Diarrhoea

What causes diarrhoea and what you should do if your baby has it

It is quite normal to see some variation in your baby’s stools, depending on their diet
There are also significant differences between the stools of breast fed and bottle-fed babies; on average, breastfed babies have softer stools and pass them more often than bottle-fed babies

Diarrhoea is defined as the passing of watery stools more than 3 times in one day

Diarrhoea is classed as either acute (short term) or chronic (long term) and the two can have different causes;

Acute diarrhoea can be caused by viral infections, food poisoning, or sometimes as a side effect of taking antibiotics or other medicines
Chronic diarrhoea (lasting longer than two weeks) can be due to bacterial infection, but may also be due to conditions such as lactose intolerance
Toddler diarrhoea is a type of chronic diarrhoea which often affects toddlers and is merely the result of the ingestion of certain foods and a rapid transit time through the gut. It normally goes away by 4 years of age

Diarrhoea usually clears up quickly and is not serious
If your baby is between 3 months and a year, diarrhoea should last no longer than 48 hours; if it persists beyond this, or there are any other symptoms, contact your GP
Young babies are slightly more at risk of dehydration, so should be closely monitored
Signs of dehydration include; few or no wet nappies, passing little urine, drowsiness, unresponsiveness, glazed eyes and a dry mouth and tongue. If your baby is showing any of these signs you should contact your GP immediately
If you are breast or bottle-feeding it is usually recommended that you continue to offer your baby their usual milk
Older babies should also be offered frequent sips of water or well diluted juice and should eat as normally as they can
If your baby refuses to eat, continue to offer drinks until their appetite returns
Rehydration fluids may be recommended
Speak to your health visitor or GP if you are at all concerned and want more advice