11 Month Old Has Had Diarrhea for Almost a Week. HELP!

I know this is late but try some plain Corn startch for his bottom. I used this all the time and it worked wonders. Just sprinkle it on his bottom every time and it will dry up the rash. Hope this helps.

It sounds like your child needs some good bacteria to balance the colon flora which is altered in diarrhea states, and also with antibiotics. Go to the health food store and get a probiotic for children and put it in water for him. Pedialyte has sugar in it which encourages the bad bacterial growth and also yeast growth. I wish you were still breast feeding since the good bacteria are plentiful in breast milk, but the good bacteria are also found in the probiotic supplement I mentioned. Be careful not to give your child milk products at this time because he is probably lactose intolerant from the diarrhea.
B. S. RN CCM

Sounds like his intestines need a break! Slow way down on the solids. If anything- stay on gatorade or pedialyte. Then add some rice. Is he teething? My kids molars always made that happen. Udder cream works well. Once its healed- keep vseline and powder on him. Good luck.
J.

Stopping the pedialyte should help - it should only be used for a day or 2 at the most. Lots of people use pedialyte too long and it actually just makes things worse! A thick diaper cream to cover the rash and protect from the irritation from the stool or urine can help as well. If you notice separate red bumps you may want to call your doc about a possible yeast infection (diaper rash).

Oh, I can feel your pain! My son dealt with that two or three times as an infant. It's horrid! What are you putting on it? The only thing I can recommend is Resinol. It does sting a bit going on when the rash is raw, but it clears it up phenomenally quicker than other things I've tried. It is not a prescription, but you do have to ask the pharmacist for it. We've gotten it at Wal-Mart and Walgreens, and I'm sure other pharmacies have it as well. Hope that helps!

cloth diapers, air time, aveeno oatmeal bath and a half and half mixture of Aquaphor and the purple original Desitin always worked for us!

Hey K.,

Sorry you are going through this and also sorry your little man is hurting. I would start adding oatmeal cereal and not rice cereal to his feedings to help thicken up his poops. Only because rice cereal will constipate little ones and this means more discomfort.
Also feed him some live culture bacteria which should restore good bacteria and help his tummy out too. You can even pick up Lactinex packets over the counter at your pharmacy and add this to feedings to get the good flora back in control.
As for his raw bottom you can see if your pediatrician will prescribe a steroid ointment to help reduce the swelling. However, if the irritation is more than just sensitivity and inflammation.. meaning if it is a yeast infection then absolutely no steroid oitment. If the diarhea has lasted long enough to be a yeast infection on your little one's raw skin then you want to see if you can get oral diflucan prescription as well as a script for bactroban oitment for his bottom.
Your physician should be keeping an eye on him for dehydration as a week of diarhea is a cause for concern..... thank goodness you have been supplementing with pedialyte. I remember when we had these issues and it hurts your heart to see your little one hurting.
Best Wishes for a speedy recovery.
-MB

I used to work at a nursing hotline, and what we would tell people is to get as much "air time" as possible. Leave his bottom exposed to air as much as you can. don't use wipes, and you may want to consider washing his bottom off under the faucet with water after each diarrhea episode. I did this for my son who had a very similar problem, and it cleared his rash up fairly quickly. The regular ointments weren't working at all, washing his bottom off was the only thing that worked for us. I also have a friend that made some kind of Maalox concoction, and that helped her son. If you aren't already giving him the BRAT diet, that should help too. Bananas, rice cereal, applesauce and toast. Good luck.

You've already gotten wonderful advice!! I'm so sorry your baby is hurting... I just wanted to 2nd (or 3rd... :)) what some others have said - when my little would develop a rash we would just use wet papertowels (warm water only) - if is it just a wet diaper, I think wet washcloths would work even better! We also use Aquaphor - I have a tube I carry in my diaper bag and I buy the big tub for at home - it is NOT in the baby section - it is in the pharmacy area. Well, I should rephrase that - they have a tube that says baby on it now that might be in the infant section but I have been using the other since we received a sample when my first was a newborn! Once this rash is gone whenever you start seeing any red starting you can just put a little on and it is usually gone before the next diaper change!! Good luck and HUGS! I know how hard it is to see your baby suffering...

My suggestion is go to lactose free formula, viruses thrive on the regular milk protein. Also for the red bottom we always use domboro soaks (you have to ask for the domboro at the pharmacy counter). You mix the DOmboro powder with water per the pkg instructions and then soak a few gauze and leave the wet gauze on his bottom until the next diaper change. It has always worked within about 12 hours on my son.

It has been a long time since I had a child in diapers(my son is 16), but when we had this problem, the doctor told me to use a zinc based diaper rash cream and do NOT wash it all off when you bath him. You can also use Malox liquid (yes, the kind used for heartburn), which will neutralize the acid when he goes and not make it as irritating to him until it heals. Secondly, leave the diaper off as much as you can. I would also ask your doctor (based on if there are open sores or not and your child's health) if it would be safe to bath him in either an oatmeal or baking soda bath.
There used to be this other kind of cream, I think it's called bag balm, that is actually for chafed cow udders that works really well, if you can find it.
Also, whatever you do, do not use regular baby wipes on a diaper rash. The alcohol makes for a more painful experience than it has to be at diaper change time and dries the skin out. You should be able to buy a brand that is alcohol free, even if you have to go to the paper products isle and buy the adult wipes that have come out in the last few years.
Finally, think about his diet very carefully. Be sure to minimize the bananas and apples (even juice as it loosens the stool) and if there is anything that you know makes him a little constipated, give him a little of it to help slow things down.
Good luck!

K., I haven't read through all the advise, but I'm sure it is all great and someone has already said this but here I go with my 2 cents anyway!. lol.. You need to coat his bottom with lotrimin. It will help heal his little bottom and it will protect him from the next bowel movement. I mean coat like his little bottom is white. It won't hurt a thing but will help like crazy. Yes, lotrimin is the same medication used for athletes foot etc. it all works, sometimes when a baby gets a diaper rash, especially with diahrea or teething etc, sometimes they get yeast in their rash. it really does work!. good luck, i know how hart breaking this can be, been there.

Keri,
I have a 14 month old daughter who had diahrrhea for 2 weeks and her bottom was the same way. My Dr. finally told me to try the BRAT diet: Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast. That's all they eat for about 2-3 days. Also, no milk or applejuice (or citrus type juices). Only water and other juices. She was better in 3 days and we've had no problems since!!! I realize that your question has been a few weeks ago, and hopefully your problem is already taken care of. If so, you may need this for future reference! I sure wish I had known sooner!

Oh, honey I understand!! My little boy just got over it!! Here's what I did....
DO NOT USE WIPES!!! They are probably stinging his poor bottom!! Use a damp cloth instead. When he is clean, thickly coat his entire rawness in either diaper cream or vaseline. Get the diaper on and ready to fasten shut, but before you close it, just dump A LOT of baby powder (or regular cornstarch, which works just as well, just cheaper) then close up the diaper. This way wetness from the diarrhea will be absorbed by the powder, but kept off his skin b/c of the vaseline or cream!! My boy's entire diaper region was red and raw---he screamed whenever he dirtied/wet his diaper!! I did this and by the end of one day it had cleared up a lot. At the end of day 2 it was all gone!! Good luck!

You can find a probiotic (acidopholus, etc.) at the healthfood store that is specific for little ones like your son. This should help. The raw bottom may be yeast related, so you might want to try something like monistat cream on it. Boudreaux's Butt Paste is also good, but if it doesn't work, then you need something more yeast specific. Also, try feeding him more binding foods...bananas, rice, applesauce, toast for a couple of days to see if that helps.

When my son was an infant, he kept a yeast infection for several months because of antibiotics. The doctor I took him to recommended coating his bottom with milk of magnesia after each diaper change. It worked and kept him from constantly having a red bottom. Also, I didn't have to check to see if he was wet every 10 mins. He wasn't one to fuss when he was wet. I hope your baby feels much better soon.

for the diaper rash you can ask your doctor for a perscription for just zinc oxide it is best. check all diaper rash creams for the strongest zinc in it. and pack it on him. my oldest girl had bad diaper rash as a baby she would bleed. that is what i would do and i would use cornstarch too.

Have you tried giving him alittle yogurt to restore the balance of intestinal bacteria? Clean his bottom with olive oil, no water; wipe off gently with cloth, no paper products. Water chaps his alrready sore bottom and paper of any sort is a wood product, more drying than a soft cloth like an old diaper. If you can let his bottom open to air, that would help but it is not always possible.

Many fruits can make the diarrhea worse. You might want to concentrate on giving him formula, pedialyte, cereals (rice and oatmeal) and bananas. The acids in many fruits can really sting raw bottoms. I used a fabulous diaper cream with all three of my kids called "Dr. Smith's". We use a Q-tip to apply it. If you cover the entire area with a thick layer, it gives lots of relief. Even now that my kids are older, they apply it themselves when they get that occasional irritation. Good luck! This should pass soon.

My daughter had a similar problem last winter...granted she was older at the time than your 11 month old, so maybe this won't help, but I got some homeopathic round pellets that disolved on her tongue that restored the balance of 'flora' in her intestines. That is why it takes so long for the diaherra to pass, because the delicate balance has been totally upset in his little system. Our dr too said to just wait it out while giving the same thing (formula, pedialyte and water and things like white rice and bananas which help too). A friend of mine suggested the homeopathic route and my husband and I agreed to try it...and four days later her stool was already on it's way to being more 'normal'. I was able to get the pellets in a pharmacy, you could maybe ask around if this sounds good for you. Sorry your little guy is sick and that you guys are starting the New Year like this. Hope this helps,
Jenn P

Hi K.! I am a mother with a 14yo, 10yo, 11 month old, and am expecting again in June as well. My son that is 11m had diarrhea this week, and we also gave him pedialyte. I tried to give it to him with every bottle until the diarrhea let up. He is much better today as I am at work, and my husband is at home with him being off from the holiday. It hurts me to death to see my baby squirm b/c his little bottom hurts so bad when he is being changed, and he just cries. It is so pitiful. I was fortunate enough to have had a spray called dermaplast that you can get at the pharmacy or walmart. It is an antibacterial spray that has a numbing agent in it. I think it is lidocaine. I used it in my area after i had an episiotomy this time. My mother told me about it. She is a nurse. I just spray a little of that on his bottom and then coat it with either the Desitin Nighttime(which is a little thicker) or the Boudreaux's Butt Paste. It seems to work really well, and I think that it helped to get rid of it a lot faster for us. You can also feed him some yogurt. This may help some also. Hope all this helps and good luck with the new little one coming.
J.

BRAT Diet. Bananas, Rice, Apples (applesauce), Toast. These things will help stop the diarrhea. My daughter had this when she was younger. This is what my doctor told us to do. He might now be able to do toast yet but do all the rest of the things. Avoid things like apple juice, this will actually make it worse. For the rice try rice cereal with apple sauce in it. Do these things everyday until it decreases or goes away. It will go away evetually. Diarrhea is hard to get rid of. Hope this helps.

K.,
When my daughter was born she needed antibiotics in the hospital. They literally ate up her poor little new born bottom. It was excruciation for her as well as me! Her doctor wrote a perscription that the pharmacy whipped up for us. I am so sorry, but I can't remember excactly what was in it. I know for sure zinc oxide was on of the ingredients, and I believe aquaphor too - maybe even a little aloe. I do remember is was a yellowish color though. Ask your doctor about it. If you can't get this, try Dr. Smiths diaper rash cream from a drug store. That worked much better for us than Boudreaux's Butt Paste.
Good Luck,
W.

A baby acidophilus (pro-biotic from the health food store).
Plain yoguart (no sugar added and regular fat content not fat free or low-fat).

You can also mix a bit of the pro-biotic in with your diaper ointment and rub it on the raw bottom for some relief.
Pick an ointment without any petroleum or petrolatum...b/c it creates more yeast.

I either use Arbonne's diaper cream or I purchase UnPetroleum Jelly from the health food store and mix the pro-biotic in and rub it on. Works wonders for my son.

I agree with the B.R.A.T. diet (Bananas, Rice, Apples, Toast).

No sugars or juices.
Pure Water (not fluridated) or pedialyte will work best.

If you add Baking Soda to the bath water it will help that little bottom as well.

Please keep an eye on that diarrhea. If it lasts much longer get back to the pediatrition right away.
Don't stop till you get the answers you need and that baby back to optimal health.

Praying for you and your little one right now.

Blessings,
A.

Go to your pharmacist and buy Boudreaux's Butt Paste. It is excellent to heal your baby's bottom. Also try rice water. Put about a half a cup of rice with 1.5 cups of water, boil the rice gently until the water is white and soupy. Pour the water into a bottle and allow to cool to warm. Throw the rice away. The starch left in the water helps the stools to become a little firmer. Also tried blended bananas. I have 4 adult children and 9 grandchildren, this has worked for them.

i have a 2 year old beautiful girl and we had prob with diaper rash when she was teething and something that she would eating would burn her,we never really found out what is was. so my ped told me to go to the feed store and get some corona, its in a red and yellow tube. she said clean her with cotton balls and water pat dry her with a paper, i used bathroom tissue, and then coat her with the corona and it was better by morning. good luck

My 2 yr old son had salmonella back in the summer & the diarrhea lasted almost 3 weeks. I know what you mean about it breaking your heart when it causes them pain. His cramping was really bad. :( And of course he got a terrible diaper rash. Luckily, I already knew about Boudreaux's Butt Paste from when he had a bad rash as a baby. That stuff really works pretty well. It costs more than some others. We went through so much of it that we decided to try A&D w/ zinc oxide. It worked about as well, too. Keep giving him pedialyte. In a dropper if you have to. Just make sure you get plenty of fluids in him. My son felt so bad that he wouldn't drink more than a sip at a time & any food or drink would trigger more diarrhea. He got mildly dehydrated & had to have an IV at the hospital. You don't want that to happen, believe me. Talk about heartbreaking. I hope your little one gets better soon.

after clean and dry, you should apply lotrimin and butt paste. If that doesn't clear it up it will take a perscription topical anti-fungal. I have three children that are now 21, 19, & 17 I have seen alot of this in my time lol. My husband is a pharmacist and told me what to tell you. hope it works!!
J. Mc

Okay, I read the advice from the other ladies, but not a one has mentioned that your son may be suffering from lactose intolerance. I know that you're probably thinking, "Yeah, No. He's had milk based products before and he's had no problems..."
The intolerance is developed. I drank milk throughout my childhood, but when I became a young adult, I became lactose intolerant. Doctors hate to rush into making decisions because they basically want to make sure that it's not a side effect of a medication, or diet change, or illness. Many things can cause diaper rashes and loose bowels. Give your son a bottle (8oz.) of water mixed with some sugar to sweeten it a little. Stop giving him as much formula (he'll get the nutrition from the baby food). Also, when you have the chance, talk to his doctor about the possibility of the diarrhea being caused by his food and maybe seeing if there is an allergy. Don't always listen to everything the DR. says. If you feel something is wrong, and you go to the Dr. and he says everything is ok, then find another Dr. If the first one is wrong you can show him proof, from your second opinion, and threaten to sue him for malpractice. Make your Dr. listen, be the fighting force for your child, because most of the doctors out there now are just here for the money.

Just did this with my 11 mo old DD two weeks ago. By the time she got over the rotovirus, she had her first ear infection. Did he actually see the doctor? If not I would take him in just in case at this point. I feel your pain on seeing him suffer, I'm on my third child and have worked very hard over the years so my boys hardly ever had any diaper rash, but yeast rashes are almost inevitable with girls so this baby has educated me!! My doc only recommended the pedialyte if the baby refuses regular food and formula. I did the probiotic (in our case, Culturelle, which I found a children's form at Publix, in baby aisle) and did see almost immediate results. I don't know about putting it in the diaper, but I added it to one meal a day. Of course we did Nystatin and ointment on the rash itself, and she started getting relief the same day she stopped "going" so much, even though her rear looked AWFUL. Looks like I'm mostly just relating my experience with the advice you already have, but I just wanted to show support, I know how heartbreaking it is when your baby is miserable! Happy New Year and I wish your family good health, hope this is helpful!
C.

K.,
A natural was to stop this is pumkin. Try feeding him so canned pumkin (not pumkin pie filling but straight pumkin). I hope this helps.

H.

I'm responding a bit late and you have already gotten good advice. I just wanted to add what several people have said is to make sure you put that diaper cream on thick! I never had any luck with the butt paste with my 4 kids. But original desitin worked great. With really bad diaper rashes though I packed it on. Just buy extra and don't be afraid to "waste" it. The thicker I put it on the better it worked. I hope that kiddo feels better soon!

Have you tried limiting the solid food to the B.R.A.T. diet (bananas, rice, apples & toast)? As far as the red bottom, I recommend running to Target and getting a jar of Resinol (they keep it behind the pharmacy counter). It is absolutely the most wonderful thing for bad diaper rash. The hospital gave it to us when our son was discharged from the NICU, and it is much better than anything else we have ever tried. Good luck.

Something I learned that helped keep diarrhea from hurting a raw bottom is a thick layer of Desitin with baby power on top. It will create like a second skin so that when he poops, it won't get to the raw skin, and all you gotta do is clean him off and re-apply it. Also, use a warm washcloth instead of baby wipes since the chemicals in the wipes could irritate his skin more. If you are brave enough to let him air out a bit, give him an activity to do while setting still and let him go diaper-free for a few minutes. I know this won't help get rid of the diarrhea, but it should help his bottom a bit.

SATURATE his behind w/ vaseline....EVERYTHING that looks raw...it won't allow anything to touch it-no more stinging!

Hi K.,
I'm sorry to hear about your baby.. Have you tried boudreaux's butt paste (that is real the name), its diaper rash cream. You can get it at wal-mart, walgreens, etc. It is amazing. It doesn't burn when you put it on and they immediately get relief. I used it on both my kids. They both have very sensitive skin. Also make sure you change the diaper as soon as possible (i'm sure you do--do disrespect). If he still has in past a week, definately call his Dr. back!

Your MD should not allow this to be an ongoing thing. He could give you a prescription for Phenergan Suppository I had that problem with mine and went to the MD with my own ideas..As a nurse I know the problems that can arise with children and if he is on a milk bsed formula you should not be giving it to him with diarrhea. Give him the pedialyte and his food that has no milk in it. Try asking your MD for the phenergan supp. and if he has been on any antibiotics lately ask for bactroban cream to apply to his bottom, otherwise just apply a liberal amount of butt paste it is the best. If you go to the MD armed with knowledge and don't be afraid to tell him what you want you will normally get exactly what you ask for. The MD is only there to do for you but most don't care as long as you aren't an active participant and I also know that most will tell you that you should not use gatorade but pedialyte is very expensive. Gatorade G2 that is very much the same thing and will do just as well for less money. Good Luck!