Sick Daughter - Great Falls,MT

Updated on February 17, 2010
J.N. asks from Great Falls, MT
20 answers

my 18 mo old has severe diarrea i was wondering if i can dilute some pepto and give her a little bit i've tried the brat diet and it is not working and last night i noticed she has her eye teeth coming in. what can i do to help her her poor little bottom is just raw....

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E.K.

answers from Denver on

My doc said it's OK to give Immodium AD for 1-2 year old who's 20-26 lbs (3/4 - 1 tsp). Diet is the better option, but it sounds like you may be past that.

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P.D.

answers from Missoula on

DO NOT give her pepto. It contains asprin which is a no-no for kids. It is so hard to see them in pain and you can't do much about it. As strange as it sounds, get some Maalox or generic equivelant and put that on her bum. It lays down a protective barrier against the acid just like it would in her stomach. Warm baths with baking soda, as much air as possible on her bum. Brat diet is a good idea, maybe stop all other fruits for a while as they can contribute to loose stool. I hope she feels better soon!

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L.T.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I would not give her Pepto. I just received a packet of info from the school nurse at kdg registration. It had a list of meds that contain aspirin or aspirin-like products. Pepto is one of them. As you probably know, giving aspirin when a viral infection is present could result in Reye's Syndrome.

Have you tried feeding her yogurt? Look for plain yogurt without a lot of sugar.

Once when my son had severe diarrhea and a very sore bottom, we were told by the medical folks to wipe his bottom with plain water on a soft cloth (or gauze pads) at diaper changes and pat dry. They suggested diaper cream (which we tried with little result) but what worked better for him was baby powder/corn starch. I know the dangers of baby powder, but nothing else was working and we were careful with it. We also found that bathing his bottom every night with a mild cleanser and patting dry helped a great deal. Best wishes to you.

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D.S.

answers from Colorado Springs on

No to the Pepto! I agree with the other diet suggestions. After cleaning the babies bottom really well dry it completely. Being super careful not to burn obviously, use a blow dryer set on the COOL setting to blow the bottom completely dry. Then apply a cream for a barrier, I liked A&D ointment for my boys. If the babe is super red you can also use a small amount of over the counter hydrocortisone cream to help calm that. I wouldn't use it if she is dry and skin is open at all, it may burn or hurt a bit. Between the 2 creams and keeping her clean and dry it should make things a bit easier. Teething is never really fun I know. Sorry. Hope my suggestions help a bit.

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K.P.

answers from Provo on

My daughter had this exact same problem. No matter what I gave or, or what I used on her bottom, she had these rashes that resembled burns...her skin would even peel off, and she was always in pain. My doctor would keep recommending new creams, prescribing new stuff, and nothing worked. Then when she was about 19 months old, he suggested she might have an allergy to milk and recommended I take her off of it for a week and see what happened. Let me tell you, those rashes cleared up so fast, she cried less, and she was such a happier baby. The few times she's gotten ahold of something with milk in it, the rash will come back, so I know for sure that's what it was. You nay want to try that. If you don't think it could be milk, if she's not actually drinking milk, etc, you may want to bring up with your doctor doing a blood test for several food allergies.

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N.B.

answers from Missoula on

The diarrhea has probably removed the good bacteria that she needs in her digestive system. Try some yogurt with active cultures to re-establish those.

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A.G.

answers from Norfolk on

Nope, with little ones you want them to pass whatever is causing the diarrhea. You can't give kids anything for diarrhea until they are much older (my doctors still haven't let me give my kids anything and they will be 3 soon - my son had diarrhea for 8 days last summer.) The biggest thing is to get pediasure or the generic version and keep her hydrated. For the raw bottom the best help is just to change the diaper as soon as you can - it seems like diarrhea is just acid for little bums. I also put all of my kids wash clothes in a bag with cool water and use those instead of wipes which hurt more and cover liberally with the diaper rash cream of your choice.

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K.W.

answers from Boise on

NO PEPTO!! It has aspirin type ingredients which are a BIG NO NO in children as it can cause Reyes Syndrome!

Just be sure she is hydrated (water, popsicles, pedialite) and try yogurt with probiotics for the diarreah. Bananas are a great way to slow it down also and NO juice (it loosens things).

My favorite for diaper rash was always (1) leave off the diaper until the area is totally dry (2) apply Balmex. Usually cleared up in a day or less.

Call your doc if it lasts more than a couple days or if she has a fever or other symptoms.

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M.S.

answers from Boise on

Do not give her any kind of medicine like that. It is very dangerous. Keep doing the brat diet and make sure that you are giving her pedialyte or some kind of electrolyte water. Diarrhea in infant/toddlers can last up to 2 weeks before you need to contact your doctor. Keep powder on her bottom to help with that problem and you could also give her milk. Yes it will make her have diarrhea, but it will make it go away faster. My kids pediatrician always told me to give the kids milk. Poor baby, hope she feels better soon.

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J.B.

answers from Denver on

Your baby needs more than yogurt. Purchase infant & baby probiotics at a health food store. Look in the refrigerator section. Also, use coconut oil on your baby's tender bottom.
Check this out for more info:
http://www.babybites.info/2009/11/10/probiotics-health/

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C.T.

answers from Denver on

Hi J. - call your doc if her diahrrea is difficult to resolve. You want to avoid Pepto or any other medications with aspirin or salicylates because of the risk of Reyes Syndrome.

For the rash, wash her with warm water and pat dry. Apply a healthy dose of Triple Paste at every change. If she has signs of a fungal infection, it's okay to mix Lotrimin in with your diaper cream and then apply it.

Make sure that she isnt getting too much sugar in her bowels with too many bananas or apples. Try just giving her starches at first - like some very lightly buttered toast or crackers. Also she runs the risk of getting dehydrated so have her drink pedialyte. They make icepops that my kids liked when they were getting a new tooth.

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S.P.

answers from Philadelphia on

Don't give her Pepto with the pediatricians ok - it has aspirin (ingredients) in it. Air her bottom out between diapers, once she is nice and dry use triple paste, I swear by it and often see a huge difference in just one application. But you really have to make sure she is nice and dry before putting it on so you don't seal in the wet and make it worse. You can also skip the baby wipes and use a wet cloth of wet papertowel so she doesn't feel the sting of the baby wipes or shower her bottom off in the tub.

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J.P.

answers from Boise on

Whenever my son teeths, he has loose bms and gets diaper rash. We start him on some probiotics - they have some like chewable vitamins at the health food store that he loves. We also up the diaper changes...don't leave anything on their skin, especially poop longer than necessary, better to change a dry one. We use a diaper rash/thrush cream, and lots of it, and if he gets sores, a friend was recently told by the doctor to put neosporin on it. That worked well on his last one. We do lots of naked time...which sometimes means following around with a towel for cleanup. :) And a bath actually seemed to help too. I wish we had figured this out earlier in his life.

Whatever you do, don't try to medicate, especially with something that isn't for babies, and that hasn't been recommended by a doctor.

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M.L.

answers from Denver on

Pepto contains aspirin so you should not give it to a child unless your Dr. tells you to. You might try to get her to drink some black tea. The tannins in the tea generally stop diarrea pretty quickly. Chewable acidophilus (or sprinkling an opened capsule in applesauce) will help with the acid that eats the poor little bottom.

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

I would also advise against Pepto unless the pediatrician recommends and provides proper dosing information for her age/weight.

There could be several things contributing to the issue - teething being one of them. We had a spell a few times with our son where he was just so raw it broke the skin. The pediatrician recommended a prescription product that was antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antihistamine. It was awesome.

Even the most diligent use of barriers to protect the skin can be futile if the pH of the stools is off.

I found that trying to do the air dry thing was a nightmare because of the possibility of them peeing on the floor, bed, etc. We just had to be better about changing their diapers more often - doing it immediately if there was diarrhea before it could irritate the skin too much.

Good luck. It's so hard to see them going through it and to be virtually helpless.

M.M.

answers from Orlando on

Don't wipe her butt, clean her in the tub and pat her back side dry.
We use A+D cream for our littles ones butts, it is in the babies dept. at the store.
Take her to the Dr. to have the Dr. look at her and tell you what is going
on.
My heart goes out to her, God bless you all.

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A.M.

answers from Denver on

I don't know about the pepto- You should call your pharmacist. For the diaper rash, try putting a thick layer of bag balm on her bottom. It will create a barrier so her skin won't get to irritated. I'm sure you already know this, but also make sure she is drinking enough fluids and watch for signs of dehydration.

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M.H.

answers from Denver on

Pedialyte?
Bananas?

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D.M.

answers from Denver on

I would try some probitics for the digestive issues. YOu can get them at the local health food store - ask for help choosing one. Also, I found that Aquaphor diaper cream/ointment is awesome - let her air out if you can as well. Good luck..

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J.N.

answers from Salt Lake City on

I asked my doc a few years ago what dose of Pepto I could give my (then 5 year old) daughter. She said NONE!! Pepto has apirin in it - not safe for a child!!!

If it's lasted longer than a few days, I would take her in to (or at least call) the doctor. Better to rule out any illnesses. It could just be the teeth, or it could be something else. Be sure to keep her well hydrated (water or pedialyte).

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