You have some of the same questions I had when my kids were younger and still have now. For my daughter, she stopped meds at 4 but was back on them at 9 (she's now 10). My middle son stopped meds before two and has no signs of reflux (now 6). My littlest son got off meds when he was two (now 3.5) and still has some mild symptoms that are manageable with diet and an occasional Tums.

For us, taking them off meds had more to do with whether or not they seemed okay off meds. We pretty much knew my daughter would be back on meds at some point but were glad she had 5 years off of them. We have a strong family history and she was never symptom free off meds. On the other hand, my boys seem okay without meds so we just keep some of the other weird symptoms (my daughter had to go back on due to a chronic cough that could only be controlled by GI meds) so that we know when they might need to go back on it.

Lastly, our kids all get a Tums before bed per our pediatrician's suggestion for Calcium (they don't drink milk but do consume other dairy products) so that may help a bit for any nighttime issues they run into.

Good luck with the maze. It does get a little easier as they get older and can tell you what's wrong.