The digestive system in a child is not yet as perfect as in an adult. Therefore, parents are well acquainted with various disorders in the digestive tract. Most often, this is diarrhea in children. The reasons for this phenomenon may be mass. And each time parents worry, not knowing how to help their baby. Today we’ll talk about what this phenomenon is, where it comes from and how to treat it.
Main danger
Diarrhea in children is so widespread that doctors have become accustomed to this phenomenon. This trouble is very common in the life of a curious kid who is trying to taste everything. Of course, some of the bacteria can cope with his immunity. But there are microorganisms and more serious. Diarrhea in children can be functional in nature or cause a malfunction in the digestive tract, as a symptom of one of the diseases of this system. Therefore, you cannot make a diagnosis on your own. Be sure to call a doctor at home or visit a clinic with your child.
Diarrhea in children is accompanied by gas formation and bloating, rumbling and pain. But the main danger is that it quickly leads to dehydration and the loss of substances important for the body. If an adult can cope with this on their own, then for the baby it turns into serious problems and hospitalization.
Bowel movements 3-5 times a day should alert parents. But if their number exceeds 7-8 times, then this condition becomes the cause of dehydration. This is especially true for thin and weak babies with poor appetite. Therefore, it is better to be safe again.
The specifics of childhood
Not always loose stools means diarrhea. Here you need to consider the age characteristics of children. For them, single stool breakdowns are normal. If the child does not complain about feeling unwell, then do not worry too much.
For infants, loose stools are a normal variant. Only when he begins to eat solid food will his stool begin to take shape. There are bouts of diarrhea, and when the baby's teeth are cut. What should parents pay attention to? Distinctive signs of pathology will be the appearance of an unpleasant odor, blisters, mucus or blood in the feces. If the child is capricious or clearly demonstrates abdominal pain, it is best to go to the hospital immediately to clarify the diagnosis.
- If the child is 1 to 2 years old, then signs of diarrhea will be frequent and fluid discharge of feces.
- If the child is from 2 to 3 years old, then normally he should defecate 1-2 times a day. Anything beyond this is already considered a sign of diarrhea.
The importance of diagnosis
This is the main point that parents need to understand. The causes of diarrhea in children should be sought by a doctor. It can be a banal overeating or a deadly virus. Therefore, it is better to undergo an examination and make sure that the child is not in danger, than to waste precious time.
In the vast majority of cases, the cause is a violation of the digestive tract. Liquid stool can cause many diseases that are not related to the pathology of the digestive system. The cause of this phenomenon may also be poisoning and severe nervous shock. In view of this diversity, let's expand the classification a bit.
Infectious Diarrhea
This is one of the most severe forms that requires serious therapy, otherwise the condition will only worsen. Viral diarrhea in children causes intestinal infections. Children under three years old are most susceptible to their effects. In some cases, the cause of the disease may be salmonella. Symptoms can vary from a mild disorder to watery diarrhea with complications. Severe abdominal pain is characteristic. In addition, pay attention to such changes in the state of the baby:
- Temperature rise.
- Headache.
- Vomiting
Other forms of diarrhea
Consider other types of diarrhea:
- Alimentary diarrhea. Occur due to failures in the child’s nutrition system. Often, the reason lies in an allergic reaction to one of the food products, which is constantly on the menu.
- Neurogenic diarrhea. A rare occurrence in young children.
- Dyspeptic diarrhea. As a rule, they do not have pronounced symptoms and develop due to problems with the digestive tract.
- Toxic diarrhea occurs with severe vomiting. The child weakens, complexion turns gray.
- Medical diarrhea.
Symptoms
In babies older than one year, the manifestations of diarrhea are approximately the same as in adults. Frequent and watery bowel movements are a fairly objective indicator. Diarrhea occurs with sharp urges and severe abdominal pain. The following pattern is observed - the more watery the stool, the more often the child runs on the potty.
Pediatricians note that any type of childhood diarrhea requires an immediate response and immediate treatment. Of particular note is the case when a bowel movement occurs after a short period of time. Be sure to pay attention to the contents of the pot. If it has a green tint, foams, contains interspersed mucus or pus, then seek help immediately.
How to understand that dehydration begins
If the child has vomiting or diarrhea, then adults should pay special attention to his condition. To determine whether dehydration occurs, it is enough to monitor the condition of the mucous membranes and skin. In severe cases, they lose their elasticity, the skin begins to crack.
The kid becomes lethargic, refuses food. A sure sign is the change in the color of urine. It becomes darker, and the number of acts of urination is sharply reduced. Free your baby from diapers and count wet diapers. There must be at least ten of them per day. If this applies to an older child, then at least five. Compounding urination problems is also vomiting. Now your child needs the closest attention and care.
First steps
Treatment of diarrhea in children should be aimed at eliminating the causes that led to the onset of symptoms. Therefore, it is necessary to consult a competent pediatrician, and not self-medication. By studying the symptoms, after listening to the parents and examining the child, the doctor will be able to prescribe adequate treatment. If he has doubts about the nature of diarrhea, then he will send a feces for analysis.
But this is only part of the measures that can be taken to alleviate the condition of the child. In addition to prescribing special drugs, the doctor will talk about measures that must be followed during the treatment of diarrhea in children.
Sparing diet
In most cases, complete fasting may be required. If the doctor does not insist on refusing food, the food offered to the child should be easily absorbed. Now the body is aimed at combating a disease that affects the intestinal mucosa. Loading them with food, you only increase its rejection and manifestation of symptoms. Nutrition for diarrhea in children should be minimal. Nature herself took care of this. Until the condition improves, the baby will refuse to eat. No need to feed him by force, this will only worsen the condition.
If the child is more than a year old, then there will be nothing wrong with a small hunger strike for several days. The exception is cases when the baby is less than a year old. In this case, long hungry pauses can cause a metabolic failure and weight loss. If the baby is breast-fed, in some cases the doctor decides to keep it. And only if each feeding ends with vomiting, then an alternative scheme is developed.
Antidiarrheal drugs
This is a classic system that needs to be abandoned. Parents come to the pharmacy and ask how to treat diarrhea in the child. Often a pharmacist offers one of the expensive drugs. It can be harmless prebiotics or very dangerous antibiotics. Fixing drugs like Imodium are often offered.
This is the biggest mistake of parents. Choosing how to treat diarrhea in a child, they dwell on drugs that stop the symptoms. Antidiarrheal drugs reduce the release of fluid into the intestinal lumen. This is justified if diarrhea has caught an adult on the road, but is completely unacceptable for treating a child at home. It is forbidden to give the baby a remedy for diarrhea if he has a fever or blood appears during bowel movements.
It is extremely important, especially in the first hours of the development of the disease, to remove toxins. You can put an enema with warm water, the temperature of which is 23 degrees. If the doctor sees the need to block the bowel movement (in case of severe dehydration), then he will make such an appointment.
Heavy drink
Since it is not possible to quickly stop diarrhea in a child, it is necessary to observe the optimal drinking regimen, that is, to replenish the lost fluid. The older the child, the more water he needs. This amount can be calculated as follows: approximately 50 ml per kilogram of weight. If the child drinks more, that's okay. Throughout the day, the baby should receive water in fractional portions. If he is weak and sleeps most often, then pour in a teaspoon every 5-10 minutes. When the condition improves, the child can be given compote and mineral water. A solution of "Rehydron" can also be very useful, as it makes up for the loss of salts.
If the drug is not at hand
Most often, with a complaint of diarrhea, this particular drug is prescribed very first. Replenishing lost salts and fluids is the most important task. It is prescribed to children from 1 year. Treatment of diarrhea in a child should go against the background of taking "Regidron" until the condition improves, that is, reduce the frequency of bowel movements.
Pharmacy powder is just enough to dilute with water. But if he was not at home, then it is quite possible to cook it yourself. The electrolyte solution is prepared as follows. For a liter of water you need to add 0.5 teaspoon of soda and salt, as well as a tablespoon of sugar. Stir, and you can start to evaporate. This is the first diarrhea remedy for children to keep in mind.
Sorbents
These drugs should always be in your home medicine cabinet. At 2 years of age, diarrhea in a child is a fairly common occurrence. He already has a lot where he can get himself, touch various objects. But he still does not know how to wash his hands. As a result, bacteria often enter the intestines, which leads to such consequences.
First aid will be the simplest Smecta. If there is activated charcoal or Polysorb in the medicine cabinet, they can also be used with success. The unique structure allows the drug to help restore damaged cells. This gentle treatment will not cause harm, so the drugs can be used as emergency care.
To avoid complications, treatment of acute diarrhea should take at least three days. Children under the age of two years require two sorbent sachets. They need to be diluted in 50 ml of water, and then given a little bit during the day. If the child has diarrhea at 2 years old, then 4 sachets will be needed per day. On the fourth day, if the need for continued therapy is still possible, the amount of sorbent can be reduced by half.
Child and kindergarten
Diarrhea in a child at 3 years old is most often associated with intestinal infections. Therefore, self-medication is unacceptable here. You can give your child a drink of enterosorbents. They will remove poisons and toxins from the body, which will remove intoxication. This will not remove the cause of diarrhea, which means it will not eliminate the need to see a doctor.
The duration of treatment and more specific drugs will be prescribed by the attending physician. Popular methods have proven themselves well. Among these may be noted:
- Rice broth. It is necessary to give 50 g several times a day.
- Kissel on berries and starch.
- A decoction of pomegranate crusts.
Parents often ask how to feed a child with diarrhea. While the baby is feeling unwell, it is best not to feed him anything. As your appetite wakes up, you can gradually introduce lean soup on chicken breast or low-fat veal into the diet. Gradually introduce cereals into the diet, and only after that you can try dairy products. Wait with fruit and milk for at least two weeks.
Antibiotics and Prebiotics
If, according to the results of the tests, an intestinal infection was detected, then the appointment of special antibiotics is required that can defeat the pathogenic microflora. In each case, a specific drug should be selected that will be effective specifically for your baby.
Answering the question of how to treat diarrhea in a child at 3 years old, we note that it is not necessary to give “Levomycetin”. This drug is not at all as safe as is commonly believed. There are special drugs, such as Emigil-F, which are broad-spectrum antibiotics, have a pleasant taste and are relatively safe for the child. In some cases, doctors prescribe Loperamide. It is not worth giving it yourself, even in extreme cases.
At the end of this course, it is necessary to drink probiotics that will restore the intestinal microflora. It can be Linex, Bifiform, Bifidumbacterin. The appointment of the fermented milk product “Narine” shows very good results. It is tasty, inexpensive and very effective. Probiotics strengthen immunity very well. But this is exactly the shield that protects our body from harmful microorganisms. And he does it constantly, amplifying at the right time.
Prevention of Diarrhea
Prevention of any disease is much more important than its treatment. Regarding diarrhea in children, the principles of prevention are different depending on the age of the patient. If we talk about babies, then to some extent, prevention is the nutrition of the mother, breastfeeding him, the correct and timely introduction of complementary foods, the observance by the mother of the basics of proper nutrition during pregnancy. Of course, baby hygiene is also important. Parents should not just wash the bottles and nipples, but also sprinkle them with boiling water.
For older children, hygiene is paramount in the prevention of diarrhea. This includes washing your hands before each meal, processing all the toys, eating only washed fruits and vegetables. Also, the child is forbidden to give raw water and products of dubious quality. The issue of diarrhea in children attending kindergartens is particularly relevant. The staff in them, as a rule, is not enough to keep track of each baby. Therefore, parents are obliged to instill in their daughters and sons basic hygiene skills and explain that they must be respected even when no one is looking at them.
Another preventive measure is the destruction of all flies in the room. On their paws they carry hundreds of microorganisms that can be the causative agents of various diseases.
Instead of a conclusion
Often, parents are very calm about diarrhea in a child and try to eliminate it with "grandmother's" methods. In situations where stool changes are caused by bowel dysfunction due to eating any food, this tactic is warranted. If diarrhea was stopped in 1-2 days, no additional measures should be taken. If the child has frequent (7 times or more) stools over 2 days, you must definitely call a doctor.
The same should be done if blood, pus or mucus appeared in the feces, if the child cries badly or complains of pain, if fever and / or vomiting are observed together with diarrhea. Diarrhea is not a deadly symptom, but only if treatment is started on time.