What should I do if my child has diarrhea and fever?

Many mothers do not have the ability to distinguish between diarrhea and fever in their babies. What should they do if their babies have diarrhea and fever? Many mothers are not very clear about this. In fact, if the baby's bowel movements increase, or the color and properties of the stool change significantly, then you should pay attention. Next, let me tell you what to do if your child has diarrhea and fever.

1. Normal body temperature range: rectal temperature 37-37.8℃; oral temperature 36.4-37.4℃; axillary temperature 36-37℃. Master the correct method and time to measure body temperature. For oral temperature measurement, place the mercury end of the thermometer on the hot spot under the tongue and measure for 7-8 minutes.

To measure rectal temperature, gently insert the lubricated rectal thermometer about 4 cm into the anus and measure for 3 minutes. To measure axillary temperature, place the thermometer in the armpit, clamp the thermometer tightly with the upper arm against the torso, and measure for 10 minutes. Children under 6 years old should not have their temperature measured orally because there is a risk of them biting the thermometer. Instead, the rectal temperature measurement method, which is easy to fix, should be used.

Parents should be present to supervise when measuring body temperature to ensure the measurement time and effectiveness.

2. Since each infant and young child has different bowel habits, the number of bowel movements per day will also be different. Clinically, it is normal for babies within 6 months to defecate 6 or 7 times a day, and for babies between 6 and 12 months to defecate 2 or 3 times a day.

1. Analysis of baby diarrhea

If the baby's bowel movements increase in frequency and the color and properties of the stool change significantly, mothers should pay attention. Based on clinical manifestations, baby's diarrhea can be divided into mild diarrhea and severe diarrhea.

Mild diarrhea:

The baby's bowel movements are about 3 to 10 times a day. The stools are yellow or green, thin and paste-like or egg drop soup-like, often with white or yellowish-white curds or foam and a sour taste. Occasionally, there is nausea and vomiting. The baby is in good spirits, has slightly lost weight, and his body temperature is mostly normal, with occasional low fever and no obvious symptoms of dehydration. This situation is mostly caused by non-bacterial infectious diarrhea due to improper eating, indigestion or cold.

Poop analysis:

The baby's digestive system is not yet fully developed, and the regulatory function of the nervous system is also imperfect. If a bottle-fed baby adds complementary foods too quickly, changes the type of diet, or changes milk, and other sudden changes exceed the digestive tract's ability to bear, it will increase the burden on the digestive tract, causing digestive dysfunction and leading to diarrhea. It may also be caused by climate change or improper care.

Here are 6 tips for dealing with poop:

1) Feeding should be regular and quantitative. Add complementary foods gradually on time, but do not add starchy or fatty foods too early or too much, nor change the type of complementary foods suddenly. You can feed your baby some apple juice and carrot water to achieve the purpose of absorbing excess water in the intestines.

2) The process of weaning should be gradual and avoid quick decisions. Generally, it takes 2 weeks to switch to a new milk powder. The first switch should start with the middle meal of the day, and then increase the number of meals every few days until the baby is completely switched to the new milk powder. Taking into account the different physical constitutions of babies, the steps of changing milk can be adjusted according to the individual.

3) Pay attention to climate changes, add or remove clothes in time, and keep your abdomen warm. After each bowel movement, clean the baby's anus with warm water, change diapers frequently, handle feces in time and wash and disinfect hands to avoid repeated infection. At the same time, strengthen physical exercise to prevent colds, pneumonia, otitis media and other diseases.

4) If the situation occurs during the transition from breast milk to formula, you should pay attention to the stool of the formula-fed baby, which is usually soft and paste-like or in strips, and can be yellow or green in color. Generally speaking, every baby's bowel movements are different. As long as the baby's diet and daily life are normal and his growth and development are good, parents do not need to worry too much about the frequency, shape and color of the baby's bowel movements.

5) Once watery stools appear, beware of rotavirus diarrhea, also known as autumn diarrhea, which is an infectious enteritis that is common in autumn. The vast majority of children become ill after being infected with rotavirus. This disease is a self-limiting disease with a course of 3-8 days. The main treatment is fluid replacement, antiviral and symptomatic treatment.

6) Eating too much starch or sugary food can increase the fermentation of food in the intestine, and the resulting stool will be dark brown, watery and foamy. Parents can adjust their baby's diet appropriately and reduce the intake of starch or sugary foods.

The editor reminds you that babies will have different bowel movement characteristics due to factors such as genetics, personality, physique and food intake, but as long as they can maintain a fixed bowel movement habit every day and there are no particularly abnormal phenomena, there is no need to worry too much. If diarrhea occurs, as long as you find the cause according to the baby's actual situation, adjust the diet reasonably, provide appropriate care, and make good adjustments, the baby will naturally recover within 2-3 weeks.