Most children get diarrhea at some point, but most causes aren't serious, according to the KidsHealth website. However, if your child has diarrhea, he is at increased risk of becoming dehydrated. Rehydrating him and making some basic changes to his diet may help reduce the problem or even clear it up completely. Consult your pediatrician for recommendations specific to your child, or if the diarrhea persists or worsens.
Fluids
Giving your child an oral rehydration solution will help replace any nutrients and fluids she has lost through diarrhea, the American Academy of Family Physicians explains. Such rehydration solutions are typically available at drug and grocery stores in popsicle or liquid form and in the form of a powder you can mix with water. If you can't find an oral rehydration solution at the store, mix 1 tsp. of salt and 8 tsp. of sugar into 4 cups of water for a home-made version, then add potassium to your child's diet with banana or a cup of orange juice, the AAFP recommends.
Foods to Eliminate Temporarily
Some foods can aggravate your child's stomach and cause his diarrhea to continue. Avoid feeding your child cow's milk formula and any dairy products other than yogurt, pediatric health website Ask Dr. Sears counsels. Foods that are highly seasoned, fatty or high in fiber can also irritate your child's stomach, the Mayo Clinic adds. It is almost never necessary to halt breastfeeding if your baby or toddler has diarrhea, Ask Dr. Sears cautions.
BRATY Diet
The BRATY diet --- bananas, rice cereal or rice, applesauce, toast without butter and yogurt --- consists of bland foods that offer your child nutrients without aggravating her stomach while you're waiting for the diarrhea to stop. Feed these foods to your child in the first 24 hours, Ask Dr. Sears instructs, and, if her stomach seems to tolerate them, slowly add other foods during the next 48 hours, recommends the American Academy of Family Physicians. Most kids are able to return to their typical diet within three days.
Severity of Diarrhea
A child has mild diarrhea if she has two to four loose stools over 24 hours. If your child has mild diarrhea, feed her the BRATY diet, an oral rehydration solution and, if she is still nursing or bottle feeding, breast milk or formula, Ask Dr. Sears advises. If your child has moderate diarrhea --- four to eight loose to watery stools in a day, but isn't generally acting ill---feed him smaller portions of the BRATY diet, oral rehydration solution and breast milk if he's nursing, or formula mixed half-and-half with oral electrolyte solution if he's bottle-feeding, the site instructs. Consult your doctor if your child acts ill and has at least 10 loose or watery, foul-smelling stools in a day.
Warning
Your parents might have been instructed to give you plain water, clear soda, fruit juice, gelatin treats, sports drinks, tea or chicken broth when you had diarrhea as a child, but KidsHealth says that those liquids are now thought to worsen diarrhea due to inadequate mixes of salts and sugars. If you are going to give your child juice, give him white grape juice, which is generally easier to tolerate with an upset stomach, Ask Dr. Sears explains.
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