8 Month Old Son with Diarrhea

Updated on March 24, 2008
F.D. asks from Houston, TX
59 answers

My son has diarrhea for 3 days now. Doc says its a virus and just let him ride it out with pedialyte. Does anyone have any other ideas. It is driving me crazy. I read giving him yogart and oatmeal was good. I have started doing the yogart. He barely takes oatmeal. Can anyone suggest any other remedies?

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V.N.

answers from San Antonio on

You might think it weird, but rice water. Boil white rice and cool the water and add a little sugar and let him drink it,that helps. The water will look white and starchy. That is an old mexican mom recipe from my mother and grandmother. It really works. good luck, V. n.

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S.H.

answers from Houston on

My son had the same virus about a month ago. We did the BRAT diet on him that helped a lot. Only give him bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast.

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M.G.

answers from Austin on

The Yogart may be what is continuing the diarrea, Rice works as well as pedialyte..NO MILK PRODUCTS, they just agetate the stomach.. I use yogart when I can't go and it helps there.

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H.W.

answers from Austin on

The only thing I know of is the B.R.A.T. diet. My daughter once had diarrhea for about 2 months and she had to live on bananas, rice, apples and toast. It seemed to help but it never completely made it stop. I am sorry that your baby is sick and that you are having to go through this, I hope this helps a bit and he gets better soon.

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M.R.

answers from El Paso on

Get a second opinion. 6 months is too young to 'ride it out".

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C.H.

answers from Houston on

Hi F.,
I am sorry your son is having issues with diarrhea....I hope it is cleared by now. If so here is some information that might be helpful for future reference.

Here is an audio from a pediatrician that you might find helpful...she talks about colds and viruses and cover diarrhea, This is by Dr. Valerie Miles, Pediatrician
http://www.naturalhealthleader.com/audio_tapes/pediatrici...

It is a great Resource. Also another book that I recommend is from a friend I work with on our website www.SmartMomsNetwork.net. His name is Dr George Wootan, MD. Anyone can use the sight as a resource for health. They will just need to go to the site and choose the tab Meet Dr. George. And underneath the picture choose Listen to Dr. George's Health Talks. He has several that you can either listen to on the sight or download to your MP3 player. He has written a great book to keep as a resource for moms...the book is called Take Charge of Your Child's Health.

I hope this helps
C. Heinemann
http://www.MomsGoNGreen.com

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M.N.

answers from Longview on

Have you tried mashed banana or banana baby food? Rice cereal? The BRAT diet as the doctors call it. B=bananas
R= rice A= applesauce T= toast. He is too little for toast but could have the rest. If he isn't doing some better after a day or so of this I would call the doc again. Does he have fever, stuffy nose, lathargic?

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C.C.

answers from Houston on

If he's lactose intolerant yogurt will make it worse. He's probably loosing electrolytes and needs something to replenish his body

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K.F.

answers from Houston on

Bananas yes a lot
Dairy products NO
Fluids A lot as much as the baby wants
sometimes it will be about 1 week before it is under control
I hope this helps

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G.S.

answers from San Antonio on

The dr. gave my son soy formula when he had diarrhea (at 4 months) from a virus. After 2 days he refused to eat at all, so the dr. said give him bananas, applesauce, or carrots. The bananas seemed to help a lot.

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M.O.

answers from Dallas on

Give him some smashed banana, it wil give him potassium, banana is great!

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J.T.

answers from Houston on

A galion of water a handfull of sugar and a pinch of salt.
nothing else.

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J.H.

answers from Houston on

When my son was about that same age he had the same problem. My doctor said he was going to suggest what my grandmother would have done...boiled rice water. As you probably know, rice can have a binding effect on the system. My baby was still taking a bottle, so I just boiled rice and when the water got good and milky thick, I put it in his bottle. It worked. We ate a lot of rice dishes, but he got well.

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T.V.

answers from Austin on

Hi F.,

The yogert will put the 'good' bacteria back in his intestine. This is good. Try adding banana and applesauce to his diet, these are good to help bind him up to help with the diarrhea. Also, cut down on the dairy.

T.

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D.O.

answers from Houston on

HI, I know how scary and worried it becomes when our kids are sick. It probably is just a virus. My daughter had diarrhea for a month, turns out she was allerigic to mold. Anyway the BRAT diet helps alot with diarrhea. B=bananas R=rice A=applesauce T=dry toast. Hopes this helps. keep him on this diet for a week and it will really help. I got this diet from my doctor. Good luck. Deee6

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S.C.

answers from San Angelo on

Hi F.,

I went through that a few times with my girls. Like the Doctor says, "It will go away on it's own" but in the mean time try the BRAT plan. Bananas, rice, applesaude and toast. He will eat when he is ready, they will not starve themselves. Keep him hydrated well.
Hope it helps.
S. C. 46 y/o mother of 2 girls-4 & 8.

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D.R.

answers from Houston on

Check out this babycenter link, you can find all kinds of helpful information on their website http://www.babycenter.com/0_diarrhea_82.bc?page=4&art...
I've heard that applesauce, bananas, crackers, rice will help too.

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K.H.

answers from Killeen on

the BRAT diet always works for us, Bananas, Rice, Applesauce< and Toast.
Although applsauce is good, applejuice is bad...
clear liquids accept his regular formula if he will have it.

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M.M.

answers from Killeen on

To get my son to eat oatmeal I would put cinnamon in it

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C.T.

answers from Houston on

You can use the brat treatment. Bananas, rice, applesauce and toast.

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A.K.

answers from Austin on

try a probiotic. you can get them at any health food store and most grocery stores...whole foods, central market. you can mix it with water and give it to him in a bottle. if you're nursing, you can take it yourself and he'll get it that way. or you can put the powder on your nipple and let him nurse. that helps restore the good bacteria to the intestines.

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Y.S.

answers from El Paso on

Get white Rice, pour it in a bowl with water (lots more water than rice) and let it sit for about an hour or two (the longer, the more concentrated). then pour just the riced down water (obviously without the rice) in a bottle(it looks cloudy) and maybe add some sugar for taste if you want, and give him straight just like that or use it to add his formula with. This is great and helps A LOT!!!! Maybe about 3 bottles a day like this until it goes away, but once it goes away, Stop (unless it comes back) because it can also constipate if he doesn't have loose stools anymore.

Or the medicine route, my Pediatrician told me to buy Lactinex which is a powder that you add to his formula in every bottle feeding. You can get it from Walgreens and it's not a pescription but it is over the counter so you must request it from the Pharmacy (no prescription required). It helps to make the stools firm so that they don't lose so much water while the virus passes. I would call your Pedi and ask him about it. Its not bad for him and helps alot so I don't see why he would protest.

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K.N.

answers from El Paso on

Do the B.R.A.T. diet
Bananas
Rice
Applesauce
Toast(crackers)

Even for adults this is very easy on the stomach. Jar baby food is very gentle and there is something about this combination that works.

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T.P.

answers from Austin on

Hi F.- My dr told me to buy the acidolpholus that comes in caplets and mix them into the yogurt. It is the same bacteria that is in yogurt but in pill form. (you will get the kind that is in a caplet that you can open and pour it out.) We usually see results the same day.

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D.P.

answers from Houston on

Do not give him anything that has any milk products, he may need to be given soy products once the diarrhea is gone. My son developed diarrhea when I would give him anything that had cow's milk, he is now on soy milk and has been on soy since he was 6 months. Rice water worked for him. Boil some water in a pot and add one or two tablespoons of white rice. Boil the rice till is starts to break apart, strain the water and add a little of honey and sugar. I would give it to my son for 24 hours, you can also try crackers and banannas. I hope this helps....Good Luck

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M.B.

answers from Austin on

You can start the BRAT diet--bananas, rice cereal, applesauce, & toast. Works every time!

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J.H.

answers from Houston on

hi there F. it sounds like you are not having a good day.well let me tell you i use to keep my two year old cousins and there stomach would get so up set over anything they would eat with sugar they would get diarrhea so bad it would go every where it was nasty so try to give your baby imodium a-d for childern you can get it at any drug store for about 6.00 dollars,are if theres a dollargenreal around you they have it for about 4.00 buckit works great trust me and make sure you still use the pedialyte on the baby to so he can keep fluid in him but imodium ad for kids is a life saver it was for me with in a few hours they were back to normal no more nasty stuff every where.so give it a try.and he might be cuting teeth also my son started teething at about 5mos so that good be a reason to does he have any fever?well i wish you the best.hope this can help you because thats all i found that worked

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V.C.

answers from Houston on

Hey F. -
I am a pediatric nurse...this was our #1 referral.
You can try VSL # 3.....thats what its called,
its highly recommended !!! You can check at the pharmacies....you must ask because it is not on the counter. You do not need a prescription. Its a powder substance. Make sure that you are doing the ACTIVIA or DANCTiVE yogurt. Those work best for diarrhea.

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B.B.

answers from Houston on

Most doctors call it the BRAT diet bananas, rice cereal, apples, and toast. That should work along with the pedialyte

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L.N.

answers from Houston on

boil some rice and take the water from it and fill his bottle, mashed bananas would work as well but since he is so small, go with the rice water. It will help build his system back up.
Do not use instant rice, use the long grain so, the starch is present.

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O.C.

answers from Austin on

good morning,
Try the "Kefir", it is better for babies and grown ups.

The mangosteen by Xango, with it's antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties helps with killing diarrhea-causing pathogens and reverse the inflammatory effects of infection. The fact that mangsoteen can replace a potent array of nutrients that may have been lost due to diarrhea is, of course, an added bonus.

this is all natural, juice that has NO side effects and has the science behind it.
www.pubmed.gov enter mangosteen or xanthones in search to get the science of it.

this is good for the body, heaven for the tongue.

thank you,
Oly

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P.B.

answers from Houston on

I have given my children jello to drink. They loved drinking it. Also, mashed potatoes is good for diarrhea. Personally I just made it like I did for us and they gobbled it right up, but you know what is best for your child. Gatorade is another help. Sometimes I have made popsicles from gatorade. Make any flavor jello with half water and half gatorade(a flavor that matches your jello). Good for them and seems to help. Also, I have always found when giving my children oatmeal I had to doctor it up like I would like it. So far it has worked since they are 34 and 32 years old and survived my techniques. Hope this helps.

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T.L.

answers from Houston on

Well my youngest daughter is 13months. She has just gotten over the tummy virus you are currently going through. Today is a week and she is still not eating very much. She is still weak and i was so worried that i took her to the hospital 3 times to make sure she was hydrated and that her behavior was normal, which it is. Just keep pushing the pedialyte, CVS and Walgreens sell Bubble Gum flavored and Apple flavored....the only thing she would drink and still only wants. As for yogurt while having the diarrhea isnt such a good idea, dairy isnt good when having the tummy upset. Try pancakes(w/o surup), cherios, or something sweet like apple puffs. Good luck! It will be over soon!

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J.D.

answers from San Antonio on

Try making his bottles or something wi/ Rice water. It works. If he is still on formula that should be easy. OR give him a kool aid Cup/Bottle made wi/ Rice water.Boil the rice and just don't let it cook all the way down. I promise it works wonders.

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I.H.

answers from San Antonio on

Hi F.,

Just be very careful that he doesn't dehydrate. You can give him Pedialyte or a little gatorade and water NO juices. You can make him some rice water too. It's very nutritious. All you do is boil like a cup of rice in a large amount of water. Let it boil until the rice fluffs up, strain it and put in a container and give him that to drink you can add a little sugar so sweeten it(very little). But try giving it to him without sugar first see if he will drink it.
And as for food stop giving him foods with spices because that will only make it worse. You start him on the B.R.A.T. diet: banana, rice, applesauce and toast. Have him eat nothing but this and it will help him. The rice has to be without any ingredients that includes butter/salt. Applesauce/unsweetened, toast w/out butter or jelly. You can do this for about a week or week in a half until you see he is getting better. Once his diarreah stops completely then you will have to gradually start him on his regular food because his tummy needs to get used to again eating the foods w/other ingredients. Well, I hope this info can help you. Hope the little guys gets better soon. Take care

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P.K.

answers from Houston on

i agre with the moms who said the banana, rice, applesauce... but viral things like this can last 7-10 days. get some more diapers...

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H.F.

answers from Houston on

boil some rice and when all the starch is on the boiling water drain it and sweet it with sugar or red soda. give to him instead of water. i used this with my children and granddaugthers. do not give him milk

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J.P.

answers from Austin on

In a lot of cases they suggest a BRAT diet of Bananas, rice, applesauce (unsweeted, sans sugar, and no skin) and toast. If he is to young for toast, you can still give him rice cereal, banana (unsweetened) and applesauce and have him just chew on the toast (no butter). It will get some food in his body but help the diarrhea too.

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A.H.

answers from Austin on

yea,

Oatmeal is not good for diah. The pedi and bland diet will work better. rice cereal, salt. crackers, bananas. Starch type foods.
continue the pedialyte, but nothing high in sugar it will only give more diah. Also, rince
bottom pat dry and later w/Dr.smith diaper oint.

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S.W.

answers from Houston on

I'm a grandmother, and gatorade and no solid food worked well for my children. Especially no dairy for a few days or until the diarrhea subsides. Milk stays in the stomach for hours. Just liquids till the stomach settles down.

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C.B.

answers from Austin on

Bananas are an excellent source of "Stopping" power. Rice is good too. No apples, grapes, pears. These cause the opposite of what you want. CB

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K.H.

answers from Austin on

Oatmeal can soothe his tummy, but as it's a grain, it won't really slow things down in that department.
Probiotics are good - that's what is good about yogurt. However few babies as young as yours (6mos, right?) can tolerate cow dairy very well. If you're doing yogurt, I would recommend soy or goat yogurt.
The BRATY diet is a good one to adopt for a tot who is eating those foods. If you're waiting to intro wheat until after a year, then most breads will need to wait. Rice cakes would still be okay though. I don't care for them, but dd loves them.
Are you nursing? If so, he may only want you until his tummy's all better. I'm not a big pedialite fan, trusting in a mama's milk and water for my kids' nourishment during illness.

Go with your heart on how to treat/help your baby.

HTH
K., mama to
Catherine (4y)
and Samuel (14m)

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L.D.

answers from Austin on

rice (maybe rice cereal?) and bananas are good for diarrhea. i can't tell you much else except to just wait it out like the doctor says...GOOD LUCK! and i hope it passes soon.

-L. d.
www.just4mylittlegirl.com

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L.H.

answers from San Antonio on

try tea (the color of white wine), unsweetend but if he won't drink that just a dolop of Kayro syrup. Also, rice cereal with water no milk. Hopefully he's finished with diarrhea now - its a long time and they dehydrate so fast. Carrot juice (from the health store) is wonderful also

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S.M.

answers from Houston on

Give him tea to drink and rice to eat. This is suppose to help. Put a little butter on the rice. They say the water that rice is boiled in is really good aslo.

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M.A.

answers from Killeen on

Bananas are a good way to soothe diarrhea in an infant. My daughter used to get it from time to time. If by chance you have got a new puppy recently, take your son back to the doctor and let them know that too. We got a new puppy when my daughter was about 6 months old and she had diarrhea for several weeks before the doctors finally figured out it had been caused by the puppy. Hopefully, that's not it. Bananas are a almost fool proof cure though. Good luck!!

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D.M.

answers from Houston on

The BRAT diet. Bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. Any of those things is going to help his little tummy. Stay off of milk, and push the pedialyte. Tea is also great for keeping little ones hydrated. Mine drink that better than pedialyte. Keep some ointment on his little hynie so it doesn't get chapped and ride it out. Virus' are literally a pain in the butt. Good luck and God bless!!!

D. Mattern-Muck
The MOM Team
Raise your income and your rugrats at the same time!
www.formyrugrats.com
"The only thing that counts is faith, expressing itself through love." Galatians 5:6

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E.S.

answers from Austin on

Yogurt is not a good idea for a recovering digestive system. However, in the yogurt is an enzyme called lactobacilus acidophilus. They have these in chewable dietary supplements at HEB. PLEASE discontiue the yogurt (dairy is h*** o* the system and can lead to dehydration). The strawberry chewable acidopholus dissolve very easily and could be crushed and put into some water or directly in his mouth to help restore balance to his tummy. They taste great! Let his body clean out whatever is ailing him which takes time and help his system rebalance. The brand we buy is American health, 100 tabets, pink label, don't know the cost. I give it to my two little ones and took it myseslf withh this years stomach flu. We also got adjusted by chiroprator. The bug that lasted 3-6 days in others passed through us in less than 24 hours. I can even take it pregnant and I have never been able to kiick stomach bugs quickly until I learned about this.

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M.H.

answers from Sherman on

My son just had the same thing for 3 days also. I gave him yogurt, cheese, and pedialyte. Cheese is always a good "stopper upper". I also gave him Immodium. That worked like a dream. I recommend asking your doctor or pharmacist first though, I'm not sure if 8 months old is too young to take Immodium.

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S.W.

answers from Killeen on

Blackberry juice will do the trick but it has to be just blackberry juice. You can get them in the frozen foods boil the blackberries and drain off the juice. Good Luck hope it works for you like it has me
S.

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M.M.

answers from Houston on

Take him off of formula and put him on Yogurt and bananas. After the diarrhes clears up put him on 2% milk. He may be out growing the formula. My second son went off formula at 4 months of age, due to the same problem. He did fine and now is a 29 year old farmer and rancher.

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M.S.

answers from Houston on

How about cottage cheese. Its good to stop diarrhea.

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L.L.

answers from Austin on

My doctor always recommended the "BRAT" diet,
B=bananas
R=rice (bland)
A=applesauce
T=toast
Hope this helps!! My hubby & I still use it, & my son is 13.

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R.K.

answers from Austin on

Have you tried mashed up fresh bananas?

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C.G.

answers from San Antonio on

F., try giving the baby bananas they are good for him and also will stop the diarrhea,and if you can give him crackers.

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A.J.

answers from Houston on

Hi, I wouldn't give him anything solid, that will make the situation worse, especially dairy products. Oatmeal will make him go even more. The nasty flu that is going around starts with diarrhea but only lasts a day or so. Your best bet is the pedialite. He'll feel better if he doesn't have to poop anything solid out. It will irritate his bowels. Your doctor is right. You can tough it out. Good luck

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K.C.

answers from Houston on

BRAT diet is the best: bananas, rice, applesauce (not apples), and toast. That's what my pediatrician recommended when my kids were babies.

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A.E.

answers from Corpus Christi on

I would limited the milk or formula and just give your son lots of juices,water, popcycles that are frozen and don't let him get dehydrated. It's ok to give him pedialyte. It will be ok. Just encourage him to drink these things mention above. By the time you know it it will be gone. Bye.

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B.M.

answers from Laredo on

You want to make sure he doesn't get dehydrated. You might give him some watered down juice to prevent that. I have heard that milk products are not good when a child is sick. Fruits and veggies high in vitamin C help the immune system.

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