or sugary foods.

  • Eat and drink small amounts slowly.

  • Avoid activity right after meals.

• Encourage your child to get plenty of liquids:

  • Offer things like water, diluted juice, soup, ice pops, or gelatin.

  • Avoid carbonated drinks (like soda) and drinks with caffeine (like coffee and caffeinated teas).

• Follow your health care provider's advice about when your child can return to school or childcare.

Your child:

• starts vomiting

• has nausea that lasts for more than a week or comes back again after getting better

• has belly pain or watery diarrhea

• has a fever

• has headaches that are severe or frequent or happen in the morning when they wake up

• refuses to eat or drink

Why does nausea happen? Common reasons for nausea include infections, stress, anxiety, some medicines, motion sickness, food sensitivities, allergic reactions, pregnancy, and dehydration.