Frequently, the entire family comes down with one form or another of the virus.
Vomiting can be severe with retching of the stomach contents several times as hour.
It is upsetting at any age, but for small infants and children, it is also frightening. After 6 hours, there is a decrease in the frequency, and after about 12 hours, there should only be 1 - 3 more times in a 10 hour period. For the older infant or child who has no other underlying medical problems, it is very uncommon to develop significant dehydration if the vomiting is over in less than 24 hours and there is no diarrhea at the same time. What You Can Do for Stomach Virus with Vomiting During the first 6 hours of the illness, when vomiting is occurring several times an hour, the child does not need to take any fluids. When the vomiting starts to slow down, we advise giving the child small sips of clear fluid frequently.