Physician Specialist Glossary

Most infants occasionally spit up throughout the day. However, when regurgitation causes other problems or is associated with other symptoms, it may be due to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which can also occur in older children.

What Are the Symptoms of Acid Reflux in Infants and Children?

The most common symptoms of reflux in kids are:

• Frequent or recurrent vomiting
• Frequent or persistent cough
• Refusing to eat or difficulty eating (choking or gagging with feeding)
• Crying with feeding
• Heartburn, gas, or abdominal pain

Many other symptoms are sometimes blamed on gastroesophageal reflux, but much of the time, it isn't clear if reflux actually causes them. Other possibilities in young children and infants include:

• Colic
• Poor growth
• Breathing problems
• Recurrent pneumonia