What to Do When Baby Has Diarrhea
There are many reasons why a one-year-old baby may have diarrhea. If it is severe diarrhea, seek medical help immediately. If it is mild diarrhea and the baby is in good spirits with no issues in eating, drinking, and sleeping, mothers can try some self-care methods to alleviate the baby's condition.
Causes of Diarrhea in One-Year-Old Babies
1. Acute gastroenteritis is the most common cause of diarrhea in babies. The most common pathogen is rotavirus.
2. Bacterial infection is usually accompanied by vomiting, abdominal pain, and fever. Seek medical help promptly if there is severe diarrhea (sometimes accompanied by vomiting) along with abdominal pain, bloody stools, and fever, as it is often caused by viruses or bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella.
3. Parasitic infection can also cause diarrhea in babies.
4. Medication allergy can cause diarrhea in babies. If your baby experiences diarrhea during or after antibiotic treatment, it may be related to the medication.
5. Food, especially fruit juice, may cause diarrhea in babies.
Methods to Care for One-Year-Old Babies with Diarrhea
1. Timely replenish fluids to prevent fluid imbalance caused by diarrhea. You can feed water, rice soup, fruit juice at any time, and preferably give oral rehydration salts. Oral rehydration salts contain glucose, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium citrate, and other ingredients that can replenish electrolytes and fluids lost due to diarrhea and vomiting, and regulate the body's water, electrolyte, and acid-base balance. This medicine is available in hospitals and pharmacies. The recommended dosage is to dissolve one small bag of oral rehydration salts in 500 milliliters of warm boiled water and take it multiple times within a day. The principle is to replenish as much as is lost.
2. Disinfect daily and maintain the hygiene of furniture and utensils. For caring for children with infectious diarrhea, proper disinfection and isolation should be done. Utensils such as cups and bottles should be regularly disinfected. Clothes should be washed and dried frequently. After caring for the sick child, hands should be washed repeatedly before doing anything else.
3. Prevent diaper rash. After each bowel movement, the child's diaper should be changed promptly, and the anus and surrounding area should be rinsed with warm water to prevent diaper rash and urinary tract infections. If diaper rash has already occurred, you can apply tannic acid ointment or fish liver oil with chlortetracycline.
4. Pay attention to adjusting the baby's diet when they have diarrhea and avoid introducing new solid foods. The dietary principles for children with diarrhea are to adjust the diet and continue to eat. If the child is still breastfeeding, continue breastfeeding. If the child is not breastfed, continue feeding them with the regular milk or dairy products they usually consume. Children over six months old can continue to eat their usual diet, such as porridge, noodles, eggs, vegetables, etc. However, the food should be finely processed and easily digestible, and avoid changing the variety of food or giving hard-to-digest food during diarrhea.
