Diarrhea is an abnormal phenomenon in the digestive system , affecting the child's health. This is a common cause of death among children, of which 80% of diarrhea deaths occur in infants under 2 years of age. So parents need to equip with knowledge about the best way to cure diarrhea for babies so that they can take care and handle them promptly when they are infected.
Signs of diarrhea in babies
Usually, baby feces are soft and slightly loose, especially during the first month of life. But when your baby has diarrhea, the stool will be more watery and the baby has more frequent bowel movements, more than 3 times a day and lasts from 5 days to 1 week. If the child's symptoms are normal, there is no fever and the stools do not smell, parents do not need to worry. However, if you have the following symptoms, parents need to bring their children to the nearest medical facility for prompt examination and treatment.
Lethargy, vomiting, and fever
Blood or mucus stools with a fishy smell
Infants cry, loss of appetite, dehydration lead to weight loss
Baby has dry mouth, little amount of urine
The cause of diarrhea in children
There are many causes of diarrhea in children.
Children with viral infections
Young children are more likely to develop intestinal diseases than adults, with diarrhea being the most common disease. The reason is that the immune system is incomplete, still weak, and easily attacked by agents such as bacteria or viruses through the digestive tract, causing intestinal infections leading to diarrhea in children.
Poor nutrition
Children encounter diarrhea usually due to a low-fiber diet, not many vegetables and fruits, while mothers give children too much fishy and fat. In addition, mothers who feed their babies solid foods or taste salty foods too early or because babies drink unsuitable formula… are all causes of diarrhea in babies.
The hygiene is not clean
Outside play will help children promote perfect brain and physical improvement, but play will be when children are in direct contact with bacteria, viruses that cause illnesses for the body. Therefore, if not properly sanitized, it will lead to infections of children, especially infants when the resistance is still weak, so it is easier to get diarrhea.
Food poisoning
This can also be a cause of diarrhea in children. Symptoms that usually come on quickly include vomiting and tend to go away within 24 hours.
Drink plenty of fruit juice
Many parents do not expect that giving children plenty of fruit juice is the cause of diarrhea in children. Many juices, including fresh fruit and canned fruit, contain sorbitol - a form of indigestible sugar that makes your baby's digestive system unable to digest, leading to diarrhea.
Effect when babies have diarrhea
Dehydration is one of the most worrisome things about childhood diarrhea. Mild diarrhea usually does not cause significant dehydration, but moderate or severe diarrhea can.
Severe dehydration is dangerous and can cause convulsions, brain damage, and even death. Here are the signs of dehydration, see a doctor if your child has the following:
Dizziness and lightheadedness;
Dry mouth;
Dark yellow urine, little or no urine;
Little or no tears when crying;
Unusually dry and cool skin;
Tired.
How to cure diarrhea for babies
The best way to cure diarrhea for babies
As soon as parents find out that a newborn has diarrhea, some of the following remedies can be used to prevent this.
Get hydrated when your baby has diarrhea
When a child has diarrhea, the body will lose a large amount of water, so the first thing parents need to do is let the child drink plenty of water. A common rehydration solution is oresol or dry seawater. Dosage for children under 2 years old is about 50ml oresol after each bowel movement.
With babies aged 0-6 months, parents can rehydrate their babies by regularly breastfeeding their babies. Drinking breast milk has the effect of increasing the resistance to help the baby recover faster.
The right diet
If your baby eats solid foods and has diarrhea, she can switch to soft, powdered foods like bananas, apples or cereals until the diarrhea is gone. Mothers who are breastfeeding need to adjust their own diet to avoid any foods that may cause diarrhea in a baby.
Children with diarrhea should avoid foods that can make the illness worse, including:
Greasy foods
Fiber-rich foods
Dairy products like milk and cheese
Sweets like cakes, cookies, and soda
Hygiene
Diarrhea caused by viral or bacterial infections is very contagious. During child care, parents should wash their hands with soap regularly to limit the risk of disease spread. Cleaning should be done after each diaper change or when preparing food.
Parents should note that utensils used for children with diarrhea should also be separated such as towels or pots and should not let children go out until the baby is completely recovered.
Tips to cure diarrhea for children by folk methods
In addition to the Western medicine methods, mothers can apply the following folk remedies to treat diarrhea for babies:
Green sapodilla
Sapodilla, also known as Sampoche, has an acrid taste, is an effective remedy for diarrhea and dysentery. In the treatment of diarrhea, constipation, living stool for babies, mothers can apply a simple method: Use 1 sapodilla 20g, peel, take the seeds and acrid inside sapodilla fruit then cut it into small pieces. Cook sapodilla with 200ml of water and give children 2 times / day for 1-2 days.
Grilled fresh ginger
Ginger is not only a popular spice but also an extremely good medicine, especially effective in treating infants with diarrhea.
Mom uses fresh ginger washed and then baked until cooked. Then, peel the outer skin and cut the ginger into small slices, put in a cup of hot water and let the child drink it like tea. Drink 2-3 times a day and will have a quick effect.
Green banana pepper
Mom can peel green banana peel thinly, leave green skin inside (or peel it off as well), blend it with porridge then cook for baby to eat for about 3 days.
Drink guava leaf juice
The mother took the guava leaves and washed them in salt water for 10-15 minutes. Then, put the guava leaves and cook with 1.5 cups of water, boil for about 30 minutes, then season with a little salt and filter the water for your baby to drink.
Carrot soup
Carrots are considered a valuable medicine to treat diarrhea . Mom took 500 grams of carrots washed, peeled, sliced thin slices, simmered with 2 liters of water for 1 hour until the remaining 1 liter, then picked out carrots, crushed thoroughly, filtered through cheesecloth, discarded residue and add 3 grams of salt then boil again to use.
Roasted brown rice water
Mom took brown rice roasted golden and put about 100g of rice in two liters of cooking water until the rice was soft, taking water for children with diarrhea to drink about three to five days.
When to take the child to the doctor immediately
When diarrhea can be treated at home, but if you notice one of the following symptoms, parents need to seek immediate medical attention:
Bloody stools and other signs of dehydration include dry lips, sunken eyes, and crying without tears.
Children do not urinate for 4-6 hours.
Children are tired, lethargic, fussy and crying, or if you find your baby sleeps a lot, it is difficult to wake up.
If eating or feeding poorly, or stop eating
You have a lot of vomiting.
Children with diarrhea still do not go away in 7 days
See more:
Diarrhea in pregnancy: What pregnant mothers need to know
"Yogurt is made from BACONIA?" - really?
The pediatrician revealed 2 foods that should not be given to the baby