Vomiting & Diarrhea in Children — Medicaid (QUEST) Accepted

Vomiting and diarrhea are miserable but usually short-lived, and the real job for parents is simpler than it feels: keep your child drinking and watch for dehydration. Most keiki recover at home in a few days.

What causes it

Most sudden vomiting and diarrhea in children is viral gastroenteritis — a stomach bug, often norovirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that in children vomiting tends to be more prominent than diarrhea, symptoms usually begin 12 to 48 hours after exposure, and they typically last 1 to 3 days.

The thing that actually matters: dehydration

The main risk is losing more fluid than the child takes in. Watch for a dry mouth, crying with few or no tears, fewer wet diapers or trips to the bathroom, sunken eyes, and unusual sleepiness or fussiness. Young children can become dehydrated quickly, so small, steady sips beat big drinks that come right back up.

How we approach it at Ohana Care Clinic

For mild illness, oral rehydration is the cornerstone: an over-the-counter oral rehydration solution given in small, frequent amounts is the CDC-supported approach for mild dehydration, and it works better than water alone or sugary drinks. Advance back to normal foods as your child tolerates them. We frame this as mālama — steady, patient care of the body while it clears the virus. Antibiotics do not help a viral stomach bug. Severe dehydration, or vomiting so constant that nothing stays down, may need to be seen and can require IV fluids.

Getting care by telehealth

Most of our care at Ohana Care Clinic happens by secure video across Hawaiʻi. A new primary-care or pediatric patient is seen in person for the first visit at our Hilo clinic; after that, many follow-ups and quick questions work well by video. When your keiki is sick, a video visit can often tell us whether they need to be seen in person, saving you a drive when it isn’t needed.

When to get help now

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if your child is struggling to breathe, turning blue around the lips, unresponsive, or you believe this is a life-threatening emergency. When in doubt, call us at (808) 867-8002 or use our symptom checker for after-hours guidance on whether your child needs to be seen.

Medically reviewed by Donna Leonard, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, pediatric nurse practitioner, and George Mackel, MSN, APRN, NP-C, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP, President & Owner of Ohana Care Clinic.
Date published: July 2, 2026 · Last reviewed: July 2026 · Citations verified: July 2026

This article is general health education from Ohana Care Clinic. It is not a substitute for a personal evaluation by a qualified clinician who knows your child’s situation, and reading it does not create a provider–patient relationship. If you think your child may have a medical condition, reach out to us or another licensed provider. In an emergency, call 911.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). About norovirus. https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Norovirus illnesses in children and adolescents. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/87053