In the case of intestinal infections, vomiting and diarrhoea usually accompany the stomachache. These can also be symptoms of food poisoning. Food poisoning is generally the result of eating food that has not been cooked thoroughly or improperly canned food. Children with feeding problems often complain of stomachaches when they come to the table at mealtimes. Since stomachaches are easy to fake, parents sometimes do not give their children the benefit of the doubt.
Parents assume that they are pretending in a bid to escape eating a meal.
However, it is more likely that their stomachs are knotted with anxiety because mealtimes are such an ordeal. That is why it is important that parents try not to make mealtimes a battlefield. The stomach is an organ that reflects extremes of emotion. A child s first day at school can make his stomach clench with tension. Excitement can also trigger diarrhoea in some children.