Division of Pediatric Anesthesia
Fasting Guidelines
The reason for fasting prior to surgery is to reduce the risks of aspirating gastric contents during the surgery. This complication, although rare, is very serious and parents need to strictly follow our recommendations. This has nothing to do with nausea and vomiting after the surgery. We have very clear policies as to specific ages and time periods before surgery when the child must refrain from eating and/or drinking. These are all based on safety standards. We believe that the fasting time should be as short as possible before the surgery.
Solids such as solid food, breast milk, formula, bottle milk and unstrained fruit juices:
| Newborn until 6 months: | 4 hr |
| 6 to 36 months: | 6 hr |
| Older then 36 months: | 8 hr |
Clear liquids such as Water, Kool-Aid, Pedialyte, strained juice (like apple juice) and gatorade:
| Newborn until 6 months: | 2 hr |
| Older then 6 months: | 3 hr |
