10 Month Old with BAD Diarrhea PLEASE HELP!!

Updated on September 28, 2006
C.K. asks from Fort Myers, FL
29 answers

Okay last week I posted that my daughter has a bad diaper rash. That has cleared up for the most part (it is now at least under control) but a day after I went to the doctors with her she started another problem.
She has BADDD DIARRHEA! She is now drinking less formula which was already an issue. I guess I should start by saying she is 17lbs at 10 months, at 6 months she was 15 1/2lbs so the doctor said she needed to be gaining more weight when we went there last week. He said to give her one more bottle a day and that would help. Well the day after we were there she started with bad diarrhea, she is eating a lot less, and I am afraid she is not getting the proper nutrition. She is teething and I have heard that may cause it. Does anyone know what I could be giving her to stop her up a little bit? Or how I can help her with this problem? Should I be going back to the doctor? Please help!

Questions and comments I keep getting is that I should take her back to the doctor. I called yesterday and a nurse called back and said Pedialyte wasnt necessary... she also said that as long as she is getting some fluids she is okay. Furthermore she said that there is a virus going around! She gave me an appt for Friday!! I feel as though that is too LONG from now... But she said they are short handed.
WHAT NOW?? I dont think this is right she has had diarrhea since last wednesday!

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K.P.

answers from Melbourne on

My son went through something similar so i switched his formula to Similac Lactose FREE...and with in a day or so the diarhea had stopped. I later found out my son was lactose intolerent which caused bad diarhea!!

D.S.

answers from Columbus on

You should definitely be going back to the doctor TODAY, call and tell him you need an appointment today as early as possible, or take her to the emergency room. Diarrhea can bevery dangerous to a baby, especially if she�s not drinking enough liquids.

In the meanwhile, see if she�ll take some pedialite, it comes in nice flavors and that may help her with dehydration.

Please don�t wait!

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S.T.

answers from Orlando on

If you haven't done so already... Pick up the phone and call the doctor right NOW! Diarrhea can be a very serious problem.

I'm a pharmacist, and I would never recommend anything to "make it stop" at that age, especially. She needs to be seen by the doctor ASAP! If she's on antibiotics, that can cause diarrhea but the doctor still needs to be called.
Good luck!

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C.B.

answers from Miami on

Are you currently putting cereal in her formula? If not start to do so. My son has the same exact probem she does, except he's alot younger. He's only 3 months but his rash was horribele and is horrible due to it being so watery all the time. Cereal made his stool thicker and he isn't having that bad of a time with his rash now. As far as eating, she is in pain and may be hungry but the pain is overwhelming to her so give her tylenol or motrin...motrin works better for pain on my opinion. But you can alternate as well and get her orajel. She will eat when she is hungry, don't force it on her, but offer it to her and if she eats a little she'll be ok. She may lose a little weight but once the teeth break through and she has no more pauin, she'll gain her weight back. I went through the same thing with my little girl now 27 mos.

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D.

answers from Boca Raton on

1st of all, until the diarrhea slows way down, stop the formula and start giving her Pedialyte immediately to replace the minerals and fluids she's losing. She could end up very dehydrated otherwise. How long has she had the diarrhea/ If it's been more than 5 days, take her to the ped. immediately. Formula and other dairy products will just make the problem worse. I don't know how much table-food your daughter eats currently. Stick at much tot he B.R.A.T. diet as possible. These are foods that help to slow the diarrhea. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce (NO juice!), and dry toast. Maybe a banana in one of those mesh feeders and some applesauce. Hope this helps!

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W.T.

answers from Gainesville on

You may want to check with your ped. on this one but if your formula is dairy based you should stop giving her formula until the diarrhea goes away. Dairy is not good for upset digestive system and could make matters worse. Bananas, rice, applesauce, or toast also known as the brat diet are excellent for diarrhea. If she is eating I would try to feed her a few of these until the diarrhea subsides and plus they will help with the weight gain. Hope you find something that will work for you.

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K.K.

answers from Boca Raton on

I agree- you should call the doctor. I also agree- bananas and baby cereal are great to help bind her up a little bit in the mean time. I'd also give her some pedialyte if the doctor says it's okay.

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Y.N.

answers from Orlando on

Hi my name is Y., I'm 24, I have an 11and a half month old... I might not have a great advice, but try giving your baby pedya-lite, and apple juice, also rice cereal makes their poop harder. if it prolongs you need to take your baby in to the doctors again you don't want your baby to de hydrate.

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J.B.

answers from Port St. Lucie on

Try feeding her rice cereal and babanas. As well give her pedialite which will keep her from dehydrating.

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J.M.

answers from Boca Raton on

As long as there is no blood or mucous in the stool, no fever, and she is getting fluids, just give the BRAT diet. NO juice and NO dairy. These things will make it worse. If it continues for more than 3 days on the STRICT diet, or a fever or vomiting develops, call the Dr.
(I was a Pediatric nurse for 5 years before I had my youngest)

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J.B.

answers from Orlando on

Hi C.,

Go to the doctor, but not necessarily your pediatrician. Try to avoid the ER, you will be placed as a low priority (usually!). Try going to an after hours Pediatric place. Don't know where you are from, there are several here in the Orlando area, some are even open during the day. They specialize in pediatrics and are really good if you can't get into see your MD.

Lastly, and this is just a personal thing from one mom who is a nurse herself. I do not think I could continue to take my child to a place (Pediatrician) where I did not feel like I was getting full attention when my child is sick. This may be a bit harsh, but I have a fantastic relationship with my ped., and if she or her office staff ever gave me reason to question them, I would talk to her immediately about it, and if not satisfied, I would find another MD.

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H.S.

answers from Melbourne on

Hi C.,

One thing that is very important about dealing with this is that she is probably getting dehydrated from the diarreah. If she's not taking her bottles, that's a problem because that's her main source of fluid. I would DEFINATELY go back to the doctor. She may have picked up something there, some kind of bacteria. I don't know if it's age appropriate, you can ask the doctor, but I have found that probiotics are excellent to keep the digestive system in order. It's like good bacteria that eats the bad bacteria. The main thing is to get her hydrated, and fed so that she is not malnourished. I would get in touch with the doctor right away. Let me know how it goes!

H.

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K.L.

answers from Boca Raton on

Does she have any rashes anywhere else on her body like her face? My youngest son had that for months the bad diaper rashes and eczema like rash on his face etc. and it turned out he was lactose intollerant. The doctor had us switch to soy and he was fine. He is 5 now and still cannot have dairy. Ask your doctor about that and have her tested if he feels that is a possibility.

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K.S.

answers from Melbourne on

HI, I HOPE I CAN HELP. I AM AN ER NURSE AS WELL AS A MOTHER OF A 17 MONTH OLD AND PREGNANT WITH TWINS. HERE IS THE THING ABOUT DIARRHEA AND KIDS. IF SHE IS HAVING MULTIPLE WATERY STOOLS A DAY, AND IS NOT ABLE TO EAT/DRINK ANYTHING OR MINIMAL, YOU NEED TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR. IF HE BLOWS IT OFF (SHAME ON HIM) THEN YOU TAKE HER TO THE ER. BABIES AND TODDLERS CAN GET VERY DEHYDRATED VERY QUICKLY. SIGNS FOR YOU TO LOOK FOR ARE, DRY SKIN, WHEN YOU PINCH HER SKIN (ON HER ARM LETS SAY) DOES IT GO BACK TO NORMAL, OR DOES IT STAY TENTED, EVEN WHEN YOU LET GO? IS SHE PEEING (A GREAT INDICATOR OF DEHYDRATION IS THAT SHE STOPS PEEING). ARE THERE TEARS WHEN SHE CRIES? IS SHE LETHARGIC? OBSERVE YOUR CHILD, AND NEXT TIME YOU CALL YOUR DOCTOR, BE ABLE TO TELL HIM ALL OF THOSE THINGS, OR TAKE YOUR ANGEL TO THE ER, BUT EXPECT THEM TO MAYBE PUT AN IV IN HER TO HELP REHYDRATE HER. I KNOW THIS IS SCARY (I TOOK CARE OF A 16 MONTH OLD YESTERDAY MYSELF WITH DEHYDRATION...SO SAD!) IF YOUR DOCTOR DOES NOT TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY WHEN YOU ARE CONCERNED, MAYBE YOU SHOULD REEVALUATE HIM.
ALSO, DO NOT PANIC ABOUT THE WEIGHT. MY PEANUT WAS A CHUNKER UNTIL AROUND 7 MONTHS, SINCE THEN HE HAS ONLY GAINED 4 POUNDS. I WAS CONCERNED, BUT MY PEDIATRICIAN (WHOM I ADORE) TOLD ME THAT SINCE HE IS STILL ON THE CHARTS, NOT TO WORRY. GOOD LUCK AND HOPE IT HELPS. YOU CAN EMAIL ME DIRECT SHOULD YOU HAVE ANYMORE QUESTIONS ____@____.com

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D.

answers from Orlando on

Hi C.,
I had a similar reaction with my daughter and it turned out she had a milk allergy. It my be a virus but it's something to think about. Maybe bring up to your dr. There are formulas out there that are milk free or rice based. Here is a website to do some research for yourself. Hope it helps and your baby feels better soon!!

http://www.drgreene.com/21_1241.html

D.

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G.V.

answers from Melbourne on

This had happened to my daughter as well. As long as she was wetting diapers, the doctor told me not to worry. What they suggested to feed her to bind her up was banana's (either mushed up or in the jar) and rice cereal (rice also binds). And for the rash, the nurse suggested a paste of milk of magnesia and diaper rash cream and it worked wonders! Also, if the rash is real bad, I have also tried Lotramin (for jock itch, believe it or not) and it also worked wonders! Let me know if I can be of any other help. Take care!

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Y.P.

answers from Port St. Lucie on

I've heard that teething does cause diarrhea but if really bad i would definitely take her back to dr before she dehydrates.

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T.Q.

answers from Orlando on

C.,

You said you took her to the doctor. I'm guessing you took her for the rash, but I'm wondering if the doc put her on an antibiotic. My son went on an antibiotic for UTI (urinary tract infection) when he was about 9mo. Almost immediately after starting the antibiotic he had terrible diarrhea. It was EVERYWHERE. I called the doctor, afraid that his UTI would be aggrivated by this and he said that diarrhea is a normal reaction to antibiotics. He said to continue feeding him as normal and to ONLY give him pedialyte if he refused to drink his bottle. He said the formula would not make his condition worse. But maybe that's because the condition was caused by the antibiotic and not a virus. In any case, you should probably call your doctor to be 100% sure. Especially since your baby is already underweight. It must be so difficult to deal with this during pregnancy. I couldn't think straight for the whole 9 months! Good luck with both your little ones.

-T.

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A.R.

answers from Melbourne on

Hello C.,

I have a 2yr old and he also had bad diarrhea and throwing up, my pediatrician told me it could be the formula he is allergic to or a bacteria in his stomach, so I had to stop giving him formula only juice until he stopped having diarrhea and I changed to a soy based formula, his diarrhea got so bad that he had to be hospitalized for dehydration.

My son weighed about the same at 10 months and he was and still is a very healthy active 30lbs little boy.

Instead of giving her another bottle a day to make her gain more weight try putting cereal (Rice with Bananas)in the bottle that way it will fill her up and be eating more. My Doc said don't give him anything to eat before lunch or dinner so he will be hungry for his meals.
I hope this helps!
I will be praying for your daughters health and for you!
A.

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K.L.

answers from Boca Raton on

Teething should not cause severe diarrhea. I would call the doctor as little ones can get dehydrated very fast. Don't feel bad about the weight... My 2 1/2 year old still only weighs 23.4 lbs... I have an 11 year old son and they always tried to make me feel bad about his weight but you can't force a baby to eat. You just keep offering the food and eventually they will eat and the weight will come.. Ask the doctor if you can add a vitamin supplement to her formula/ breastmilk... Infamil sells one that we used with our little.. K.

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D.S.

answers from Lakeland on

My daughter had some diarrhea when she was teething, and I read that it was a side effect, but I had many peopld tell me they had never heard that. My daughter also got it when I started her on regular milk. She now has to drink 2 %, but I don't know how that works with formula. How long has she had the diarrhea? Could it be a virus? Have you talked to the Doctor?

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V.

answers from Boca Raton on

C., your baby being just 10 months old anything out of the ordinary should be checked by doctors. she should be drinking around 24 oz formula a day, if she's drinking that much and a bit of solids then she's doing well. i am a worry wart about eating and weight for my girls, which makes me miserable at all times. don't let this happen to you. let her tell you how much and when otherwise the food thing will become an issue.
yes for diahreea back to doctors. that needs to be checked. in meantime bananas
good luck
V.

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C.S.

answers from Orlando on

My 7 month old just got over diarrhea. She started throwing up on a saturday then Sunday started with the diarrhea. I took her to the ped on Tuesday and they too told me something was going around. Friday she was over it and everything was fine. It did take a little while to get her back into her eating habits. They said as long as she was taking in some liquids she would be fine. I know it sucks but you have to just ride it out.

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A.R.

answers from Melbourne on

back to the doctor right away!!! today!
Are you kidding? Diarrhea can lead to dehydration and is very dangerous in small children. Teething does not cause diarrhea, that is an old wives tale that has been proven false.

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M.C.

answers from Orlando on

Hey C.:

From reading the responses everyone has different advise. All I can tell you is what I did for my son. When he was teething he had diarreah also. Juice will only make it worse. I gave him Pedialyte to make sure he wasn't getting dehydrated (maybe like a half a bottle a day, because he was so young). The way to stop her up and put a little weight on her is to add a teaspoon of cereal to every bottle of formula. You can also try using a half of bottle of baby food bananas to one bottle of formula. I hope this info helps. It never hurts to call the doctor and ask, my son's entire doctor's office knew me by first name. Good Luck! Don't worry things will get easier.

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A.L.

answers from Miami on

I agree with all the advice on the BRAT diet and especially the pedialtye. Offer her unflavored Pedialyte instead of juice which can also lead to the unpleasant diarrhea. Dehydration is a side effect of diarrhea. With the dehydration comes electrolyte imbalance which may cause your precious baby to become drowsy, lethargic, confused, etc......

Teething does cause diarrhea but not more than a day or two. If she has had it for a wk there is concern. Definitely alert your pediatrician. And remember diarrhea can lead to diaper rash so maintain a clean dry diaper as much as you can.

Good luck and continue to be the conerned parent that you are. :)

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A.L.

answers from Orlando on

C.,,,hang in there, Congrats on baby #2, I know it hard...as far as baby#1...I agree with the B.R.A.T diet and the pedialyte...it doesn't hurt to call your peds office and talk to the nurse...also write down what she's eating and or drinking (keep a log) when your tired like you are it's hard to remember everything..I've been there., also try teething toast this will help with the teething and some substance in her belly. Don't give her fruit juices,,,this makes things worse.

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R.B.

answers from Port St. Lucie on

Hello,

First I would try calling the doctor to see what they say!
A baby that has diarrhea, is going to have weight loss because they are losing alot of fluids so that shouldn't be something that you should worry about right now. Just as some mom's said teething does that.

PLEASE TRY CALLING OR SEEING YOUR DOCTOR FIRST HAND!!!!!

GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND YOUR UNBORN CHILD AS WELL!

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G.A.

answers from Lakeland on

HEY C. I WOULD AT LEAST CALL THE DR.AND ASK NOW WHAT,WHY HAS THE DR.NOT ADVISED YOU TO GIVE THE BABY PEDIALYTE MIXED WITH HER FORMULA.THATS WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD TO DO WHEN MY KIDS WERE STILL ON FORMULA AND HAD DIARRHEA OR WAS THROWING UP.HOPE THIS HELPS?

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