While most babies experience acid reflux during their first year -- characterized by spitting up and colicky symptoms -- the vast majority of them outgrow it by the time they're a year old. If your toddler is continuing to experience stomach pain, irritability, vomiting or trouble catching his breath, especially after eating, see his doctor for further diagnosis, because it may have progressed to the more serious gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. In the meantime, there are some natural and simple ways to treat your child and determine if he does, indeed, have acid reflux.
Step 1
Dress your child in clothes that do not restrict the abdomen in any way. Avoid belts and tight waistbands in favor of stretchy or looser clothing.
Step 2
Feed your child up to six smaller meals and snacks each day, instead of three large meals, to allow her digestive system to work more efficiently. Eating too much at a time aggravates acid reflux, because when the stomach is full, it's easier for food and acid to back up into the esophagus.
Step 3
Avoid serving your child foods and beverages that are known to trigger acid reflux. These include acidic citrus fruits, tomatoes, garlic and onions, so orange juice, pizza and spaghetti with tomato sauce are off limits. Also stay away from spicy, fatty or fried foods, such as tacos, burgers and fries. Chocolate, peppermint and caffeine, as found in some soft drinks, have also been shown to increase symptoms.
Step 4
Have your child remain upright, either sitting or standing, for at least 30 minutes after eating, and longer if possible. Lying down lets stomach acid and food splash back up into the esophagus more easily, because gravity is working against the flow of digestion.
Step 5
Raise the head of your child's bed or crib if he experiences symptoms at night. Just piling up a bunch of pillows won't help, but you can safely raise the entire bed by putting 6 to 8 inch extensions, boards or blocks of wood under the legs at the head of the bed. Affix them securely, using wood screws or large nails, so there's no chance of your toddler accidentally knocking his bed off the stands.
Step 6
Take your child to get further tests if she's still experiencing symptoms after taking these measures. It could mean she doesn't have reflux after all, and you need to find out what the trouble is, or it could mean that it's more serious than you thought. Tests done on children to diagnose GERD include a barium swallow, milk scan, 24-hour pH-probe study, or upper endoscopy.
Step 7
Give your child any medication prescribed by his doctor. The most popular choices are an H-2 blocker to stop acid from regurgitating, a proton-pump inhibitor to block the production of stomach acid, and a simple antacid.
Things You'll Need
- Loose clothing
- Wood blocks
- Wood screws or nails
