Possible Causes And Some Solutions For The Treatment Of Infant Diarrhea

It is not unusual for infants to have loose or watery stools on occasion. These kinds of bowel movements are considered infant diarrhea if you notice the bowel patterns have changed and only watery, loose stools are being passed on a more frequent basis. With this in mind, it is safe to assume your baby is experiencing infant diarrhea; if this is occurring.

Infant Diarrhea can be caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Gastroenteritis better known as stomach flu is one of the main causes of infant diarrhea. There are many virus strains of Gastroenteritis. The one that usually lands babies in the hospital is rotavirus due to extreme dehydration. Symptoms include cramping, vomiting and a low fever. Another cause of Infant diarrhea is bacteria. Its symptoms include severe diarrhea with or without vomiting, cramping, bloody stool and fever. The main culprit for bacterial diarrhea in infants that are not eating solids is improperly prepared or handled formula. A stool sample from the infant is taken to determine the type of bacterial infection it is.

A less common cause of infant diarrhea could come from parasites. Giardiasis is a parasite that is passed to the infant from improper cleaning of the hands and handling baby to baby as in an infant nursery or day care facility. Proper hygiene such as frequent hand washing and disposal of waste is key to avoid this kind of parasite to be spread.

Sometimes there are dietary reasons for infant diarrhea. Some babies get infant diarrhea when given fruit juice before 6 months. It is recommended juice is not added to a baby’s diet until at least 6 months to avoid this. Milk allergies can also produce infant diarrhea. In addition changes in diet, including a breast-feeding mothers diet and medication particularly anti biotics can cause infant diarrhea. One thing to try when an infant is formula fed and is experiencing infant diarrhea is to try switching to a soy based formula. Do not dilute the formula, soy has shown to slow down infant diarrhea. A soy-based formula with fiber is even better. One such formula is Isomil DF. If you are breast-feeding continue. If the baby is big enough to eat solids then carrots, rice cereals, bananas and apple sauce all help slow down diarrhea. Avoid giving the baby fruit juices, peas, pears, peaches, plums and apricots until they are back to normal. Also give the solid eating baby a rehydration solution also to avoid dehydration.

The main concern with infant diarrhea is rapid dehydration. The signs of infant dehydration are easy to spot. If the baby is not taking any liquid, if the mouth is dry, crying without tears, sunken soft spot, goes 8 hours without producing urine and is lethargic call the pediatrician. Rapid loss of fluid occurs with infant diarrhea, so the main course of treatment is rehydration. Both formula fed and breast fed babies should be given a baby rehydration solution. They sell such solutions, for infant diarrhea in local pharmacies such as infant QuickLyte or PediaLyte.

The main symptoms to look for with infant diarrhea besides extremely watery stools are; possible fever, runny nose and loss of appetite. When you suspect infant diarrhea you can contact your pediatrician. If he says don’t worry then give it a week. If the infant diarrhea lasts for more than a week; then call the doctor back. Vomiting for 24 hours; have eight stools in eight hours, if there is blood present and mucus or pus in the stool call the pediatrician. Also if the baby is under 3 months and has a fever call the pediatrician. Let your pediatrician know how you are treating the diarrhea.

Always keep the pediatrician posted to your infant diarrhea situation. He will tell you when not to worry and when it is time to bring the baby in. Don’t try and guess, because you could make matters worse.

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