"My tummy hurts" -- Toddler says all the time -- what to do?

[Anonymous]

My 3.5 yr old says his tummy hurts after almost every meal lately. He then goes and lays down for about 5 min and then seems fine again. He's not constipated and doesn't have any other symptoms. I can't connect it to any specific food. He sometimes says it's because he ate too much, even if he doesn't eat that much.

Has anyone else had this? He's eating fine for him (extremely picky). Any ideas on what to do? I haven't asked the ped yet but maybe should.

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Does his stomach appear distended? Can you feel gas bubbles when you rest your hands on his stomach? Our DS has constipation issues as well as foods that upset his stomach. For us -its pretty quick to tell if he has gas - we have him use the bathroom to see if that alleviates the problem. For our DS Apple juice,bananas and any dairy product will upset his stomach. When he has gas that can't be relieved by a bathroom visit we do use the kids version of gas-x.

[Anonymous]

hmm - maybw he's just talking about the "full" feeling, but it certainly could be something more real. I would def speak to your ped about it.

[Anonymous]

This is so common in young children. They are learning to influence the world, and that no one can tell them how they feel. I believe that we should acknowledge, but not indulge. That is to say, be sympathetic, offer simple remedies, but do not let him miss school or otherwise control the household.

I offer my child a tiny dose of pepto bismol several times a week. I mean like a quarter-teaspoon. I also suggest that she lie down, which she always declines to do, or offer a snuggle. The PB is my way of saying "I believe you, but it's no big deal and you're not getting special treatment." Now of course, if there were ANY sign of illness, I would react differently. I'm talking about the "my tummy hurts" that crops up between bouts of active play and laughter, or when she doesn't want to go to school or something.

[Anonymous]

For us -its pretty quick to tell if he has gas - we have him use the bathroom to see if that alleviates the problem.

My standard answer to "my tummy hurts" is "go sit on the potty". It almost always solves the problem.

[Anonymous]

My son did this for a while, we finally figured out that he had a sensitivity to gluten, so he really was having a tummy ache.

[Anonymous]

I have pepto bismol for kids which I think is safer than the adult kind. We also do acidopholius.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son did this for a while, we finally figured out that he had a sensitivity to gluten, so he really was having a tummy ache.

This is exactly what I was thinking. I have a number of friends with celiac disease, and if your kid has it, best to get it diagnosed now.

[Anonymous]

My nearly 4-year old has been doing this somewhat frequently for the past couple months. Most of the time it seems that it is his realization that he is full or that maybe he ate a little too much. I typically ask him whether he feels like he needs to sit on the toilet or suggest that he lie down for a few minutes. He usually refuses to lie down, but now and then he'll lay on the couch for a couple minutes. Most often though I just tell him that he should stop eating if his tummy hurts, which he does, and that ends it. We haven't noticed any change in his bowel movements and the complaints never continue.

[Anonymous]

My daughter has tummy problems. We use digestive enzymes with meals now. They tend to help her a lot. If she has stomach pain later, we give more enzymes and it seems to settle the discomfort. You can find a broad-spectrum digestive enzyme at any healthfood store. Hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is so common in young children. They are learning to influence the world, and that no one can tell them how they feel. I believe that we should acknowledge, but not indulge. That is to say, be sympathetic, offer simple remedies, but do not let him miss school or otherwise control the household.

I offer my child a tiny dose of pepto bismol several times a week. I mean like a quarter-teaspoon. I also suggest that she lie down, which she always declines to do, or offer a snuggle. The PB is my way of saying "I believe you, but it's no big deal and you're not getting special treatment." Now of course, if there were ANY sign of illness, I would react differently. I'm talking about the "my tummy hurts" that crops up between bouts of active play and laughter, or when she doesn't want to go to school or something.

I think discounting the child's discomfort after eating is a huge mistake. For many kids, eating is painful for the tummy, not playing or going to school or laughing. When your child has stomach ailments from food, there are digestive issues involved and it needs to be addressed.

[Anonymous]

My DD says mommy my tumy hurst rub it. So I rub her tummy. Then she either farts or poops
She is 2

[Anonymous]

Toddlers say this for any number of reasons. For the attention, or because it actually hurts. It may hurt because they overate, it may hurt because something is bothering their stomach (possibly caused by a food intolerance), or it may hurt because they ran around soon after eating. It may also hurt if they have gas, are constipated, or need to sit on the toilet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I think discounting the child's discomfort after eating is a huge mistake. For many kids, eating is painful for the tummy, not playing or going to school or laughing. When your child has stomach ailments from food, there are digestive issues involved and it needs to be addressed.

So glad Dr. Spock is in the house. Correlation between eating and tummy aches? Genius!

[Anonymous]

might be lactose intolerance