What to do if your baby has acute diarrhea

In case of acute diarrhea in babies, it is likely caused by unclean diet or gastrointestinal inflammation, so mothers should check the baby’s diet and whether the baby has a cold. In the case of acute diarrhea in babies, we should take the baby to the hospital for treatment in time, give the baby more water and supplement nutrients, etc., and also perform appropriate abdominal massage.

What to do if your baby has acute diarrhea

1. Avoid dehydration

During acute diarrhea, the baby's body will lose water rapidly. To avoid dehydration, the baby needs to be given more fluids than usual. Boiled water, light salt water, light tea, yogurt or other light soups are all fine.

2. Zinc supplementation

When babies suffer from diarrhea, a large amount of zinc will be lost in their bodies. Babies need to be supplemented with zinc during and after diarrhea. It is best to supplement them for about half a month. This can not only make up for the lost zinc, but also reduce the possibility of the baby having diarrhea again in a short period of time.

3. Timely nutrition supplement

When a baby has diarrhea, the nutrients in the body will be lost quickly. In order to avoid symptoms of malnutrition in the baby, it is necessary to supplement the baby with nutrition in time.

4. If your baby has symptoms such as large amounts of watery stools, vomiting, thirst, loss of appetite, fever, bloody stools, etc., you must seek medical attention promptly.

Precautions for acute diarrhea in babies

1. Replenish water and prevent dehydration. The child can be given glucose saline to drink, add 40 to 50 grams of glucose and 2 grams of salt to about 1 liter of boiling water. If glucose cannot be found for the time being, ordinary white sugar can be used instead.

2. Adjust your diet. During the acute phase, the number of breastfeeding times should be reduced and the duration of breastfeeding should be shortened as much as possible. Those with severe illness and dehydration should wait until their condition improves before gradually resuming their diet.

3. Do not abuse antibiotics. Antibiotics can kill the normal flora in the intestines, causing flora disorders and aggravating diarrhea.

4. Keep your abdomen warm. The intestinal motility of babies with diarrhea has already increased. If the abdomen is exposed to cold, the intestinal motility will be further accelerated, thereby aggravating the diarrhea. Parents can use a hot water bottle to apply heat to the baby's abdomen, or rub the baby's belly to relieve the pain.

5. Keep the anus clean. After the child has defecated, wash it gently with soft gauze dipped in water, and then apply some oily ointment. At the same time, the diaper should be changed in time to avoid redness or even ulceration of the skin caused by the immersion of feces and urine.

When your baby suffers from acute diarrhea, you should first observe the color and properties of the baby's stool. If a breastfeeding baby poops out water and milk curds. This indicates indigestion caused by cold. If the baby has vomiting and fever, go to the hospital immediately for infusion, water replenishment and fever reduction. You need to control your diet and fast if you vomit repeatedly.