How to Treat Diarrhea in an Infant

When your baby has diarrhea it can be a challenging experience for the both of you. You hate seeing your baby suffer and your baby may be very uncomfortable. Here are some tips for helping your child during this period.

Instructions

1

The first thing in treating diarrhea in infants is to know whether or not it is really diarrhea. Often an infants regular stool can look similar to diarrhea and some parents tend to become very nervous. The first thing to do is to notice if there is an increase of bowel movements baby is suddenly having. Most babies will develop a routine of how often they have bowel movement, some can have 5 a day while others can have more.

2

If you notice a change in her bowel movement pattern then she/he may have diarrhea. If her stool seems to look watery then it has in the past then she/he may also have diarrhea. If you are breastfeeding your baby then it may be a change in your diet that is affecting your baby's bowel movements. So think about what you have had to eat and see if that is perhaps that problem. Of course you do not want to stop breastfeeding baby, because breastfeeding can actually help to prevent and treat diarrhea. Just pay attention to your own diet and make sure you are eating the best you can for yourself and for your baby.

3

Now if your baby is formula feed you may want to switch their formula to a soy based formula at least until the diarrhea is over. In my personal experiences with formula sometimes the iron can be to heavy on your infants stomach and you may want to switch to a low iron formula and see if they can digest it better. My child's doctor advices me to do this and it worked like a charm. The low iron formula still has an adequate amount of iron that baby needs and it is easier on their little stomach.

4

If your baby has other signs of illness like a temperature, a runny nose, congestion, or any other illness it can be more likely that they do have diarrhea. Depending on your baby's age you may want to give them some infants Tylenol to ease the symptoms and make them more comfortable. You also may want to call your baby's doctor to take them in and ask them any questions that you have.

5

The safest thing to do if you are unsure of what to do, is simply call your baby's doctor. They will advice you on what you should do and if you should take them in or not.