Forcibly disgorging the contents of the stomach through the mouth.

Vomiting in children has a wide range of causes, from ordinary cases of stomach flu that spontaneously resolve within days to serious disorders of the digestive tract and other problems. The most common danger associated with vomiting is dehydration, especially when the vomiting is accompanied by fever and diarrhea. Severe, repeated vomiting can also strain the esophagus and stomach and cause internal bleeding or shock. If it becomes chronic, vomiting can also disrupt a child's metabolism and slow growth. Another concern is the danger that vomit will be aspirated into the lungs, which can lead to pneumonia.

Infancy

Vomiting should be distinguished from the spitting up (gastrointestinal reflux) that is common in infants. Unlike the forcible reverse peristalsis of vomiting, spitting up is a free discharge of the stomach contents resulting from rapid feeding or overfeeding, or simply...