What causes vomiting in a child (virus, food, worms)?
Applies to age: 0–36 months
In short
Vomiting in children is often caused by a stomach infection; food poisoning or another infection, for example of the urinary tract, can also be the cause. For persistent vomiting, especially with blood mixed in, call 112 (the emergency number in Poland).
What is normal
All claims: international norm
- Diarrhea and vomiting are common in adults, children and infants, and often result from a stomach infection ("stomach bug").
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
They're often caused by a stomach bug and should stop in a few days.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- Food poisoning can cause vomiting.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
food poisoning
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- Vomiting can result from reflux, that is, a baby bringing food back up.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
reflux – where a baby brings feeds back up ("spitting up")
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- Vomiting can be caused by another infection, for example a urinary tract infection.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
other infections, such as a urinary tract infection (UTI)
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- Vomiting can be a side effect of a medicine; it is worth checking the package insert.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
medicines – check the leaflet to see if it's a side effect
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
ER / 112 (Poland)
Some claims: international norm
Immediate medical help needed: international norm
- Vomiting blood or material that looks like coffee grounds needs immediate medical help.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
vomit blood or have vomit that looks like ground coffee
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- Yellow-green or green vomit in a child needs immediate medical help.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
have yellow-green or green vomit (children)
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- Call the ambulance service, 999 (the ambulance number in Poland), or 112 for persistent vomiting, especially with blood mixed in.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
uporczywe wymioty zwłaszcza z domieszką krwi
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [2]
See a doctor
Some claims: international norm
Urgent medical assessment needed: international norm
- Vomiting lasting longer than 2 days needs an urgent medical assessment.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
you or your child have diarrhoea for more than 7 days or vomiting for more than 2 days
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- Go to night and holiday care (NiŚOZ) when vomiting or diarrhea appears, especially in children and seniors.
Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
pojawią się wymioty lub biegunka (szczególnie u dzieci i seniorów).
NFZ i Akademia NFZ · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [3]
international norm “International norm” next to a section heading means its claims come from a non-Polish source, because no Polish source in our registry covers this topic. When this applies to only some of the claims, the foreign ones carry the same label next to their source.
Sources
- NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia)License: Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The summary is ours and is not attributed to the NHS.
- Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl)License: CC BY 3.0 PL. Source: Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.
- NFZ i Akademia NFZLicense: Treści NFZ – wykorzystanie ze wskazaniem źródła, bez obrotu komercyjnego. Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ. Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.