I need to advise on my daughter’s phobia. Hello everyone! I have a question about irrational fears of vomiting. My daughter has had a fear of “throw up” for as long as I can remember now. Tonight my son’s tummy was upset, so he went to bed early, and I sent him to bed with a just in case bucket. My ten-year-old daughter was freaking out, I mean losing her mind when it was time to go to bed, begging to sleep in the spare room (her room is across the hall from his). I ended up calming her down enough to get her into bed, but this fear literally runs her life at times. She refuses to see her cousins sometimes because her cousin often throws up if she doesn’t like the food that she has eaten. On Christmas Day, her cousin had ice cream that bothers her tummy, and she completely lost it, ruining her night thinking that her cousin was going to throw up. Anyone else experiences this? Any ideas of how to overcome this crazy fear of vomit??
I would definitely get her into a gp then therapist to help with this
I used to be afraid of throwing up. I had an eating disorder that didn’t help not sure if that was the initial cause, but therapy is my suggestion. Now I have 3 kids and cleaned up enough that I’m over it… but it was a fear of mine at one point. Also, is she afraid of seeing others do it or she is afraid to do it?
I have this same phobia. I puked once when I was pregnant with my first baby. I thought I would die. I am a nurse. I can be around someone throwing up. It doesnt bother me but when it comes to dealing with my own, I just cannot. I would rather die than vomit. A thing that helped me is to always keep pepto, zofran, or some type if nausea medication with me just in case I feel queasy.
I’m pushing 40 and I have a vomit phobia. Puke is gross.
I’d look into getting her doctor to recommend therapy. Sometimes fears are irrational and unless she can find out the base cause of this phobia, she may never get over it. And while it still could plague her, as some phobias just don’t go away or get “cured” she could possibly learn how to deal with it better instead of losing her mind at the thought of vomit.
It’s just like any other phobia. Spiders, tight spaces, etc. She probably wont grow out of it.
I hate to throw up also, just hearing that the stomach bug is going around I go in panic mode. I keep promethazine for nausea on hand and I start drinking grape juice daily, because I heard that it keeps the bug from getting comfy.
I have an irrational fear of throwing up as well, it will trigger severe anxiety attacks. I have tried a lot of remedies over the years and there are some that work and some that don’t. I know that taking a walk helps me calm down. My husband has to remind me that I am fine. I now have zofran on hand for peace of mind. Be supportive. Try really hard to understand that most of us that have this phobia understand that no one likes throwing up but are genuinely terrified of it. Be patient. Eventually the attack of anxiety will calm down.
My ten year old is exactly the same - for years she freaked out if someone vomitted - as distessing as it is believe me they do grow out of it. Talk to your GP if your worried. Good Luck 
OH MY GOD MY DAUGHTER IS EXACTLY LIKE THIS AND SHE’S 10 TOO!!! She is like me in the sense that if she gets a virus, she throws up so much for 2days that it makes her throat bleed. I have had GERD my whole life and horrible ulcers for as long as i can remember and throwing up burns so bad that it makes me throw up more. Her and i both will hold it in as long as we can until it just explodes out of our mouths! I have yet to find a way to help her with it, therapy has covered it before a few times. But she wont go anywhere during virus season. And at school she goes through one of those mini germx bottles in a couple of days, so ive had to get her the hydrating aloe kind for the past few years because her skin would crack. Sorry this is so long, ive just mever seen anyone have a kid with that same issue! I was told it is just something they have to grow out of so idk, but youre not alone lol
I also suffer from this phobia, it’s called Emetophobia. I’ve had it for as long as I can remember and even though I’m now 34 and know it’s completely irrational I can’t help but to have crazy rituals to ensure I don’t get sick. Now that I have a child it’s even worse, every time there is a child sick in my daughters class I freak out in my head for days wondering if my daughters next and if it will go through the entire house. Definitely look I to Cognitive behavioral therapy, I wish I had gotten help when I was younger before it got as bad as it is now.
I have this phobia as well. I bbn have to plug my ears just the thought of it makes me feel uneasy and there is no way i could clean it up.
I can not stand to throw up and get nervous when I am around someone that has had a stomach bug
I was like this. It’s better now that I’ve had my own kids but my daughter got the flu and I lost it but I didn’t have a choice so I had to get myself together. It was the worst thing ever for me.
My son has a diagnosis of adhd and anxiety with some OCD and autistic traits. He is exactly the same. He wont go near anyone if there poorly or have been. He panics over the smallest tummy ache incase he sick, very picky with food quite often thinking things are off or raw. It’s hard.
I don’t think anyone likes vomiting, but I would think it is both the taste and the complete lose of control you feel when you do vomit.
Omg I literally went through this with my 6 year old it was so bad she was refusing to go to school all cause a little boy threw up near her at lunch. We basically talked to her and the school they kept her at the edge of the table at school so she could “ get away quickly “ after a while she realized people won’t throw up near her everyday
My 13 year old is like this. I thought she was just being dramatic. I didn’t know it was real.
My girls like this & she’s 12 
It’s called emetophobia. It’s very real and more common than you think. I have if. But I only fear it if it’s contagious because I fear it for myself. Be glad she’s also not OCD and germaphobic because they often go hand in hand.
Get your daughter into counseling for this
I hate hearing it smelling and doing it,nope can’t do it, can’t handle drool or snotty nose from animals babies or little kids I will freak the heck out,I had 5 kids so it was very hard and OMG the panic attacks that followed was bad.
I’m the same way about spit. I’m 36. Sorry I dont know what to tell u. But trips to the dentist are awful cuz I gag and throw up if spit or drool gets out of control.
I hate the thought of throwing up and so does my daughter. If anyone in the family or friends throw up neither of us will go near them for days in fear of catching it…
Afraid I don’t have a solution but I can advise from experience that the panic will be exacerbated by not having a safe retreat or getaway from those being sick because it’s in her house - which should be her safe place.
Distractions will help; try and get her to a different room with something to occupy her when you know someone is sick in the house and don’t let her know about it. Eg. movie in her room with headphones. She’ll only fixate and feel anxious about what’s happening even after it’s happened if she’s aware. At 28 I’ve found ignorance is bliss with this. Knowing is sheer hell.
However, learning what the process of vomiting is; what the acid in the stomach is, and how and why it happens can help to normalize it. Just take it super slow and avoid any pictures or videos as these can trigger more anxiety 
if something like sleeping in a different room makes her feel safer in that situation I’d let her. Being stuck in a place she feels ‘exposed’ will just cause her to feel more stressed, unsupported and will not help her disassociate the anxiety and terror from a normal bodily function. Good luck and if you find a cure please share 
No one likes vomiting, but I would rather let it go than hold it in. I would tell my kids that it will make them feel better after they vomit. And it usually did. I have an inner ear disease that makes me vomit fairly often when I have vertigo. Boo.
I don’t think there’s a way to “fix” it, only to cope as well as possible. Some counseling could help but we are who we are.
I used to be like this. I would have a panic attack and cry. Eventually when I got older I just kind of got over it.
Katie Cavey Megan Andryszak Kohler
I am like that too. I don’t do puke at all it freaks me out
I am the same way. And of course my middle child has cyclic vomiting syndrome🤦♀️
I can kinda relate I’m scared of throwing up because I get choked easy,cant breathe and cry hysterically.
My grandmother died throwing up when I was little so I’m sure that played a part
Have you spoken to a child’s psychiatrist about this?
Counseling may help.
Wow, thanks for all of the replies! I had read that allowing her to change her routine is not a good approach, that is why I turned on a fan in her room and closed the door after calming her down to ensure the “noise” would be drowned out, rather than allowing her to go into the spare room to sleep. I am going to talk to my assistance program at work and see if I can get some professional advise, for now, it’s good to know that she is not alone, and that made her feel much better when I showed her that it’s not uncommon and we will work through it together. Thanks again everyone!
emetphodia its a legit thing i would consider seeing a mental dr might be stuff you can do to help while shes still young. an old friend of mine has it and when she was pregnant with her first child it was very very difficult for her to learn how to cope with it which she didn’t have a choice because morning sickness so adressing it asap might be the best idea
I second counselling. I used to have the worst social anxiety and couldn’t let anyone touch me… to the point I wouldn’t go anywhere. It’s tough getting over irrational phobias but she’ll get there with the right support b
This is a real phobia. It has a name but I can’t recall it at the moment. I personally struggle with anxiety and irrational fears. It is hard. Her fears are very real to her.
My daughter has this. She started counseling for generalized anxiety and it has seemed to help with the vomiting phobia a bit.
My sisters and I all suffer from this fear. I will literally sit at the toilet and pray to not throw up if I feel ill. A lot of it comes from the horrible sound of the act for me. If my husband gets ill I have to go on the other side of the house so I cannot hear him.
Might definitely be worth seeing a counselor for, but also you need to validate what she is feeling. Her feelings are real. Sometimes the validation can go a long way to actually helping deal with it.
Definitely get some children’s counciling for her, I know what obsessive fear is like, I deal with it myself, hope she gets some peace
I used to have that as a kid because back then throwing up was the worst thing that had ever happened to me in life. Now I have much bigger worries. So I would say its anxiety related. I use calming breathing and just positive internal conversations and grounding techniques for anxiety attacks.
I have that same phobia. I’m 32 and I HATE TO BARF. I would rather have firey poops for days. My hands and neck become sweaty just writing this comment. I’ve been this way as long as I can remember. I’ll hold back, I pace, cry, do whatever it takes to not puke.
Although, I will help others so long as I know it’s not a stomach bug… Then you’re on your own. Which is one of the reasons I choose to not have kids (it’s on the bottom of the list) but nonetheless my choice.
I have been to counseling but it didn’t help with the fear just other issues I had. I’m choosing not to go counseling because I can’t see my self wasting the money when it doesn’t make sense to me now.
Knock on wood I haven’t been sick since 2007. I always wash my hands, use cleaner at my checkstand at work. I don’t go over board but I just do what I can to stay healthy and not spread any colds.
I’m kinda the same way about my self . I luckily dont throw up often like every 10 years or so. Never once during pregnancy . I’m 43 and I cry like a baby when I do. Now other people i dont like to see anyone sick but it dont scare me. Poor little mama. Maybe counseling to see why or how to help it. Now I know when I’ve gotten sick a cold rag does wonders .
I deal with something similar, i dont like being sick but its not my biggest issues mune is i get anxiety with people being sick around me and just hearing someone gag maked me nauseous and if i see someone get sick i very likely will also get sick … the only thing that has gotten me even to a slightly less anxiousness, was working on a boat and not having away to get away from people who got boat sick 
… it still effects me but i had to start working on my reaction and knowing i cant control the situation leading up to other being sick near me
With a phobia as irrational as her fear seems it is real to her, but you also can’t enable her fears. Acknowledge her fears and keep on with life.
Its called Emetophobia, you can try getting her a counselor and see if it helps.
Yes!! I have that fear too! I have had it for as long as I can remember. It is called Emetophobia. It is horrible to live with. I think counseling would be great. I’ve just been dealing with it 
I would definitely see a counselor. This could be a phobia or OCD. My daughter has OCD and this seems like how she acts about her fears. OCD is not what people think it is ( clean freak or needing things a certain way).
Sorry. I can’t help, have the same fear.
Mine is more the smell than the actual action when it comes to others… With that said, I’m 37 and have vomited twice in my life. So glad I wasn’t a morning sickness momma.
You need medcial advise from a professional not us
Thearpy for anxiety.
Counseling that might help relieve the stress on her
Try flower essences - you can search for a practitioner in your area.
Is her cousin anorexic? I work in healthcare and I always leave the room and get another staff member…
My daughter has this phobia. She is 35 now. It is so bad she can hardly function when everyone has the flu. She has 4 children. I say get her as much help as you can ASAP.
My daughter (9)freaks out any time she hears someone puking. Like starts crying and she said it’s because she gets scared that the person puking can’t breathe.
I suffer from Emetephobia, the fear of vomit, but more I fear myself vomiting. It started when I was little, around 10 years old maybe…it hinders my life 28 years later…although I don’t have a straight answer, it may satisfy you to know you’re not alone and neither is your daughter! It drove my mom nuts, and finally came up with an “idea” she would give me a “stomach pill” she told me it wasn’t a guarantee, but that little pill eased my fears BIG time…it was sugar…
I was that way as a child around kindergarten/first grade age. I would become hysterical, cry, have to leave school if it happened. I don’t know what changed but I believe I just outgrew it. I don’t remember it remaining an issue for a long time. Maybe she will outgrow it? Hope that helps.
I would take her to a specialist that does exposure therapy. The fear of vomiting is considered a panic disorder. Could get worse.
Take her to see a therapist, she may have major OCD/ anxiety.
As a psychology major and graduate student I recommend going to therapist to deal with this specific phobia. Please seek profesional help. Otherwise phobia could get worse
Ah, yes. That is me as a child. Terrified of someone throwing up near me. Even as a young mother, I made my husband care for the kids if they were puking and have him clean it up. If someone said, “My son threw up today” I didn’t go visit. It is a real fear so just be patient and understanding. I don’t know why, but that’s how I was, too.
That was me as a kid and still me now as an adult the only vomit that doesn’t bother me is newborn spit up. If someone around me has a sick stomach I do not visit I go buy soups and 7up and hole myself up at home. I don’t know why I am like this. I have made small steps toward progress but it’s not easy
I have the same fear of others vomiting around me. I don’t like it but I can handle my own. The only time I really got over it was in college, when I would party every weekend and be around it a lot. It still kind of bothers me but not as much.
Maybe she scared choke on her vomit if usually bit phobia they say sistiscs say phobias can be way we died in her past life lot people don’t believe this but people can die choking on her vomit maybe she just scared for the people when I think of phobia I think scary situation and that be scary idk maybe thought maybe that why she scared ??
Have you asked her why? Like what scares her about it? Maybe she has some kind of faulty belief or association with vomiting.
Go seek professional help. Dont waste time trying to self medicate.
Is it because she’s scared to get sick herself?