When is vomiting in a child dangerous, and when should you go to a doctor or the hospital emergency department (SOR)?
Applies to age: 0–36 months
In short
Call an ambulance at 999 (the ambulance number in Poland) or 112 (the emergency number in Poland) for persistent vomiting, especially with blood mixed in, loss of consciousness, convulsions or increased shortness of breath. Vomiting usually stops within 1–2 days. After primary care (POZ) clinic hours, night and holiday care (NiŚOZ) helps.
What is normal
All claims: international norm
- Vomiting in children usually stops within 1–2 days.
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:
vomiting usually stops in 1 or 2 days
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
When to worry
- Go to a night and holiday care (NiŚOZ) doctor when symptoms get worse and you cannot wait until morning.
Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
objawy się nasilą i nie możesz czekać do rana
NFZ i Akademia NFZ · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [2]
- A sudden worsening of a sick person's condition that may lead to harm to health justifies calling an ambulance.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
nagłego pogorszenia się stanu osoby chorej, który może prowadzić do uszczerbku na zdrowiu.
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [3]
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]
- A stiff neck and pain when looking at bright light need 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 a stiff neck and pain when looking at bright lights
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- Sudden, severe tummy pain 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 a sudden, severe tummy ache
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- Blue, gray, pale or blotchy color of the skin, lips or tongue 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 blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue - on brown or black skin this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- A child who is confused or responding differently than usual 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:
are confused or not responding as usual
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- Call an ambulance at 999 (the ambulance number in Poland) or 112 (the emergency number in Poland) 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 [3]
- Call an ambulance at 999 or 112 for loss of consciousness.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
utrata przytomności
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [3]
- Call an ambulance at 999 or 112 for disturbances of consciousness.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
zaburzenia świadomości
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [3]
- Call an ambulance at 999 or 112 for convulsions.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
drgawki
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [3]
- Call an ambulance at 999 or 112 for increased shortness of breath.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
nasilona duszność
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [3]
- Call an ambulance at 999 or 112 for sudden acute tummy pain.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
nagły ostry ból brzucha
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [3]
See a doctor
Some claims: international norm
Urgent medical assessment needed: international norm
- Worry about a baby under 12 months old with vomiting 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're worried about a baby under 12 months
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- A child who stops breast or bottle feeding during an illness 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:
your child stops breast or bottle feeding while they're ill
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- Signs of dehydration in a child under 5, for example fewer wet diapers, need 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:
a child under 5 years has signs of dehydration, such as fewer wet nappies
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- Continuous vomiting, in which the child cannot keep fluids down, 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 keep being sick and cannot keep fluid down
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [1]
- 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]
- After the hours of a primary care (POZ) clinic, medical help is provided by night and holiday care (NiŚOZ).
Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Nocna i świąteczna opieka zdrowotna to pomoc lekarska po godzinach pracy przychodni POZ.
NFZ i Akademia NFZ · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [2]
- 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 [2]
- Night and holiday care (NiŚOZ) sees patients from Monday to Friday from 18:00 to 8:00 in the morning the next day.
Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Poniedziałek – Piątek: 18:00 – 08:00 rano dnia następnego.
NFZ i Akademia NFZ · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-14 · license [2]
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.
- 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.
- 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.