Diarrhea in infants(0-12 months) is common problem and most of them can be treated naturally and some time infants diarrhea go away by itself within 2-3 days if it is not due to any infection.
Reasons for diarrhea in infants
- Some breast feed children age between(0-2) months can have diarrhea condition for the long term without any infection as it is a natural thing. After some time condition changes itself. In breast feed infants frequency of liquid stool passing can range from 4 and some time they pass stool after every feed. In breast feed infants you do not need to worry until stool contains some mucus or smells stale.
- Some time breastfeeding mother’s diet cause diarrhea.
- Diarrhea mostly cause by viral infection and some time due to some bacterial or parasite infection. This can be diagnosed by a doctor. Some time this can caused by some allergic foods.
- Babies may also get diarrhea when the are teething. As teething requires more calcium to build teeth and deficiency of calcium can cause diarrhea in children.
How long diarrhea can last in infants
It totally depends on treatment method and it can last up to 2 weeks. Only thing need to be taken care during treatment is that baby should never dehydrated. Feed proper breast milk, give adequate liquid diet and try to keep baby hydrated.
Natural treatment of small children’s diarrhea
- Apple: 1 apple daily to children older than 6 month can keep diarrhea away. Take 1-2 apples and cook till they become soft and pulpy. Now add one pinch cardamom powder, one pinch ginger and 1 teaspoon clarified butter. Mix well and feed this. This is very good natural remedy.
- Prevention: Prevention is better than all remedies for any health problem. To prevent diarrhea keep good hygiene as diarrhea is very contentious.
- Milk Whey: Whey is very good for treating babies diarrhea as it is a natural source of lactobacillus and it help to restore natural flora inside gastrointestinal tract. It is also very good source of calcium and potassium, which is very good to bind stool. Make fresh whey from milk and give 4-5 teaspoon to child in every 10-15 minutes.
- In the case of teething: If baby diarrhea is due to teething then calcium supplement is required because teeth building can cause calcium deficiency as teeth requires more calcium. Give your baby calcium supplement in correct dosage, it is always better to take prescription from a doctor.
- Mother’s Diet: If your baby is breast feed and diarrhea occurs randomly then you can also check mothers diet because many medicine and food like cheese, tea, coffee, carbonated drinks consumed by mother can cause diarrhea condition in child. Mother should check in and stop taking those foods.
When to see a doctor in case of diarrhea
- If loose stool passing is very frequent then check your baby for dehydration like lips are dry, eye sunken and baby looks drowsy. Baby is not passing urine for more than 8 hours then these are symptoms of dehydration. In this case you should see a doctor.
- If stool contains mucus or blood.
- If baby getting fever along with diarrhea and last for more than 3 days.
Important: If you are not sure for your baby diarrhea condition then you should see a doctor immediately.