“What's the best way to stop my baby's diarrhea?”
My baby has had diarrhea for over two days, and I'm not sure what to do. He's 2 years old, and I switched his diet to the BRAT diet to help treat it. Do you have other ways to help stop diarrhea in babies?
8 Answers
GastroenterologistDiarrhea
Brat diet is okay, but he needs not to be dehydrated, so start giving Pedialyte instead of water or juices to drink. Do not let him dehydrate.
If the diarrhea continues for more than 3 days, then you need to get the stool tested to rule out other causes like any bacterial infection or parasite and treat accordingly.
Use oral rehydration with Pedialyte, and avoid juice and soda. Consult with your Pediatrician if the diarrhea persist.
The BRAT diet has never been shown to improve diarrhea. In fact, some experts think it would be better to feed through diarrhea. I'm going to be blunt: we don't want to stop diarrhea. The body has diarrhea for a reason usually to clear an infection or a toxin. Diarrhea is good because it clears these out. If this is an infectious illness it can last several days and then should improve. Studies have shown that slowing down diarrhea actually prolongs the length of the infection.
Mark R. Corkins, M.D.
Mark R. Corkins, M.D.