Your child's diarrhea is most often the result of a virus that is short-lived and not serious. Prolonged diarrhea, especially if accompanied by vomiting, calls for a visit to the doctor. For the most part, you can treat your child's loose bowels at home without medications or medical procedures.
Hydration
It's important to keep your child drinking fluids during his illness, to the prevent dehydration that could occur from his frequent voiding. If your child is putting out normal amounts of light-colored urine, you can continue to give him his usual beverages, infant formula or breast milk. The American Academy of Family Physicians explains that going to the bathroom at least once every 8 hours, or wetting at least 6 diapers daily, are signs that your child is not in danger of becoming dehydrated. Caffeine and sugar can irritate the stomach lining, so avoid drinks that contain either substance. KidsHealth.org recommends giving your sick child an over-the-counter oral rehydration solution that restores the normal balance of electrolytes in the body. If your child is not putting out urine or his urine is dark-colored, he may be on the verge of dehydration. At that point, home remedies may not be sufficient, and a call to the pediatrician may be required.
Bland Diet
Your child may not feel like eating for several hours while she has active diarrhea. A liquid-only diet for 12 to 24 hours is fine, as long as she is hydrated, according to the AAFP. A bland diet that is free of fats and lots of sugar can help settle your child's stomach in between her bouts of diarrhea. Dairy products could irritate your child's stomach before she's fully healed. Foods like dry toast, applesauce, crackers, bananas and plain white rice are gentle on the stomach and ideal to offer as your child regains her appetite.
Herbal Remedies
Most medical care providers, including KidsHealth experts and the American Academy of Family Physicians, agree that anti-diarrheal medicines are not necessary for a garden-variety, short-term case of diarrhea. Herbal remedies, however, given under the supervision of your pediatrician, may be soothing to your child's stomach and help the diarrhea pass quickly. The Rodale book "Herbs for Health and Healing" suggests that making blackberry smoothies with blackberry juice, bananas and cinnamon can calm a troubled stomach. Herbal tea, brewed with 3 cups boiling water, 1 tsp. dried catnip and 1/2 tsp. each of peppermint, slippery elm, blackberry and raspberry leaves, may also be a natural solution. Your child can drink the herbal tea every 30 minutes until symptoms subside. Measure the brewed tea by weight: 1 cup for every 50 lbs. of body weight.
