What to do if a six-month-old child has diarrhea

It is quite common for children of six months old to have diarrhea. For example, improper feeding of milk powder or indigestion may cause this phenomenon. When this happens, parents should not worry too much and should continue breastfeeding. For children with severe diarrhea, they can fast for about 4 to 6 hours, but they cannot fast for water. They should be hydrated in time to prevent dehydration. They can be given some rice soup, abdominal massage, etc.

What to do if your six-month-old baby has diarrhea

1. Diet therapy

(1) Continue breastfeeding and encourage eating.

(2) For formula-fed infants younger than 6 months old, they can continue to be fed milk or dairy products. For infants older than 6 months old, they can be given their usual daily diet (such as porridge, noodles, soft rice, etc., and some fresh fruit juice or fruit to supplement potassium), and avoid foods that are difficult to digest.

(3) For patients with severe diarrhea or vomiting, food should be temporarily withheld for 4 to 6 hours, but water should not be withheld. If the fasting time is ≤ 6 hours, you should resume eating as soon as possible.

2. Fluid therapy

(1) Prevent dehydration: From the beginning of diarrhea, give the child enough oral fluids to prevent dehydration. Breastfed infants should continue to be breastfed, and the frequency of feeding should be increased and the duration of single feeding should be prolonged; infants who are mixed-fed should be given ORS or other clean drinking water on the basis of breastfeeding; formula-fed infants should choose ORS or food-based rehydration such as soup, rice water, yogurt drinks or clean drinking water. It is recommended to add a certain amount of fluid after each loose stool (50 ml for children < 6 months; 100 ml for children 6 months to 2 years old; 150 ml for children 2 to 10 years old; give as much as the child can drink for children over 10 years old) until the diarrhea stops.

(2) Patients with mild to moderate dehydration can be given oral rehydration salts (ORS), the dosage (ml) = body weight (kg) × (50-75). Complete the dose within 4 hours; closely monitor the child's condition and guide the mother to give the child ORS solution.

The following situations indicate possible failure of oral rehydration: ① persistent, frequent, and massive diarrhea [>10-20 ml/(kg·h)], ② insufficient intake of ORS solution, ③ frequent and severe vomiting; if the child still shows signs of dehydration near 4 hours, the rehydration plan should be adjusted. Reassess the child's dehydration status after 4 hours and choose an appropriate course of action.

(3) Patients with moderate to severe dehydration require hospitalization and intravenous rehydration. The total amount of fluid replacement in the first 24 hours includes three parts: cumulative loss, continued loss, and physiological maintenance amount.

How to care for children with diarrhea

1. Give enough fluids to prevent dehydration

When diarrhea starts, give your child more water than usual. Babies over 6 months old can be fed some tea or rice soup. You can massage your abdomen and keep warm.

2. Strengthen the cleaning and care of the buttocks

The skin around the anus of children with diarrhea will become red, and in severe cases, local ulceration and inflammation will occur. Therefore, it is necessary to change diapers frequently for babies, and use soft and absorbent cotton cloth. After each bowel movement, wash the buttocks with warm water to prevent urinary tract infection and buttock inflammation. If the buttocks are already red, apply some tannic acid ointment after cleaning.

3. Pay attention to the condition and seek medical treatment in time

The causes and symptoms of diarrhea in children are different, and the treatment methods are also different. It is important to seek medical treatment scientifically.