Diarrhea or Teething??

LOL tell me about it! i have kids 14,11,1, 8mo......
try beechnut Apple Muesli..... it tastes sooo good. I give it to Conner for breakfast.... mix w/ milk, muesli,and sometimes a dash of cinnamon..... heat for a few seconds.....he loves it. I like that they add flavor to it....makes it easier to feed the little ones.

you could try oatmeal, maybe some gerber crackers. my daughter is 2 1/2 and just got over having a week and a half of running diapers. the nurse said to give her yogurt (activa, sp?) but with your son being 8 months I don't know if you want to try yogurt yet. the nurse also said the brat diet, bananas, rice, apple sauce, and toast. hope this helps. ~M.

Hi M.,
I am wondering if maybe he has lactose intolerance. Maybe a non milk formula might help. My son had bad tummy issues but it was constipation not the runs. Green is usually a sign of infection. Is it slimy like snail goo? If it is you should take baby to see a doctor. Also a word of advice. Don't use baby wipes. Even the non alcohol ones burn like crazy. I used one once when I ran our of TP and it was very uncomfortable. Use faces clothes or anything else that is cotton and soft.
Good luck. It is sometimes just a mystery.

W.

Hi M.,
My son got diarrhea every time he got a tooth. He had all his teeth by age 1, so there was a time when he had diarrhea every week for a couple of days. Does he have a slight fever?
My son would only eat bananas, avocado and watered down pedialyte. Applesauce is an excellent thing to give him, as it helps a lot. Also, for the rash, my pediatrician recommended lotrimin (for athletes foot), it clears the rash up very quickly and he will be more comfortable. I also tended to keep a spray bottle with baby soap and water to really keep his bum clean.
I hope this helps

M.,

My daughter had minor food allergies during that age. Anytime something didn't agree with her little system she would have the same problems you've mentioned and would develope the worst diaper rash. The biggest culprits were anything green (green beans, peas) and corn. We knew what foods bothered her because it would go right through her system.

What the doctor suggested we do is take them out of her diet completely and then slowly try the food items again, seperately, a few months later. After a few months we'd try the green beans again. Once she tolerated them then we'd move on to the next food. Also, we only tried the foods during her lunch so that her little tummy would have time to settle down if it was upset and she'd sleep comfortably.

Before you try anything though talk with your doctor. As I'm sure you already know to do. Hopefully your little one's tummy is like my daughter's was and he'll be eating those different foods in no time. Good luck!

K.

I had a similar experience with my 6 1/2 month old. He has not cut teeth yet, but seems to be teething. He had a couple of weeks of crankyness, icky diapers 3-4 times a day. I did a little research on teething and one of the symptoms is diarrhea, however, it did state that doctors will not typically say it is teething because it can be something else. My son had no other symptoms and now is his usual self. Unfortuntely, he is having a hard time with takng solid foods, so I have no advice on foods to give if it is not teething. Hope this helps!

C.

I have grandchild who has the same symptoms everytime he cuts teeth. I do recommend that you pick up some Dr Smiths diaper ointment at Walgreens....its a little pricey but it will cure the diaper rash. I'd never heard of it before...we spent $85 for a Dr visit last week to find out about it.

Hi!
Unsweetened apple sauce (if you can make it will be better)and especially white rice: boil it and put more water than you would usually put (1cup rice plus 2cups water). I have 3 kids:
10,5 and 3 and rice always worked for me. Good luck!
A. H

M., have you tried a banana? My second son didn't like the cereals very much and went straight to solid food. My boys have very sensitive stomachs and need to eat a banana everyday to keep their stools a little harder... I know your doctor said to cut out fruits, but bananas really harden things up. Hope he feels better soon... J.

Good Morning M.,
I have a suggestion that may or may not work; but, it's worth a try perhaps. How about mixing the bannanas with the cereal and you could use some breast milk in there too. Do you think he would eat it ? That cereal may be too bland and thick for him.

Ok, let me tell you this. It has always been my experience to hear from the Pediatrician when my kids were teething or beginning to teeth that if they were having any difficulties that it was due to a virus or whatever, not the teething ! I'm certain many other Moms have had the same experience. Virus or not, my kids always had fever, messy diapers, or irritability or something when they teethed, or were beginning to teeth !

Hope this has been helpful. Good luck and God bless !

R.

Hi M.,
You might try making a gruel of Basmati rice ( Jasmine is really tasty) by putting 3 times as much water as receipe calls for and continue cooking it at a very low temp for 4 hours or more ( up to 8). This will be easily digested, be nutritious and will support his spleen function, which gets compromised with tummy problems. You can put a little maple syrup or breast milk in each serving. I hope his tummy settles and his teeth come in soon.S.

Have you tried mixing the rice cereal with some breast milk? That's what I did with my boys, and they ate it no problem. Breast milk is sweeter, so it tastes better to them. Good luck! Oh, Udder Cream, a hand lotion is also great for diaper rash. It has no petroleum products and the lanolin is wonderful for anyone's skin.

For the time being, try mixing mashed bananas or applesauce with his cereal. He may be more likely to eat it with something sweet mixed in. Eventhough applesauce is also a fruit, it's part of the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) which is supposed to help with these issues. If it goes away soon, he may have just picked up a mild virus. Good luck!

Try mixing the cereal with the bananas or formula. Don't feed him the formula cereal mix through a bottle, just instead of making the cereal with water make it with formula.

For his diaper rash... I have always switched to Dr. Smiths ointment (if you buy it at Target, it may be behind the pharmacy counter). CVS also sells it. It's in a blue box and about $9. It works on rashes in 2 days!

Mix the bananas with the rice cereal. He might take it better that way. You have to change his diet to help him out. It's only temporary.

many of my friends and i have termed this "teething poop".it is different than diarrhea. it is runnier than usual but not quite like diarrhea. and yes it irritates their little bottom. in fact we are experiencing it right now with my 14 month old who cut his first teeth around 8 months and is now getting some more. i have noticed that the "teething poop" comes a week or more before the teeth so it is kinda alarming at first. i did not quit feeding my son anything since i feel confident it is from teething although i dont give juice til about 2 yrs of age or older. i did use cloth wipes with Plain water instead of wipes, let him air out when possible and use lots of diaper cream. i also changed his diaper frequently during these episodes. the same thing happened with my now 4 yr old.
i dont know that this is the same thing that is going on with your son but wanted to let you know this scenario is totally possible.
good luck.

First of all, saturate his little bottom with petroleum jelly. That'll keep that stuff from eating him up. I know you know that. You probably also know the reason for the diet change is that fruits are higher in fiber, and, while bananas have fiber, they are higher in potassium and other nutrients. Potassium tends to help stop diarrhea. Mashed potatoes are starchy and can stop it. Remember, though, that you don't necessarily want to cut it altogether. There is a reason that his body is dumping out at this rate. Maybe he's fighting some kind of infection. It doesn't have to show itself in a fever. As long as you give him Pedialyte and make sure that he retains/replaces what he needs, ride this one out and see how it ends.

ask your pedi if he can have oatmeal insted of rice he might like it better Good luck

Hi M.,
i think you should do as the Dr says ,,how do you feel when you have diarra for days on end i know i dont feel very well ,so give it a try what can it hurt??
L.

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I am suprised the doctor suspend apples but not sure what your son's heath history is. I am always told with digestive issues in children that you should put them on the BRAT diet. Bananas, Rice, Apples (or Apple Sauce unsweetened), and toast(plain). I understand the not wanting to give your child only one type of food but have come to realize that with my 3 yr there is very little he will eat even still.I would still try and stick with what your dr has advised you to do unless it hasn't been working and you have been trying it for 3-4 days, then call them back. The other thing you might try is putting mashed bananas, or applesause in the cereal. Also if he was eating small amounts of table food you might want to try very small amount of over cooked plain rice. Also I am not sure how breast milk effects the whole issue as I am unable to breast feed. I hope your son is getting better. Good luck its never easy to see them like that let alone the number of messy diapers you are changing.

Hi M.,

So sorry you are having to go through this teething experience. I can tell you my daughter had diarrhea every time she was cutting a tooth. My daughter is now 22 months old and has all her teeth even her 2 yr molars. So I'm trying to think of what I gave her at 8 months......think I just gave her like applesauce, cut up some banana, oatmeal, water with ice in it since it's cold it felt good on her gums. Applesauce and Bananas and Oatmeal. I was told by the nurse that these foods cause a binding effect which firm up the stool. Anything starchy will help. If your son won't eat any cereal try just putting a teeny bit of sugar in it. Just to sweeten it a bit. My mom told me about that tip and it helped. I didn't do it every time. Just some other good things on teething.....Frozen Waffles, get one of those little mesh bag things I think Sassy puts them out and put a frozen peach or ice in it. I know every baby is different but these little things helped my daughter. The girl still likes to chew on a frozen waffle hahaha.

I hope your baby boy gets over his bout of diarrhea. I know it's rough, but once that tooth gets through his diarrhea will stop. Good luck during the teething!

--R. :)

Bannans, oatmeal and water is the only thing that pulled my little guy through when he had the runs. I dont know if Diareha has anything to do with teething, but he would slober so much and I think my little one was swallowing alot of it. Exess siliva must not be comfortable on an already troubled tummy. I would mix rice cereal with something he did like(chicken) someimes if he did not want Oatmeal. Its sounds like he is about to start teething. My litte guy never had any fever and was never fussy, so that is good. too bad you have no other clues. We have used all kinds of diaper rash ointment and the best by far is Boudreaux's Buttpaste...It has the most Zinc Oxide (16%) and heals it with in a day. Good luck

Maybe try giving him some crackers? He should get the same tummy-settling experience as with cereal. When my son was that little, I mixed cereal with baby food and formula (or breast milk) and fed it to him through a bottle with a large hole in the nipple.

My son (almost one) has very similar issues when teething. He runs a high fever (102 - 103) and has major diarrhea. Other than that he acts normal. When the diarrhea starts I do just bananas, crackers, rice, and mashed potatoes for a day or two. All that helps to stop him up quicker. I do not use Pedialyte . . . it made his worse.
I know you son is small, so that might not work for you. Have you tried mixing rice cereal into a bottle of breast milk or formula? You may have to use a fast flow nipple, or cross cut one you have at home.
Hope you little one is feeling better soon!

Hi M.,

Here is an old standby. My mom used it on all 4 of us, and we have all used on our own kids. You take 3 cups of water and 1 cup of rice and bring it to a ROLLING boil. Shut it off. Add 1 Tablespoons of Jello - whatever flavor your child will like. Mix it all together well. Let it cool enough that your child can drink it and put it in his bottle or sippy cup. Most 8 month olds do not yet eat rice, but the rice water works just as well.

Be sure to push fluids so he does not get dehydrated and watch for fever. If he develops fever, call your doctor.

Evelyn

Hi M.,
The only time both my girls got this was teething. They also always got a bad diaper rash with teething. This time when I went ot the dr he mentioned probiotics. They are found in Stoneyfield farms yogurt or in a powder form. It helps get their digestive system back to normal. I tried it and instead of changing every poopy diaper they have gone back to normal. You might give it a try. I got the powder at Whole Foods but I think they have it at HEB and the yogurt is everywhere. Also - Dr. Smith's workds wonders for the rash.
Good luck,
J.

I would try to think of something you may be eating a lot of right now. Like if you've been on an Italian food kick...there may be a lot of acidity to your milk. Or dairy. Are ya eating too much cereal, cheese or icecream?? Dairy is what would do the diarreah and horrible rashes w/ my boys. I am sure by 8 mos you know what you can and can't eat. Just thinking of what would've done the same thing to my boys!! Sometimes different seasons, like summer, offer different good things to eat...like some fruits!

It sounds like teething - both of mine went through that. On the cereal - we always mixed it with milk and gave it to him in a bottle - you might try the fruited cereal or mixing the milk with cereal and applesauce in a bottle. We also added the infant vitamins to that once a day as well. The rash may be from the heat - we use Dr. Smith's and it works great.

I have a one-yr old and three-yr old and that has worked wonders.

My little girl seemed to get very loose bm's for a couple days before her teeth came in. My theory is all the saliva they swallow from drooling loosens things up.

BRAT- Ban, rice, apple sauce and toast diet. Teething does NOT cause diarrhea. Its not true, a doctor will tell you that. Graduates cheese puffs might help?