Diarrhea in children - diet

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Diarrhea has many causes, including:

• Antibiotics
• Consuming too much fruit or fruit juice
• Food sensitivity
• Illness
• Infection

Diet:

What the child eats or drinks may make diarrhea worse. Changing the diet may relieve some types of diarrhea.

In most cases, you should continue feeding your baby or child as usual. Most children can keep up with the nutrients they lose through diarrhea if they increase the amount of food they take in. For babies, always continue breast-feeding or formula feeding.

Many children develop mild and temporary lactose intolerance. Continuing dairy foods may make the diarrhea last longer, but it can also allow a faster return to a regular diet. Babies who eat solid foods may continue to do so as long as they can keep the food down.

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A full appetite is often the last behavior to return after an illness. Children should be allowed to take their time returning to their normal eating habits. No specific diet is recommended for diarrhea, but children usually tolerate bland foods better. Bulking agents, such as starches, fresh fruits, and vegetables sometimes help create more solid stool. Fruit juices can loosen stool.

For some children, a return to their regular diet can also bring a return of diarrhea. This is usually due to mild difficulty the gut has in absorbing regular food. This type of diarrhea usually doesn't last long and is different from the diarrhea that came during the actual illness. It requires no treatment as long as there are no other symptoms.

Diarrhea caused by antibiotics may be reduced by giving the child yogurt with live active cultures (look for a statement on the label). If the diarrhea persists, contact your health care provider to discuss changing or stopping the antibiotic. Do not stop antibiotic treatment without checking with your child's doctor.

Fluids:

Fluid is very important because it is easy for a child with diarrhea to become dehydrated. Dehydration is a serious condition in babies and young children. Lost fluids need to be replaced. Replace fluids (rehydration) through drinking for all but the most seriously dehydrated children, or those who can't keep fluids down.