Back to School Aches: Sick or Stressed?
Back-to-school can mean a fun amount of excitement, but it can also stir up stress and worry. For some of our kids here in Clark County and Cowlitz County, Washington, that worry shows up as headaches or stomachaches, two common reasons for pediatric sick visits. Sometimes headaches and stomachaches are tied to stress—like school, sports, or family changes. Other times, they can be linked to other illnesses or serious conditions that need quick attention. Knowing when to watch, when to rest, and when to call for help isn’t always that easy—that’s where Little Spuds can help. Here are some important details to consider when thinking about your child’s headache or stomachache—including signs that may indicate your child needs a more urgent or emergent evaluation.
Clues Your Child’s Headache or Stomachache May Be Caused by Stress, Worry, or Anxiety
Your child has experienced a recent life change—like starting a new school, loss of friendships, moving, joining a new sports team, a parent’s divorce, a parent’s health change, or the loss of a loved one.
You usually won’t see other symptoms like fever, tiredness, vomiting, diarrhea, runny nose, cough, sore throat, rash, joint pain, appetite changes, weight loss, or sensitivity to light and sound.
You will see these headaches and stomachaches usually fade on their own or when the stress lifts. They often show up at school or sports, get worse with stress, and disappear on weekends, breaks, or over the summer.
Home Care for Stress Related Headaches and Stomachaches
Non-medication treatment care depends on the cause and can include:
Supportive, trusted adults that can listen with empathy when a child talks but also knows how to best help the child cope with and move past the pain.
Ensure the child has adequate sleep and adequate nutrition (including limiting or avoiding caffeine).
Regular physical activity outdoors (think 30-45 minutes a day).
Journaling, meditation, and being with friends can help reset a stressed mind.
For some, identifying and treating specific stress sources causing the symptoms can take time. Some kids will need to consider seeking professional help for anxiety & mental health concerns or even family therapy.
Children should continue to attend school despite stress-related stomachaches or headaches. Missing school for these symptoms can reinforce avoidance. Building resilience and coping skills is important. Parents and schools can create plans to support children during symptoms. Healthcare providers can also assist.
Parents can support their child’s resiliency by tailoring efforts to their needs—like reading parenting books to get ideas on what could best help their child, seeking a parenting coach, or consulting teachers and school counselors for recommendations on how to help. Parenting is challenging, and children often need different approaches than the ones we know. Luckily, our brains are wired for resilience and change, which requires time and intention. You can begin by asking yourself or your child, “What do we think is going on here? What happened at school today? Do you have any worries from today?” Then just listen and ask your child, “What do you think we can do about it?” If your child doesn’t know, you can say, “Can I make some suggestions?” Some of Little Spuds favorite parenting books to consider adding to your parenting toolkit include:
The Love and Logic series. You can find the whole collection HERE with a variety of books tailored to many parents’ and childrens’ different needs.
How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk. You can find the book HERE. This book is an amazing resource for parents because it provides parenting guidance around helping your child deal with their feelings, engaging cooperation, alternatives to punishment, encouraging autonomy, freeing your child from playing a role, and many more jewels.
Parenting From The Inside Out. You can find the book HERE. For parents who may be unintentionally parenting their children with the guidance of their own past childhood trauma, this book provides excellent insight into how to make sense of their childhood, move beyond it, and develop a more enjoyable relationship with their children.
When Children Feel Pain. This book is geared towards parents of children who have been diagnosed with chronic stomachaches and chronic headaches. You can find the book HERE. What we love about this book is that it gives simple explanations regarding children & chronic pain—which is typically diagnosed once the pain lasts more than 2-3 months. This book details personal stories from actual patients with chronic pain, provides insight into how specific parenting patterns can reinforce chronic pain, and what typical therapies are used for children with chronic pain.
Sometimes kids need temporary over the counter pain medication treatment for short term stress related stomachaches or headaches. These medications should always be given under the advice of a healthcare provider and can be stored at school to be administered by the school nurse when occasionally needed. These medications can include:
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil). Acetaminophen is typically better for stomach pain and ibuprofen is typically more helpful in reducing the occasional stress headache. If needed and appropriate for the child, they can easily be taken together and tend to work really well.
typically, these medications are only temporarily helpful for stress related headaches and stomachaches and shouldn’t be used longer than 7-10 days.
If a child’s pain continues despite giving these medications, it’s time to see a medical provider for an evaluation.
Medications used for migraine headaches or migraine stomachaches in children are available by prescription only and should be used under the guidance of a pediatric healthcare provider, a pediatric neurologist specializing in migraines, or a pediatric pain provider specializing in abdominal pain.
When to Get Medical Help for Your Child’s Headache
Headaches with other symptoms such as fever (temp of 100.4F or higher), neck pain, fatigue, vomiting, runny nose, cough, sore throat, rash, joint pain, appetite changes, or sensitivity to light and sound.
Headaches occurring in children with known medical diagnoses such as hydrocephalus, sickle cell disease, bleeding problems, immune system or genetic conditions, heart conditions, or cancer.
Headaches in children younger than 6 years old - typically children this age do not have frequent headaches and can be an indication something serious is going on.
Recent head injury—After a fall, a bike crash, or a car accident, headaches paired with behavior changes, vomiting or a visible bump/open wound should be checked immediately in a local ER.
Headaches that wake your child from sleep or happen regularly upon waking and comes with vomiting or weight loss, see a pediatric provider.
Headaches in the back of the head. Consistent pain here can be a red flag, make sure to chat with your child’s regular pediatric provider when this happens.
Headaches that linger. A headache that doesn’t get better with medicine and lasts longer than is expected for the underlying cause.
Headaches with vision or movement changes. If your child has trouble seeing, eyes that don’t move together, unclear speech, imbalance, weakness on one side, or a new limp, get medical help right away.
Headaches with facial or breathing changes. If your child’s face looks uneven when smiling, they struggle to swallow or breathe, or can’t hold their head up straight—they need immediate evaluation.
When to Get Medical Help For Your Child’s Stomachache
Stomachaches with other symptoms like fever, vomiting and diarrhea (with or without blood), stomach is swollen, vomiting the color of green grass, appetite changes, weight loss, sore throat, rash, painful and frequent urination, dark colored urine, back pain, constipation, cough with faster/difficulty breathing, and joint pain.
Stomachaches occurring in children with known medical diagnoses such as sickle cell disease, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease (Chrohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis), prior abdominal or other surgery, or with implanted medical devices such as a feeding tube or vagal nerve stimulator.
Stomachaches with known or concern for possible ingestion. Young children, especially toddlers and preschoolers, may swallow medicines or objects by accident—like grandparents' or parents' medications, magnets, batteries, coins, or needles. Older kids may take harmful drugs or overdose on prescriptions on purpose. Kids with serious food allergies might eat those foods by mistake and get stomach pain, rash, swelling, or trouble breathing. All these situations need immediate care in an ER.
A stomachache in the setting of a recent abdominal injury from a fall, during sports, recent bike or car accident with bruising across the abdomen—immediate evaluation in the ER.
Stomachaches in girls with heavy bleeding during their periods or are sexually active.
Stomachaches in boys with painful, swollen, discolored scrotum (needs ER visit) or are sexually active.
Stomachaches that are so painful a child cannot stop crying or cannot walk without pain should get an immediate evaluation.
Feeling overwhelmed? Reassuringly, most stomachaches and headaches are short-lived and typically improve with rest, reassurance, or occasional over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen or ibuprofen—always under the guidance of a trusted healthcare provider. But if your child’s pain persists, worsens, or comes with concerning symptoms, it’s time for a professional evaluation.
At Little Spuds, we know it’s hard to juggle parenting and playing “healthcare provider” at the same time. That’s why we offer in-home urgent care visits across Clark County and Cowlitz County, WA, bringing expert pediatric care right to your door. Whether it’s shorting out stress-related aches or something serious, we-re here to help your child feel better—and give you peace of mind.
Book your child’s next in-home sick visit by clicking HERE and let Little Spuds take care of the rest.
Disclaimer: The contents of this post are for educational and informational purposes only and not to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. For personalized guidance, evaluation, or treatment, please consult your child’s healthcare provider.