Diarrhea in Toddlers
What many parent’s don’t realise is that a baby’s normal poop, will often look like what an adult would call diarrhea, so it can be difficult to determine if the baby is really having diarrhea. One trick here is to look for changes in frequency of their pooping habits, babies will usually have a very consistent toilet habits/patterns, so sudden changes to these habits are something to look out for.
There are many causes of diarrhea in toddlers, some of these could be
- Viral Infection
- Bacterial Infection
- Ear Infection
- Parasites
- Antibiotics
- Too much juice
- Food allergies
- Food intolerance
- Poisoning – eating something by accident. If you suspect this has happened call the emergency services for advice immediately.
Image: Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
When seeing a doctor, the parent’s are usually concerned about why their babies are having diarrhea, but actually the doctor’s main concern is usually making sure the baby is not dehydrated. If the toddler is having diarrhea, they will be losing fluid at a much faster rate than normal, in fact dehydration can be very serious, even fatal so it’s more of a concern than the diarrhea itself, so make sure you keep their fluids up.
If you suspect that they are dehydrated, perhaps dry lips, or dry skin, and they still don’t want to drink I would contact your paediatrician straight away. Sticking to a strict oral rehydration solution like Pedialyte every few hours (see your pharmacist for alternatives but similar products should be fine).
There are a few things you need to keep in mind when it comes to diarrhea in toddlers. Diarrhea will usually contain enzymes that come from the stomach, and if you need to keep your baby as clean as possible otherwise these enzymes can start “digesting” their soft skin which can be cause a lot of irritation for your child. Make sure you frequently change their diapers, I’ve found that air drying helps a lot, also using protective ointment and creams on irritated areas.
It is recommended that you breastfeed them where possible as studies have shown that babies are half as likely to have diarrhea when they are being breastfed. However if your baby is already on formula based milk, try switching over to a soy based milk formula until things calm down, just in case they are suffering from lactose intolerance.
If the toddler is on If your toddler is on solids already, I’d recommend giving them bland food for a week such as
- Apple sauce
- Strained banana
- Strained carrots
- Mashed potato
- Toast
- Crackers
- Rice
I would probably want to avoid things like
- Fruit juice
- Peas
- Pears
- Peaches
- Plums
- Prunes
- Apricots
Now keep in mind that if the baby has diarrhea a couple of times, it’s usually quite common and their poop will return to normal the next day so there’s no need to be concerned. Only if you’ve noticed a sudden change to their toilet patterns which is lasting a few days I would go a see a doctor to get some advice.
