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Common Infant

Problems (Birth – 1 year) Diarrhea

What is diarrhea?Your baby has diarrhea when he has three or more watery stools (bowel movements) in one day or when his stools become more frequent and watery than usual. It is important to treat the cause of the diarrhea first. Diarrhea can be harmful if it is not treated quickly because a baby may lose too much fluid, this can cause dehydration.

If my baby begins to have diarrhea, what should I do?• Continuewithbreastfeedingorformulafeedingtohelpslowdowntheamountand how often a baby has a stool.

• Donotswitchinfantformulasunlessyourdoctor says you should.

• Donotaddextrawatertodiluteinfantformula.

• Infantsfedsolidfoodscancontinuetoeattheirusualfoods,butgivemorecomplexcarbohydrates (rice, wheat, potatoes) andmeats.

• Donotgivejuices,softdrinks,andsportdrinkssincethesehavesimplesugarswhich can make the problem worse.

• Donotwithholdfoodformorethan24 hours. Do not feed the “BRAT” diet(bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast)alone — these can decrease calorie andnutrient intake.

If my baby has severe diarrhea or dehydration, what should I do?Ifyourbabyhasanyofthefollowingproblems,callyour doctor or clinic NOW:

• Seemscold,withoutenergy,limp—orwillnotwake up.

• Dry,sunkeneyes,drymouthortongue,orcrieswithout tears.

• Blood,mucus,orpusinthediaperorstool,orblackstoolsafter4daysofage.

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This is one in a series of handouts to help parents and caregivers handle common infant problems.

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If my baby has severe diarrhea or dehydration, what should I do?(continued from other side)

•Vomitingorweightloss.

•Dark,yellowurineinthediaperornourineforover6hours.

•Refusestobreastfeedortakeabottle.

•Morethanthreewaterystoolsinonedayordiarrheathat lasts more than one day.

•Afeverabove99°F.

Askyourdoctoraboutgivingfluidsandelectrolytesolutionssuch as Pedialyte to your baby. Electrolyte solutions should be giventoinfantsonlyunderthesupervisionofadoctor.Donotgivemedicinetoyourbabyunlessyourdoctortellsyouto.

What can I do to help prevent diarrhea?• Wash your hands with soap and water:

• Beforemakingyourbaby’sfoodorbottles.

• Beforefeedingyourbaby.

• Afterusingthetoilet,changingdiapers,sneezing,orcoughingintoyourhands.

•Washyourbaby’shandsoftenandcleanunderhisfingernailswithsoapandwater.

•Regularlywashanytoysorthingsyourbabyputsinto her mouth.

• Breastfeed your baby.

• Boil bottles and equipment for breastmilk orformula.

•Forbabies3monthsandyounger,boilwaterusedformakingformula.

• Throw away breastmilk or formula left in thebottleaftereachfeeding.

•Keeppreparedoropencansofformulaintherefrigerator.Throwthemawayaftertwodays.

•Neverfeedrightoutofajarofbabyfood.Alwaysuse a clean spoon to take the baby food from thejarandputitonadish.Whenyourbabyisdoneeating,throwawayanybabyfoodleftonthedish.

•Washallfreshfruitsandvegetables.•Refrigeratefoodsafteryouusethem.•Donotgiveyourbaby:

• Rawmilkorjuicethathasnotbeenpasteurized.

• Morethan4ouncesoffruitjuiceaday.If your baby is less than 6 months old,donotgiveanyjuice.

• Foodfromyourmouth,fork,orspoon.

FormoreinformationontreatingdiarrheavisitKidsHealth www.kidshealth.org

or the American Academy of Pediatrics www.aap.org.

© 2014 Texas Department of State Health Services The original version of this content was developed by the Dept. of State Health Services, an agency of the State of Texas (DSHS). DSHS provided this content

‘as is’ without warranty of any kind. This content has been altered from its original version and represents a derivative work.

57-1119 Eng (7/2016)