Can Children Have Heartburn?

Yes my daughter gets it with certain type of food. I keep a bottle of tums for kids or rolaids for kids in the house.

Yes but it could be reflux.My son has been dianosed with reflux for a few years now he is 9 almost 10.I would call her Dr and see what he says and he will probably refer you to a gastroenterologist.I use Cook childrens and we see Dr Ongumola he is great.Hope this helps ! Good Luck

Yep - kids can get this. One of the rarely considered causes is gluten intolerance/celiac. However, this is the MOST commonly undiagnosed genetic disorder. The mama who responded about all the GI symptoms in her family should recommend this testing for all her family members! I can't urge folks strongly enough that if family members present with any GI symptoms that they be tested for this: www.enterolab.com

Your pedi or PCP is unlikely to be familiar with this as most were taught it was rare. It is NOT, but all the research is very recent. Since most docs continuing education is sponsored by pharmaceutical companies and there is not yet a drug treatment for this, they are not educated.

So, you can get tested on your own and most docs will understand the results in terms of a patient presenting with antibodies. The only treatment at this time is a strict GF diet. Even a little bit of gluten can cause reactions. And, it is hidden in virtually all processed/prepared foods. Some spices and hot sauces don't contain gluten, but it's russian roulette in terms of whether they do.

Both Pepto Bismol and Alka Seltzer gold are really good at neutralizing stomach acid, so they're good OTC alternatives. Peppermint (they have capsules at Sprouts) and licorice root (again you can find this at Sprouts - also called DGL - deglycerized licorice root) are good natural treatments for the problem.

Hello C.,

yes, she could have heartburn. perhaps she needs probiotics and enzymes to help with her digestive track. she can have papaya enzyme (chewable) tablets. avoid the problematic food for a while to give her digestive track a chance to recuperate. ~C.~

When I was 11 or 12, I used to get heartburn so badly that I couldn't stand up at school while waiting in line. My teacher told me that I was faking, that kids don't get heartburn, but they do. My father has it bad, so I guess it's genetic.

C.,
Absolutely 9 year olds can have heartburn and acid reflux. I know of several babies that have it. My grandson who is 9 has acid reflux. His pedi prescribed giving him zantac 75. If your daughter cannot swallow pills your pedi should be able to prescribe liquid.
C.

Try Original Limu for the family and do away with heartburn and lots of other problems. A few ounces a day and your body gets the proper nutrients it needs.
It's a great healthfood in a bottle.
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try it for 90 days and you won't want to be without it.
J.

I have an 8 year old that had it for over eight months. Finally at her well visit I told the doctor what was going on. He said some kids somach acid just gets out of wack and they need to get it back to normal.

He gave her a Rx of Prevacid and she did two round (each round is a chewable pill once a day for two weeks). I always felt horrible for her but now her heart burn is gone. He did say that since it went out of wack once that later there is a possibility of it doing it again, but weld just do anothet round of the Rx.

Yes children can get it and can out grow it. I also believe it is inherited. My father has it, I had it as an infant and so did 1 of my brothers and now both my brothers and I have it as adults. My daughter had it as an infant, but is doing fine now. If it is reflux, it needs to be monitored by a doctor. It can develope into more severe conditions. I did not take care of mine and now I have been diagnosed with barrates esaphagus and am at a very high risk for cancer of the esaphagus.
However, there is one more thing to consider. She could be having growing pains. My daughter gets growing pains pretty bad sometimes. She is also nine and is starting to develope breast buds. I wish you luck in helping your daughter.

absolutely - kids can have acid reflux - especially if you notice after eating or after she has been lying down. She made need an acid reducer - like Zantac or Pepcid.

Yes! Mild cases can be treated with medication and mores severe cases can be treated with surgery. Take her to gastroenterologist. He will probably order an upper gi, a swallow study, and may or not may order a ph study. He will then be able to tell you what will work best for her.

I know that some children can have heartburn. But it could also be her gallbladder. My teenage daughter just started having problems with hers. They now have Rolaids and Tums for kids. I would suggest getting those because the adult ones have too much calcium in them and long term use can cause cardiac issues. Call her pedi and make an appt. or ask them if you should just make an appt. with a GI doctor. Good luck to you both.

Oh yes they do! I had it all the time when I was younger and still have it today. All my family has it. You might want to try something everyday to control it like zantac or prevacid. They say taking rolaids all the time will suppress the good acids that digest your food. I was eating Michelina's microwave dinners and those gave me heartburn pretty bad, I think it's the preservatives in them. Hope this helps.

I get heartburn every time I eat Bell peppers. I can eat jalapenos and other types of peppers, just not bell. So, I would look for some ingredient in the food that might be the problem. I can tell you that the weight watchers, lean cuisines, etc. have a lot of bell pepper in them. There might also be some other ingredient that is bothering her. It doesn't have to be spicy, just a sort of allergy.

D. Kimbriel
Grandma to 2 beautiful boys

My 7 year old takes prilosec for heartburn, so yes. Also, you can buy children's tums at any pharmacy. Hope this answers your question. However, make sure that you are not overlooking any true chest pain. But, it does sound like heartburn!

You should make an appt with your daughter's pediatrician. It's best not to diagnose over the internet with laypeople. Good luck!

I add a small amount of baking soda to my children drinks when they have acid. They are 3 & 5.

For an adult it is 1 tsp in warm water especially at night. They is no way my kids will take that so I put like a 1/4 tsp in juice or milk and they drink that.. I I keep doing it until they're not having trouble. There is a certain point when you can't really taste it.

They can have heartburn, especially if you or the hubby has a history of it. I'm almost 31 and I remember having heartburn back when Dynasty used to be on TV. And I'm a firm believer that it's inherited. My grandfather, mom, brother, and I have gastro problems. I'd talk to her pedi, but I don't see any reason why you couldn't give her Rolaids, most of them have calcium in them which is good for her.

Sorry I wasn't much help, but I am a true testiment that kids her age can get it.

I suggest having your daughter keep a food journal...because if this is relatively new it may just be diet related and before you go through expenisve testing and doctor visits you might check to see if its treatable by improving her diet. A High-fat diet can pose alot of gastro-intestinal problems. And making sure she's drinking plenty of water can help too! People are so quick to medicate every symptom! But I would look for patterns in her eating as to when she has the heartburn.

My daughter had acid reflux starting at around 2 weeks old. They weren't able to treat her until she was around 6 months, but they did give her prevecid. It was prescription so i am not sure about things over the counter. I would take her to the doc just to be sure of whats going on. It may even be indigestion. Good luck!

Yes, they can have heartburn and if it's only on occasion, I wouldn't be too concerned. Just try to keep track of what she's eaten so you might be able to pinpoint the culprit. But, if it starts happening more frequently, it could be a sign of something more severe. I'd take her to see a doctor if that's the case.