Treating Diarrhea and Dehydration
Most children should
continue to eat a normal diet including formula or milk while they have mild
diarrhea. Breastfeeding should continue. If your baby seems bloated or gassy
after drinking cow's milk or formula, call your pediatrician to discuss a
temporary change in diet. Special fluids are not usually necessary for children
with mild illness.
Children
with moderate diarrhea can be cared for easily at home with close supervision,
special fluids, and your pediatrician's advice. Your pediatrician will
recommend the amount and length of time that special fluids should be used.
Later, a normal diet can be resumed. Some children are not able to tolerate
cow's milk when they have diarrhea and it may be temporarily removed from the
diet by your pediatrician. Breastfeeding should continue.
Special
fluids have been designed to replace water and salts lost during diarrhea.
These are extremely helpful for the home management of mild to moderately
severe illness. Do not try to prepare these special fluids yourself. It is too
easy to get confused by some of these complex recipes. You could accidentally
make a bad fluid for your baby. Use a fluid that is made by one of the
reputable manufacturers. The three most widely available products that you will
find in nearly every pharmacy are:
- Pedialyte
(Ross Laboratories)
- Infalyte
(Mead Johnson Nutritionals)
- ReVital
(PTS Labs)
Other brands of special
fluids are available and equally effective. Many drug stores have their own
generic brands of special fluids. Ask the pharmacist for assistance.
If
a child is not vomiting, these fluids can be used in very generous amounts
until the child starts making normal amounts of urine again.
If
your child develops severe diarrhea, he may require IV fluids in the emergency
department for several hours to correct dehydration. Usually hospitalization is
not necessary. Immediately seek your pediatrician's advice for the appropriate
care if symptoms of severe illness occur.
While
this illness runs its course, here are some general do's and don'ts that you
should keep in mind:
DO
- Watch
for signs of dehydration which occur when a child loses too much fluid and
becomes dried out. Symptoms of dehydration include a decrease in
urination, no tears when baby cries, high fever, dry mouth, weight loss, extreme
thirst, listlessness, and sunken eyes.
- Keep
your pediatrician informed if there is any significant change in how your
child is behaving.
- Report
if your child has blood in his stool.
- Report
if your child develops a high fever (more than 102ºF or 39ºC).
- Continue
to feed your child if she is not vomiting. You may have to give your child
smaller amounts of food than normal or give your child foods that do not
further upset his or her stomach.
- Use
diarrhea replacement fluids that are specifically made for diarrhea if
your child is thirsty.
DON'T
- Try
to make special salt and fluid combinations at home unless your
pediatrician instructs you and you have the proper instruments.
- Prevent
the child from eating if she is hungry.
- Use
boiled milk or other salty broth and soups.
- Use
"anti-diarrhea" medicines unless prescribed by your
pediatrician.
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