It was 1990 when my eldest son spewed puke all over me, his little brother and the entire contents of our brand new Pontiac Safari Station Wagon.
I don’t know who I felt worse for. Him for puking his guts out or for my little baby who was now covered in rainbow-colored puke. (Thanks Fruity Pebbles). As for me, I was pretty much used to getting peed, pooped and puked on, so it didn’t really bother me all that much.
Of course, their father was flipping out because he felt a little puke on his hair. Seriously, the three of us are covered in a reenactment of the Exorcist, and he’s worried about a little chocolate chip-sized morsel of puke in his hair.
Never in a million years did food poisoning ever cross my mind. I just assumed my kiddo had a severe stomach bug. To my dismay; it was food poisoning. To help you even further, start by downloading my free cheat sheet which explains the differences between food poisoning and the stomach flu. Click to get that; it’ll be super helpful.
Stomach flu versus food poisoning, what’s the difference?
Figuring out the difference between stomach flu and food poisoning can be pretty tricky. Most of the symptoms are the same; however, there are some dramatic differences that should help you and reduce the stress you’re starting to feel at this point.
Stop with your self-doubt. Stop torturing yourself by asking “Am I doing enough”? “Should I hydrate him more”? “Should I take her to the emergency room”? “Should I take him to the doctor”?
Symptoms of a stomach flu
- Diarrhea – watery
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea or vomiting
- Stomach cramps
- Muscle aches
- General weakness
- Low-grade fever (anything above normal but below 100.4°F or 38°C)
- Headaches
- Light-headedness or dizziness
A butts best friend when it comes to diarrhea
Always keep flushable wipes, baby wipes, petroleum jelly or diaper rash cream close by. There’s gonna be a lot of butt wiping. The petroleum jelly or diaper rash cream will be your kid’s best friend, as it’s gonna relieve the burning sensation from the stomach acid that’s coming out every time they poop.
When your kiddo goes to the bathroom or when wiping, the petroleum jelly or diaper rash cream will cause a barrier between the stomach acid being released and their raw little butts.
Food poisoning symptoms
Here are the symptoms of food poisoning. You’ll notice there are some major differences between food poisoning and stomach flu.
- Bloody or watery poop- Bloody poop should be your first sign, it’s not the stomach bug.
- Nausea and vomiting
- Severe abdominal cramps with excruciating pain
- Fever and chills
- Body aches
The symptoms of food poisoning will last several hours to several days. where-as the duration of the stomach bug can last from 3 days to over 2 weeks. The food poisoning/stomach bug symptom checker will help you decipher which one your kiddo has. Click .
Here are a few other food poisoning articles I wrote which may be of interest to you:
