When you or your child has diarrhea

Symptoms and Causes:

How to Relieve Diarrhea:

These things may ease your diarrhea:

• Drink 8 to 10 glasses of clear fluids every day. Water is best.
• Drink at least 1 cup of liquid every time you have a loose bowel movement.
• Eat small meals throughout the day, instead of 3 big meals.
• Eat some salty foods, such as pretzels, soup, and sports drinks.
• Eat some high potassium foods, such as bananas, potatoes without the skin, and fruit juices.

Ask your doctor if you should take a multivitamin or drink sports drinks to boost your nutrition. Also ask about taking a fiber supplement, such as Metamucil, to add bulk to your stools.

Your doctor may also recommend a special medicine for diarrhea. Take this medicine as your doctor told you to take it.

Eating When You Have Diarrhea:

You can bake or broil beef, pork, chicken, fish, or turkey. Cooked eggs are also okay. Use low-fat milk, cheese, or yogurt.

You may need to limit or avoid dairy products you eat. Do not drink more than 2 cups of milk a day. If you have very severe diarrhea, you may need to stop eating or drinking all dairy products for a few days.

Eat bread products made from refined, white flour. Pasta, white rice, and cereals such as cream of wheat, farina, oatmeal, and cornflakes are okay. You may also try pancakes and waffles made with white flour, and cornbread, but don' t add to much honey or syrup.

Vegetables you may eat include carrots, green beans, mushrooms, beets, asparagus tips, acorn squash, and peeled zucchini. You should cook them first. Baked potatoes are okay. In general, removing seeds and skins is best.

Some desserts and snacks to try are Jell-O, popsicles, cakes, cookies, and sherbet.

Things You Should Avoid:

Diarrhea in Young Children:

Children who have diarrhea may have less energy, dry eyes, or a dry, sticky mouth. They may also not be urinating or wetting their diaper as often as usual.

Give your child fluids for the first 4 to 6 hours. At first, try 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of fluid every 30 to 60 minutes.

• You can use an over-the-counter drink, such as Pedialyte or Infalyte. Do not water down these drinks.
• You can also try Pedialyte popsicles.
• Watered-down fruit juice, or broth, may also help. These can give your child important minerals they may be losing through their stool.

If you are breastfeeding your infant, continue to do so. If you are using formula, use it at half strength for 2 to 3 feedings after diarrhea starts. Regular formula feedings can begin after this.

If your child throws up, decrease the amount of fluids you give them.

When your child is ready for regular foods, try bananas, crackers, chicken, pasta, and rice cereal. Avoid dairy, apple juice, full-strength fruit juice, and fried foods.

When to Call the Doctor:

Call your child' s doctor if your child has any of these symptoms:

• Much less activity than normal (is not sitting up at all or not looking around)
• Sunken eyes
• Dry and sticky mouth
• No tears when crying
• Has not urinated for 6 hours
• Blood or mucus in their stool
• Fever that does not go away
• Stomach pain

Call your doctor if you have:

• Diarrhea for more than 2 days
• Stools with an unusual odor or color
• Nausea or vomiting
• Blood or mucus in your stool
• A fever that does not go away
• Stomach pain