Abdominal Pain in Children Treatment

Medically Reviewed by Dan Brennan, MD on July 20, 2021
1 min read
  • The child is not moving or is too weak to stand.

1. Have Your Child Rest

  • Avoid activity, especially after eating.

2.Treat Symptoms

  • Provide clear fluids to sip, such as water, broth, or fruit juice diluted with water.
  • Serve bland foods, such as saltine crackers, plain bread, dry toast, rice, gelatin, or applesauce.
  • Avoid spicy or greasy foods and caffeinated or carbonated drinks until 48 hours after all symptoms have gone away.
  • Encourage the child to have a bowel movement.
  • Ask your child’s doctor before giving any medicine for abdominal pain. Drugs can mask or worsen the pain.

3. When to Call a Doctor

Call your child’s doctor immediately if your child has any of the following:

  • Persistent pain on the right side of the abdomen, which could be an appendicitis
  • Pain confined to one part of the abdomen
  • Severe or rapidly worsening abdominal pain or pain that doesn’t go away within 24 hours
  • Pain or tenderness when you press on the belly
  • A swollen abdomen or an abdomen that is rigid to the touch
  • Pain in the groin, or pain or swelling in a testicle
  • Unexplained fever
  • Lots of vomiting or diarrhea
  • Bleeding from the rectum
  • Blood in the stool or vomit
  • A recent abdominal injury