Table of Contents
- Overview
- Prevention
- Images
Alternative Names
Diarrhea and babies
Information
Normal or healthy baby stools are soft and loose. Babies have frequent stools during the first 1 - 2 months. Because of this, it may be difficult to tell when your baby has diarrhea.
Most babies have a stool pattern that is typical for them. This pattern may change slowly over time. Look for the following to help decide whether your baby has diarrhea:
- A sudden increase in how often your baby has stools
- More than one stool per feeding
- Stools that appear to be more watery
If your baby is feeding poorly, or has nasal congestion or a fever, the changes you notice are more likely to be diarrhea.
Most diarrhea in children is short-lived. It is usually caused by a virus, and goes away on its own. Other causes of diarrhea include:
- A change in the baby's diet or the breast-feeding mother's diet
- Use of antibiotics by the baby or breast-feeding mother
- Rare diseases such as cystic fibrosis
Images
Review Date: 11/02/2009
Reviewed By: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of
Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also
reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
