It can be stressful when your baby or toddler comes down with a stomach bug and may leave you feeling pretty helpless.

Stomach viruses can be caused by a number of gastrointestinal illnesses, and sometimes they're not viruses at all but food poisoning from a bacterial infection. One of the most common causes of a stomach bug in babies and toddlers is rotavirus disease.

This guide to symptoms, causes, treatments and prevention of rotavirus has the info you need to get your little one (and the rest of the family) through it.

What is rotavirus?

Rotavirus is a contagious viral infection, a leading cause of stomach flu (which isn't actually related to the flu) in infants and toddlers, and the most common cause of severe diarrhea in little kids.[1]

Rotavirus disease — which tends to rear its infectious head during the winter and spring months, though you can get it at any time of the year — can infect adults, but its symptoms in babies and toddlers tend to be more serious because of their developing immune systems.

The good news is that the rotavirus vaccine, added in 2006 to the recommended schedule of vaccines for babies, protects kids against the virus.[2]

What causes rotavirus in children?

Rotavirus spreads through the stool of infected people, which is why changing tables and bathrooms are prime areas where the virus can lurk.

When people don’t wash their hands well after changing an infected baby’s diaper or infected toddlers don’t wash their hands well after using the potty, they can easily spread rotavirus to others.

Babies and toddlers most often come down with the virus, typically after touching something that’s been contaminated and then putting their hands in their mouths or putting unwashed hands with traces of feces in their mouths.

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But it can also spread through contaminated water, food or sometimes even through droplets in the air from coughs and sneezes.

Though a child’s first case of rotavirus disease may be pretty severe, if she gets infected again, the symptoms are usually much milder.[3]

Stomach flu and rotavirus symptoms in babies and toddlers 

Here are the most common symptoms of rotavirus and stomach flu in little ones:

  • Vomiting and watery diarrhea, usually lasting three to eight days
  • Fever
  • Abdominal pain
  • Loss of appetite
  • Dehydration (symptoms of dehydration include decreased urination, dry mouth and throat, feeling dizzy when standing up, crying with few or no tears, a sunken soft spot and unusual sleepiness or fussiness)

What home remedies and treatments can help children with rotavirus and stomach flu?

Usually you can treat rotavirus and other stomach viruses in babies and toddlers at home (antibiotics won’t work to kill a virus), and symptoms will usually fade within a few days.

Your doctor will probably recommend these strategies to ease your little one’s symptoms:[4]

  • Offer your child plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration, but be careful how much and when. For babies who haven’t yet started solids, nurse or give formula but not when they're still in the throes of vomiting. Wait at least an hour or two after the last bout of throwing up before offering either tiny sips of breast milk, formula or rehydrating fluids  like Pedialyte every 10 minutes. If they can keep it down for at least an hour of just small sips, then you can very gradually increase the amounts offered per 10-minute intervals. For older babies and toddlers, offer water and rehydrating liquids, but again not when your little one is actively vomiting or it can lead to more vomiting. Pediatricians typically recommend waiting an hour or two after the last bout of vomiting and then offering about a teaspoon (or less) of breast milk, formula, water or Pedialyte every 10 minutes for the next hour to see if your child can keep it down. If that works, gradually give slightly more over the course of the next few hours. Overdoing it can lead to more vomiting, which is why you have to tread cautiously. Rehydration fluids are often better than water or milk, at least in the beginning.
  • Use fever-reducing meds if recommended. Give acetaminophen (to babies 2 months and older) or ibuprofen (to those 6 months or older) to reduce fever.
  • Serve bland foods (bananas, plain pasta, crackers or plain toast) that won’t irritate your child’s digestive system any more than it already is — and avoid giving apple juice, dairy products and sugary foods, which can make your little one’s diarrhea worse.
  • Rest and more rest. Do your best to help your baby or toddler get a lot of sleep and rest.

When should I call the doctor about stomach flu in children?

Call your doctor right away if your child has bloody diarrhea or excessive vomiting. Also, contact your pediatrician right away or go to the emergency room if you notice any of these signs of severe dehydration — which may need to be treated with intravenous (IV) fluids in the hospital:

  • Your child is very lethargic or difficult to wake up
  • Unusual fussiness
  • Crying with few or no tears
  • Infrequent urination or a dry diaper
  • Dizziness
  • Dry mouth and throat
  • Sunken fontanelle

How can I prevent the stomach flu and rotavirus in children?

Rotavirus disease and other stomach illnesses are extremely contagious, so while there's nothing foolproof you can do to stop your little one from coming down with a general stomach virus, you can help prevent rotavirus specifically by taking the following steps to keep your child from getting sick:

  • Ask your pediatrician about the rotavirus vaccine, which is given as drops at either 2, 4 and 6 months or at 2 and 4 months, depending on the brand. Your child must get the first dose of rotavirus vaccine before 15 weeks of age, and the last by 8 months. Even though your baby is young and already getting a lot of shots, don’t put off getting it or skip it altogether. The vaccine doesn’t guarantee your child won’t get the illness, but it reduces the chances and it will make any rotavirus he does get less severe. Most children (about 9 out of 10) who get the vaccine will be protected from severe rotavirus disease. About 7 out of 10 children will be protected from rotavirus disease of any severity.
  • Practice good hygiene — wash your child’s hands and your own regularly, especially after diaper changes and bathroom visits and before eating — and teach your child hand-washing basics.
  • Be extra careful about disinfecting your child’s changing table area and toys, particularly if you know there has been an outbreak of stomach bug symptoms in your community or day care.
Following these tips and making sure to stay in close touch with your pediatrician will have your baby or toddler feeling better and back to normal before you know it.