What is the difference between rotavirus and stomach flu

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Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Ad Choices. Fact-forward news for readers like you who want to know more. Subscribe today. By Sherry Kuyt skuyt mlive. That's because some, such as Pepto-Bismol and Kaopectate, contain aspirin or aspirin-like ingredients that increase the risk of Reye's syndrome in children younger than This rare but serious condition causes swelling in the liver and brain.

Likewise, antidiarrheals like Imodium can lead to side effects in young children and should be avoided. Keep up the fluids. Dehydration is a concern because fluids are leaving your child's body faster from both ends than they are being replaced. Prevent dehydration with the following methods. Your child may have a hard time keeping down fluids at first. But sticking to small, frequent doses try a teaspoon every couple of minutes may help rebalance fluid and salt levels in the body, which can actually help stop vomiting over time.

If your child goes longer than eight hours without peeing or your infant has fewer than three wet diapers per day, you should call your pediatrician , advises Dr. Get back to a normal diet. Don't worry about food while your child is still throwing up. But once his stomach calms down, you can get back to a mostly regular diet.

While the BRAT diet bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast used to be the standard advice after a stomach bug, doctors now say there's no reason to keep your kid's food bland for more than a day, since the diet lacks balanced nutrition, points out Dr. Still, take it easy on high-fat and high-sugar foods, which can irritate her still-sensitive digestive tract, and continue to push plenty of fluids until her diarrhea is gone. Treat the fever.

If a higher-than-normal temperature is making your child uncomfortable, you can use acetaminophen or ibuprofen to bring his temperature down. This may help relieve other aches and pains too. Let him rest. Your child will probably be sleeping and napping more than usual, which is normal. But if your baby or toddler has been asleep more than 4 hours and has been having diarrhea or vomiting , you may want to wake him up to offer fluids.

Depending on the virus and your child's immune system, the stomach flu can last anywhere from just a day or two to around 10 days. Nelson, M. Stomach flu can also make your child prone to short-term and completely reversible lactose intolerance the inability to digest an enzyme in milk and dairy products , which may be responsible for lingering diarrhea in toddlers and older kids.

You may want to try yogurt instead, which is easier to digest, and return to milk a day or two after. If your child is still throwing up after two days or has diarrhea for more than four days, check in with the doctor again. She may want to do additional tests to see if a different type of infection or condition might be to blame.

David B. FDA section on RotaTeq. Save Pin FB More. Continue Reading Below. More on Tummy Issues. Diarrhea in Toddlers and Babies. Types of Vomiting in Kids. Motion Sickness in Children. View Sources. American Academy of Pediatrics, Rotavirus , February Toddler Groups.

Go to Your Toddler's Month. Is Your Toddler Teething? But vaccination is the best way to prevent rotavirus infection. A rotavirus infection usually starts within two days of exposure to the virus.

Early symptoms are a fever and vomiting, followed by three to seven days of watery diarrhea. The infection can cause abdominal pain as well. Rotavirus is present in an infected person's stool two days before symptoms appear and for up to 10 days after symptoms lessen. The virus spreads easily through hand-to-mouth contact throughout this time — even if the infected person doesn't have symptoms.

If you have rotavirus and you don't wash your hands after using the toilet — or your child has rotavirus and you don't wash your hands after changing your child's diaper or helping your child use the toilet — the virus can spread to anything you touch, including food, toys and utensils.

If another person touches your unwashed hands or a contaminated object and then touches his or her mouth, an infection may follow. The virus can remain infectious on surfaces that haven't been disinfected for weeks or months. It's possible to be infected with rotavirus more than once, even if you've been vaccinated. However, repeat infections are typically less severe. Rotavirus infections are common in children ages 3 to 35 months — particularly those who spend time in child care settings.

Older adults and adults caring for young children have an increased risk of infection as well. Severe diarrhea can lead to dehydration, particularly in young children. Left untreated, dehydration can become a life-threatening condition regardless of its cause.