When a small child has diarrhea, even mild, parents care greatly. In fact, in Spain it is not especially frequent for diarrhea of true severity to occur.
Usually we are advised not to offer food for a day and then start with the so-called "astringent diet" but there is no scientific data that supports its usefulness in cases that are not serious. No specific diet has proven to be more effective against diarrhea, apart from not offering over-spiced foods or those that the child rejects. You really do not have to force the child to eat, let alone eat what he does not want or in amounts greater than what he wants. But keeping them on an absolute diet is dangerous, the danger of hypoglycemia being more serious than that of dehydration. The child should eat appetizing, nutritious and easily digestible foods.
So if a baby or a small child has mild diarrheaWith two or three soft or liquid stools, what can we do?
If you drink breast milk and have a mild diarrheaNothing better than to continue breastfeeding, on absolute demand, as many times as the child accepts it, even if they are briefly boiled. That is, we must continue with the chest, and the more, the better. Do not restrict your chest in any way. Actually, if the baby breast, rehydration products are not usually necessary, as dehydration would not occur.
When there is dehydration, in the hospital setting, rehydration is carried out and once solved, the food is resumed. But if the problem does not occur, breast milk should not be suspended at any time. There are no a priori reasons to do so and any questions about this should be consulted with the pediatrician.
With infants who take a bottle, you should continue with the usual milk, without diluting it or giving it milk or rice water. In cases where any lactose intolerance is suspected, the doctor will prescribe, and should be, adequate milk.
In the case of older children who have a mild diarrhea We must continue with a normal diet. With logic, obviously. Offering foods that you like and that are healthy, you will recover properly and stay nourished. A little of a normal food can help you more than throwing up a plate of bland cooked rice. Water is the best to be hydrated, and if necessary you will be given a special solution of oral rehydration. There is no need to give industrial products that are sold as soft drinks, since none of them have the right composition.
But if we find a very frequent diarrhea, and I do not mean three liquid stools in a few hours, but a few continuous, if it is necessary to offer oral serum on demand and go to the doctor for the assessment of each case, especially if there is vomiting or blood in the stool.
