Vomiting Treated With Medicine: How to Care for Your Baby

Vomiting in infants usually isn't serious and goes away in a couple days. Vomiting can happen for many reasons, like illnesses, formula allergies, gastroesophageal reflux (GER), or in rare cases, a blockage in the intestines. Most of the time, vomiting in babies is due to gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis usually happens when a virus infects the stomach and intestines.

It's important to keep your baby hydrated during this time. The nurse gave your baby medicine to help stop the vomiting. The medicine will continue working when your baby is at home.

Giving Liquids

Do not give your baby:

• plain water, which can cause a problem in the balance of salt and water in the body 

• sports drinks, soda, or full-strength (undiluted) juice, because these have too much sugar for babies

For breastfed infants:

• Continue breastfeeding.

• Try breastfeeding more often, but for shorter amounts of time (5–10 minutes every 1–2 hours). You can breastfeed normally if your baby goes 8 hours without vomiting.

• If your infant begins vomiting the smaller amounts of breast milk, see the information below about using an oral electrolyte solution and call your health care provider. 

• After your infant has been on oral electrolyte solution for 8 hours without vomiting, breastfeed for 5–10 minutes every 2 hours and slowly work up to your normal feeding schedule.

For formula-fed infants:

• Don't give your baby any formula for now.

• Follow the instructions below to continue giving an oral electrolyte solution.

• After your infant has been on oral electrolyte solution for 8 hours without vomiting, give ½–1 ounce of formula every 2 hours and slowly work up to your normal feeding schedule.

Oral Electrolyte Solution Instructions:

• Give your baby small amounts of the oral electrolyte solution every few minutes. You can use an oral syringe, a medicine cup, or a kitchen spoon. 

  • Start with 5–10 ml of oral electrolyte solution. 

  • After 1 hour, if your baby is doing well, increase the amount a little bit and give 15–20 ml.

  • Continue to give this amount every few minutes for the next hour or two until your baby is peeing as usual. If your baby vomits, start over with a smaller amount of liquid.

• Don't keep your baby on oral electrolyte solution for more than 24 hours.

For all babies:

• If your baby is already eating solids and hasn't vomited in 8 hours, offer small amounts of bland foods, such as cereal, crackers, applesauce, or bananas. After 24 hours without vomiting, go back to your baby's regular diet.

• Wash your hands well and often. Viruses that cause vomiting are contagious and can spread from person to person.

• Keep your baby out of child care until 24 hours have passed with no vomiting.

• Make a follow-up appointment with your health care provider to make sure your baby is staying hydrated.

Your baby:

• starts to vomit and continues for more than 8 hours

• is crying a lot and can't be calmed down

• seems to have belly pain or other pain

• has a fever

• has a firm belly

• has forceful vomiting right after every feeding

Your baby:

• appears to be dehydrated; signs include a dry or sticky mouth, crying with few or no tears, more than 4–6 hours without a wet diaper, sunken eyes or soft spot on the head, decreased alertness, rapid breathing, and/or severe sleepiness

• has vomit that's bright green, red, or brown

• has a soft spot that's bulging out

• is very tired and hard to wake up

Is spitting up the same as vomiting? No. Spitting up is when there is an easy flow of liquid out of a baby's mouth, often with a burp. Spitting up doesn't cause discomfort. Vomiting is when a baby throws up liquid or solids forcefully. Vomiting is uncomfortable and often happens a few times.

How can we prevent gastroenteritis from spreading? To help prevent the spread of gastroenteritis, teach all family members to wash their hands well and often. They should wash for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. Clean tabletops, doorknobs, and other hard surfaces with a cleaner that kills viruses. Keep your child out of child care or school until 24 hours have passed with no vomiting.