Gastroenteritis: Coping with Baby Diarrhea
Gastroenteritis in babies treatment
Gastroenteritis in babies is an intestinal infection characterized by diarrhea, nausea, even vomiting, and fever. This infection, mainly caused by a virus, occurs throughout the year with a resurgence in winter. The main danger: dehydration.
Gastroenteritis: a cause of diarrhea in babies
Gastroenteritis is one of the main causes of acute diarrhea in young children. When diarrhea lasts more than three weeks, it is called chronic diarrhea. A food intolerance or allergy may be the cause.
What is gastroenteritis?
Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the digestive system. 50 to 80% of acute diarrhea in children is of viral origin. Bacteria, during food poisoning, or parasites, can also be the cause. Rotaviruses are the most commonly encountered germs. Highly contagious, they are found in stools and in the environment. Symptoms appear quickly and generally disappear after 72 hours.
Babies and young children are particularly affected by rotavirus epidemics. Their immune systems are more fragile. They discover the world through touch and are therefore particularly vulnerable to viruses. Living in a community only makes this phenomenon worse. At daycare, at school, and even at home, toddlers easily become infected through simple contact and by putting their hands and objects in their mouths.
Symptoms of gastroenteritis in babies
Gastroenteritis causes multiple, easily recognizable symptoms: nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and colic. Pay attention to your child: he often manifests himself by agitation and wriggling in the event of digestive cramps. In addition, the baby may cry, have a fever, and lose his appetite.
Regular hand washing is important to reduce the risk of transmitting pathogens. Hand washing should be methodical with soap and water or a disinfectant solution. For more information, see our articles on the subject:
Gastroenteritis in babies: when should you be alerted?
Diarrhea can be worrying in children if the symptoms do not improve after 48 hours. In addition, if your child vomits, has a fever, if the emission of liquid stools is more than 3 per day and if the stools are bloody or mucus-filled, a medical consultation is necessary.
The consequences of gastroenteritis in infants
Heavy diarrhea in children can quickly lead to dehydration and loss of mineral salts. Vomiting is an aggravating factor.
It is important that your child continues to drink. Regardless of their age, their body needs to absorb the equivalent of what they eliminate through diarrhea and vomiting. Water is the majority constituent of the body and represents approximately 75% of an infant's weight! In addition, electrolytes such as sodium (Na), potassium (K), chlorides (Cl), or citrates are essential for the proper functioning of the body's cells. Carbohydrates, for their part, are vital sources of energy. This is why rehydration solutions are the most suitable for rehydrating babies.
Warning signs
Your child's weight is a good indicator of their hydration status. During diarrheal episodes, it is important to weigh your baby every 4 hours. A weight loss greater than 5% indicates significant dehydration and requires hospital evaluation.
In addition, if the loss exceeds 10%, consult the emergency room quickly! In these serious cases, rehydrate your child with an oral rehydration solution, and note the quantities absorbed as well as the number of stools passed if possible.
Signs of significant dehydration in babies are:
- its skin forms a persistent fold when you pinch it between your thumb and forefinger, instead of springing back into place immediately;
- the fontanelle, that is, the soft space between the bones of the skull that are not yet fused, can also become hollow;
- his hands and feet are sometimes discolored: this is a sign of great seriousness and it is a vital emergency.
Solutions to overcome dehydration in children
Rehydrating your child is not just about giving them water. Electrolyte and carbohydrate intake are just as important. Rehydration should be started as soon as possible, even while waiting for a medical consultation. This is done with oral rehydration solutions (ORS).
Rehydration solutions
If your child is nauseous, a large amount of liquid may disgust them. Rehydration should be done regularly, in small sips or even with a spoon. Cold oral rehydration solutions can also be given to limit vomiting.
Oral rehydration solutions are available in pharmacies and are reimbursable on prescription if your child is under 5 years old. Simply pour 200 mL of water into your child's bottle or glass, then dilute the contents of a sachet of ORS. If in doubt, follow the instructions or ask your pharmacist. Do not add anything to the mixture: no salt, no sugar, or any other product. The solution provides all the mineral salts and sugars necessary for good rehydration.
Initially, it is recommended to give the ORS several times per hour. Afterwards, let your baby drink as much as he wants by regularly offering him the bottle, cup or glass until symptoms improve or as recommended by your doctor. After reconstitution, the solution can be stored for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
In the absence of ORS, it is common to use cola whisked with a fork to remove the bubbles. However, it is far from meeting the requirements for optimal rehydration. Cola-based drinks are much too sweet and their concentration of mineral salts is not the most suitable. Light cola is even less recommended. In addition, these drinks could even aggravate diarrhea in some cases because their osmolarity is too high.
If the cola shake helps you wait, give your child ORS as soon as possible to combat dehydration. Remember to keep a box of ORS in your medicine cabinet at all times.
If the baby is breastfed, continue breastfeeding alternately with ORS. Breast milk may help cure acute diarrhea.
Lactose-free powdered milk suitable for infant diarrhea
During gastroenteritis, the cells of the intestinal mucosa are altered by inflammation. This phenomenon leads to a deficiency in lactase, the enzyme that digests lactose. The baby thus has a temporary intolerance to dairy products.
Lactose-free milk substitutes , suitable for diarrheal episodes and recommended under medical advice, are specially designed for infants aged 0 to 12 months with common or acute diarrhea or gastroenteritis.
The protein composition of these substitutes is close to that of breast milk. The nutritional and energy intake of the infant is thus guaranteed. You can even use these lactose-free substitutes while breastfeeding. Be careful, this does not exempt you from giving rehydration solution!
Food suitable for older children!
In case of diarrhea, food choices can reduce your child's intestinal transit.
Favor:
foods made with refined grains (pasta and white bread) and white rice;
fish and lean meats (skinless chicken and rindless ham);
cooked carrots, ripe bananas, and apple and quince compotes.
After symptoms disappear, continue this diet for a few more days.
You can also give your child probiotic food supplements available in pharmacies. Composed of good bacteria, they would help to reconstitute the intestinal flora. The families of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, in particular, would protect and reconstitute the intestinal flora. In addition, yeasts such as Saccharomyces boulardii would have a barrier effect, that is to say they would prevent pathogens from developing locally in the event of infectious episodes.
