Diarrhea in Infants

Currently, diarrhea is still one of the most causes of death in infants. In general, children with diarrhea and aged 1 to 4 years will lead to dehydration.

What are the causes of diarrhea?
Diarrhea in infants can be caused by many things, ranging from intestinal infections to dietary changes, among others:

• Parasitic infections, bacteria, or viruses. Infants and toddlers are many touches an object that is not necessarily susceptible to infection because the net would often put his hands dirty to the mouth. In addition, their immune systems are still in the developing stage also makes them more susceptible to contracting the disease.
• Food poisoning.
• Too much fruit juice.
• Allergies to certain drugs.
• Allergies to certain foods.

Babies who are able to digest solid food and is experiencing diarrhea should temporarily stay away from greasy foods, high-fiber, which is as sweet as pie and milk products. This is because these foods may aggravate the symptoms of their diarrhea.

Texture Detect Feces in Infants
The best way to detect this disease is to look at changes in color and shape of the baby feces as early as possible. Baby feces generally change color, smell, and texture in accordance with the foodstuffs consumed. Feces were turned into a thinner, more, or more often is the frequency of the main symptoms of diarrhea.

But be careful to distinguish the infants consuming breast milk (ASI), which generally also produce a more liquid stools. Instead, stool-shaped small dots be indicative of the condition of constipation.

Here is the color of feces that can be a guide to detect the baby's condition:

• Brown: commonly found in infants who consume formula.
• Blackish green: also called meconium, the stool that appears when the new-born.
• Brownish green: the color of stool after birth infants consuming breast milk.
• Yellow-green: the color of the baby feces approximately five days after birth.
• Other colours: brown baby's stools will be concentrated if it is eating solid foods. This color will change according to the type of food they consume.

Recognize Symptoms and Effects Diarrhea
If your baby is less than six months old and has diarrhea, check with your doctor, especially if you experience symptoms such as the following:

• Experienced vomiting.
• Looked lethargic.
• Black stools, or red because it contains blood.
• There is pus in the stool baby.
• Stomach ache.
• Fever above 39 degrees C.

When the baby diarrhea, the balance of water and salt (electrolytes) in the body disturbed. This condition can lead to dehydration which can be life threatening, especially in newborns.

There are several symptoms of dehydration in infants should clearly recognizable:

• Dry mouth condition.
• No tears when crying out.
• Urinating less than usual.
• Skin feels dry.

Every parent needs to be aware of dehydration in infants who were diarrhea due to dehydration can quickly worsen the condition of the baby's body.


Handle Dehydration in Infants
To prevent the condition getting worse, there are some things you can do to deal with dehydration in infants:

• You need to continue to provide breast milk to meet the needs of body fluids.
• Dilute or add water to the formula if the baby is not breastfed. If possible, replace the formula with lactose-free milk until the diarrhea stops. Baby's body is more difficult to digest lactose, so it can worsen diarrhea.
• Avoid giving juices or carbonated beverages.
• Give ORS regularly along with baby food (milk, formula mixed with water, or complementary foods).
• Attain the room was always cool and keep the baby from sun exposure to avoid excessive sweating.

Immediately brought to the hospital when her condition deteriorated.

Care in the Hospital
Especially for infants with diarrhea, generally need to be hospitalized to use the infusion. Your doctor will probably prescribe antibiotics or anti-parasitic drugs to deal with bacterial or parasitic infection. ORS may also be given. ORS is a fluid containing electrolytes to prevent dehydration.

Preventing Diarrhea
Here are some preventive measures that can be taken to prevent diarrhea:

• Wash hands regularly infants or toddlers, especially after playing.
• Adults who care for infants or toddlers also need to keep it clean so as not to transmit microorganisms that can cause infection in infants.
• Keep floors and objects that hold your baby or toddler is always clean.
• If the baby is taking breastmilk or formula milk, always ensure cleanliness and sterility bottles used.
• Note the cleanliness of food and drink given to babies and toddlers. Avoid giving foods commonly consumed by adults.