The start of the new school year can be a challenging time for parents and children alike. Younger children often find it hard to cope with a wealth of new situations and experiences, particularly if they are beginning a new school. This can lead to physical manifestations of stress, including stomach ache, though this can also be an indication of a virus or gastrointestinal disease. Dr Zsuzsanna Vojnisek, our paediatrician and paediatric gastroenterologist, summarises what you should look out for if the start of school brings on abdominal pain.
Stomach pain caused by anxiety
The beginning of school means a completely new situation: new schoolmates, new teachers, more homework, etc. Many younger children find it harder to get used to such big changes and become anxious, often resulting in physical symptoms. A typical example is when, in the middle of getting ready in the morning and just before leaving for school, the child starts complaining of tummy ache. These stomach complaints can be caused by a difficult task or an unexpected event at school. It is important to see whether, as the child gets used to their new surroundings, makes friends and gets into the daily routine of the school, the abdominal pain subsides. If, after three months, the anxiety and stomach aches have not yet gone away, you should consult a paediatrician or child psychologist.
Indigestion, snacking, viral infections
It is easy to contract viruses in and around the school. These typically lead to high temperatures, fevers and stomach pain. Even if your child has an infection and is eating less, or doesn’t have a big appetite, there is no need to panic. It is, however, important to make sure that they are getting enough liquids. As they recover from the illness, the stomach ache will also pass.
Stomach complaints can also be a result of a significant change in the kinds of food your child is eating. They have to get used to the food from the school canteen, something which doesn’t always happen overnight. Give them a few weeks, and if the symptoms have still not gone away, then take them to see a paediatrician.
If you pack them up some breakfast or small snacks and nibbles, don’t go overboard with sweets and cakes. At this time of the year, we have a tendency to give our “poor” children some nice treats to compensate for all the challenges they have to face (the same applies to us too, of course J ). Let them at least have something in their snack pack to cheer them up, right? It is better to try and satisfy your child’s sweet tooth with some fruit or sunflower seeds, rather than sugary snacks. After a whole day spent devouring sweet stuff, there is a pretty good chance their stomach will be hurting by the evening.
Gastrointestinal disorders and diseases
Sometimes, symptoms may have no link to the start of school and do not go away in the longer term, even after several weeks. In this case, we can suspect some kind of illness linked to the stomach and digestive system if:
- the stomach pain is recurring, appearing at least once a week for three months and also causing complaints at night, waking the child
- it appears after mealtimes, or after the consumption of certain foods
- other symptoms appear with the stomach pains, such as loss of appetite, bloating or constipation
- the child loses or fails to gain weight
In these cases, it essential to consult a paediatrician or paediatric gastroenterologist.
