Most childhood stomach aches pass on their own within a few hours, and the best things you can do at home are simple: keep your child hydrated, offer gentle comfort, and avoid a few common mistakes that can make things worse. Here’s what actually works, broken down by what’s causing the discomfort.
Start With Small Sips of Fluid
Dehydration is the biggest real risk when a child has an upset stomach, especially if vomiting or diarrhea is involved. The key is not to hand them a full glass of water or juice, which often comes right back up. Instead, offer about a teaspoon (5 mL) of fluid every five minutes and gradually increase the amount as your child keeps it down. An oral rehydration solution (like Pedialyte) works better than water, juice, or sports drinks because it replaces both the fluid and the electrolytes your child is losing.
If your child is vomiting frequently, wait about 15 to 20 minutes after the last episode before starting sips again. Pushing fluids too fast is one of the most common mistakes parents make, and it usually triggers more vomiting. Once your child tolerates small sips for 30 to 60 minutes, you can slowly increase the volume.
Physical Comfort That Actually Helps
A warm compress or heating pad placed on your child’s belly can relax cramping muscles and ease pain noticeably. Use a low setting and place a cloth between the pad and skin to prevent burns. Have your child lie on their left side or curl up in whatever position feels most comfortable.
For babies dealing with gas or a fussy stomach, two hands-on techniques work well. The first is “bicycle legs”: gently hold your baby’s calves and push both knees toward their belly, hold for three to five seconds, then release. Repeat this three to five times. The gentle pressure helps move trapped gas through the intestines. The second is the “I Love You” massage. With your baby on their back, use gentle strokes to trace the letter “I” down the left side of their belly, then an upside-down “L” across the top and down the left side, then an upside-down “U” starting from the lower right, going up, across, and down the left. These strokes follow the path of the large intestine and help move things along.
What to Feed (and What to Skip)
You may have heard of the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast), but it’s no longer recommended as a go-to approach. The CDC notes that the BRAT diet is unnecessarily restrictive and provides suboptimal nutrition for a child whose gut is trying to recover. Withholding food for more than 24 hours can actually make things worse. Early feeding shortens illness duration and helps the gut heal faster.
Instead, let your child eat their normal diet in smaller portions, avoiding greasy, spicy, or very sugary foods. Plain crackers, soup, chicken, bread, pasta, and cooked vegetables are all fine. If your child doesn’t feel like eating much, that’s okay for a day, but don’t force a prolonged fast. Offer food when they show interest.
Medications: What’s Safe and What’s Not
One critical rule: do not give your child Pepto-Bismol or any product containing bismuth subsalicylate. These contain a compound related to aspirin, and giving aspirin-containing products to children under 16 carries a risk of Reye’s syndrome, a rare but serious condition that causes brain and liver damage. Many over-the-counter stomach remedies contain this ingredient, so always read labels carefully.
If gas seems to be the main problem, simethicone drops (sold as infant gas relief drops) are considered safe. For infants under 2, the typical dose is 0.3 mL; for children over 2, it’s 0.6 mL. These can be given after meals and at bedtime as needed, up to 12 doses per day. Simethicone works by breaking up gas bubbles and doesn’t get absorbed into the bloodstream.
Probiotics containing Lactobacillus strains may also help if your child has diarrhea from a stomach bug. A meta-analysis published in Pediatrics found that Lactobacillus reduced diarrhea duration by about 0.7 days and cut stool frequency by roughly 1.6 fewer stools per day compared to placebo. Look for child-specific probiotic products at your pharmacy.
Common Causes and What to Watch For
Most childhood stomach aches come from everyday triggers: constipation, gas, eating too much or too fast, mild food reactions, or a viral stomach bug. Stress and anxiety are also surprisingly common causes in school-age children. These typically resolve on their own within a few hours to a couple of days with the comfort measures above.
Some situations call for prompt medical attention. Contact your child’s doctor if abdominal pain doesn’t improve within 24 hours, lasts a week or longer (even if it comes and goes), is getting more severe, or is accompanied by a burning sensation during urination, poor appetite lasting more than two days, or unexplained weight loss.
Get emergency help right away if your child is vomiting blood or has blood in their stool (especially dark or tarry-looking), has sudden sharp abdominal pain, has a rigid or hard belly, is having trouble breathing, or is unable to pass stool while also vomiting. For babies younger than 3 months, any vomiting or diarrhea warrants immediate medical evaluation.