How to treat abdominal distension and diarrhea in children?

Diarrhea, commonly known as loose stools, is something we encounter almost every once in a while. There is nothing we can do about it because we love to eat so much! Of course, there are many reasons for diarrhea, the most common of which is unclean food. Children cannot control their diet and will eat a lot when they see something they like. In fact, they are prone to bloating and diarrhea. What method should parents use to treat it correctly?

1. Diet therapy

(1) Continue breastfeeding and encourage eating.

(2) For bottle-fed infants aged 6 months, give them their usual daily diet (such as porridge, noodles, soft rice, etc., and some fresh fruit juice or fruit to supplement potassium), and avoid foods that are difficult to digest.

(3) For patients with severe diarrhea or vomiting, food should be temporarily withheld for 4 to 6 hours, but water should not be withheld. If the fasting time is ≤ 6 hours, you should resume eating as soon as possible.

2. Fluid therapy

(1) Prevent dehydration: From the beginning of diarrhea, give the child enough oral fluids to prevent dehydration. Breastfed infants should continue to be breastfed, and the frequency of feeding should be increased and the duration of single feeding should be prolonged; infants who are mixed-fed should be given ORS or other clean drinking water on the basis of breastfeeding; formula-fed infants should choose ORS or food-based rehydration such as soup, rice water, yogurt drinks or clean drinking water. It is recommended to add a certain amount of fluid after each loose stool (50 ml for children < 6 months; 100 ml for children 6 months to 2 years old; 150 ml for children 2 to 10 years old; give as much as the child can drink for children over 10 years old) until the diarrhea stops.

(2) Patients with mild to moderate dehydration can be given oral rehydration salts (ORS), the dosage (ml) = body weight (kg) × (50-75). Complete the dose within 4 hours; closely monitor the child's condition and guide the mother to give the child ORS solution.