The child has been carrying diarrhea for 4 days, what should I do? The most effective medicine for diarrhea, suitable for children. When you can't do without a doctor

To the great regret of parents, children get sick quite often: either a sore throat will overtake them, or the flu, or even such an unpleasant and rather dangerous disease as diarrhea. It is called a painful condition of the intestines in which the child frequently and loosely goes to the toilet.

Dealing with diarrhea is not easy, but it must be done to prevent dehydration, weight loss and other troubles related to the child’s health.

What could be the causes of diarrhea?

Among the reasons why gastrointestinal upset occurs are:

Intestinal infections

They are characterized by diarrhea, fever, profuse vomiting and intolerable abdominal pain.

Dysbacteriosis

Diarrhea in a child is a consequence of taking antibiotics that cause disruption of the intestinal microflora. Most often it is foamy, has a greenish tint and is accompanied by pain.

Rich food

Sometimes too much food (fruits or sweets) causes diarrhea and vomiting.

Cold

Sometimes with a cold, intestinal upset is added to a runny nose, fever, cough and other symptoms.

Food intolerance

If you change your baby's diet, be prepared for the fact that he may have diarrhea. This happens when a child is transferred from regular formula to complementary foods. It happens that intestinal upset is caused by an allergy to honey or even milk.

Stress

Neuroses, worries and stress - all these factors can cause intestinal disorders. As a rule, with the elimination of the cause of the experience, diarrhea also goes away.

Symptoms of diarrhea

The main symptoms of diarrhea in children include the following:

• frequent acts of defecation, accompanied by loose stools;
• rumbling in the stomach;
• pain;
• frequent urge to go to the toilet (including false ones, when the child wants to go, but has nothing);
• bloating and grumbling;
• apathy;
• loss of appetite;
• nausea;
• weakness;
• mucus or blood in the stool.

Features of diarrhea

Seasonality

Abdominal upset can begin in a child at any time of the year, regardless of the season. However, most often diarrhea plagues children in the summer, when they eat a lot of fruit, and food spoils faster in the heat.

In winter, gastrointestinal infections caused by rotaviruses are more common.

Transfer mode

It is transmitted from baby to baby either through food or by contact - through dirty hands or hygiene and household items. In this case, the incubation period depends primarily on the cause of diarrhea.

Duration

In terms of clinical development, doctors divide intestinal disorders into acute, lasting no more than two weeks, and chronic, lasting much longer.

What should you do if you have diarrhea in children?

Inspect the chair

After the child has gone to the toilet, do not flush the feces down the toilet, but carefully inspect them.

Do you see the blood? This is a bad sign, indicating both damage to the intestinal mucosa (red color of the blood) and damage to the stomach (dark color). In this case, you need to call your doctor and have him come to your home.

Feel the stomach

Of course, there is no need to press hard on the baby’s tummy: you should be careful not to hurt the baby. Touch your skin gently and gently with your fingers. Your task is to detect tension in the abdominal walls.

A hard and “petrified” stomach, as well as a very distended one, is a signal to call a doctor as soon as possible.

Examine the skin and mucous membranes

If diarrhea is caused by an allergy to some foods, then you will notice redness of the baby's eyes and nose, as well as the appearance of a rash on his body.

To measure the temperature

If your baby's temperature rises, his pulse quickens, and his blood pressure drops, this may indicate that the cause of the diarrhea is poisoning.

Remember what the baby ate

Could the child have swallowed something foreign while eating? Did he eat too much? Overeating also causes diarrhea, and in this regard, it is very important to notice in time the loss of food from the refrigerator.

Treatment of diarrhea in children: step by step

1. We draw up a menu for the baby and include easily digestible foods in it, removing everything salty, spicy and fatty. Allergic foods and sweets should also be excluded.
2. In case of putrefactive diarrhea, we stop feeding the child with protein foods, and in case of fermentative diarrhea, we do not give him carbohydrates.
3. We split up the food, dividing the daily meal into 5-6 parts and be sure to give it in equal portions.
4. We make sure that the baby chews food well and does not try to “bite.” The child should know that fast food is harmful to health. It is also important not to just chew the food, but to moisten it generously with saliva in your mouth while chewing.
5. We are switching to a new lifestyle - this means eliminating all physical activity. The baby should go to bed earlier and get as much rest as possible.

Treatment with folk remedies

You can fight diarrhea in children using time-tested folk remedies. We offer you two of the most effective recipes based on the traditions of traditional medicine.

Congee

Perhaps the most accessible remedy in the fight against diarrhea, which is simple to prepare and has a bunch of useful properties.

Among them are:

• effectiveness associated with the ability to coat the intestines or improve peristalsis;
• astringent properties: starch contained in rice and entering the body absorbs excess liquid and helps thicken the intestinal contents;
• combating flatulence in a child: rice water prevents fermentation;
• safety of use: even those children who are allergic to medications can be given rice broth;
• Availability: Plain rice can be found in every home.

Recipe

Dip 2 teaspoons of rice in 0.5 liters of boiling water poured into a saucepan (before this you need to soak it briefly in plain, cool water). Rice should be cooked for 50 minutes, stirring regularly. When ready, it should cool thoroughly so that you can then carefully strain the broth through gauze.

How to give?

It all depends on the age of the child. The dose varies from 50 to 100 milliliters, which are given to the baby 3-4 times a day.

Improvement occurs approximately an hour after the first dose of the decoction.

Rice porridge, which you can feed him in between drinking rice, will also help strengthen the child’s condition. After qualitative improvement, you can later replace the decoction with sweet strong tea and rye crackers.

Bird cherry

In folk medicine, both bird cherry flowers and its bark are actively used to combat diarrhea. The beneficial effect of this plant on the body is due to its high content of tannins.

Exceptions

You can use bird cherry at home when the nature of the diarrhea was non-infectious. Also, the plant should not be used constantly so that the glycoside it contains, amygdalin, does not accumulate in the baby’s body in the form of hydrocyanic acid (this is a potent poison).

All products and infusions that contain bird cherry must be prepared strictly according to the recipe and only after their use has been approved by the attending physician.

Decoction recipe

Wash the bird cherry bunches, put them in a glass (half the container) and pour them into the pan. Pour 2 cups of boiled water over the bird cherry and brew in a water bath for 30 minutes.

After this, the broth should be infused for another half hour under the lid, then it is filtered and poured with the same amount of blueberry juice.

How to give?

The resulting decoction is given to the baby every hour, 1 tbsp. l. Children under 3 years old drink a teaspoon every 2 hours - and nothing more.

Help with medicines

Antibiotics

Quite often, parents often try to suppress diarrhea in a child with various antibiotics like Levomycetin or Enterofuril.

Of course, these drugs stop diarrhea, but this type of treatment is fundamentally wrong, because the decision to prescribe antibiotics to treat diarrhea should come exclusively from the doctor.

Reception features

Not every infection needs to be treated with antibiotics, as some will go away on their own within 2-3 days. They also treat infections, mainly of the bacterial type, but antibiotics do not help against diseases caused by enterovirus or rotavirus.

Finally, these drugs are quite unsafe and cause a number of complications, and their frequent use provokes bacteria to become accustomed to their active action group. Therefore, we strongly do not recommend taking them without consulting your doctor!

Antidiarrheal drugs

The most common drugs in this group are Loperamide and Smecta, which help combat increased intestinal contractions and increase the tone of the anal sphincter.

Reception features

They must be used with caution as they cause a number of side effects. "Loperamide", for example, provokes the development of obstruction.

In addition, if a baby’s diarrhea is the result of poisoning or an intestinal infection, then the use of such drugs will slow down the removal of toxins from the diseased body.

Enterosorbents

This can be either activated carbon or a newer drug called Filtrum-sti. They both eliminate diarrhea by absorbing bacteria and toxins, thickening the baby's stool.

Reception features

Enterosorbents are quite safe for the baby, but an overdose can lead to a number of serious complications.

Prebiotics and probiotics

A popular medicinal group, which includes Linex, Hilak Forte and Lactofiltrum, which prevent the growth of infection. They actively restore the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract and help cope well with the consequences of diarrhea and antibiotic therapy.

When should you see a doctor?

Parents of a baby who has diarrhea should immediately consult a doctor if:

• the baby’s condition is rapidly deteriorating;
• the child has already lost more than 5% of his weight;
• the baby is apathetic;
• he has a fever;
• he vomits;
• the child suffers from abdominal pain,
• there is blood in the stool or it has become an unnatural color.

Preventing dehydration due to diarrhea

Most often, illnesses associated with diarrhea, with consistent treatment, taking enough fluids and staying in bed, go away quite quickly.

The greater danger with diarrhea is dehydration, in which the necessary balance of water and salts is disturbed, the body intensively loses them and, as a result, becomes dehydrated.

Signs of dehydration

Mild to moderate dehydration in a child is characterized by 5% weight loss, lethargy, dry mouth, no or few tears when crying, and an infrequent urge to urinate.

Severe dehydration is characterized by 5-10% weight loss, lethargy or irritability, dry mouth, lack of tears, pale skin, infrequent urge to urinate, and dark yellow urine.

How to prevent dehydration?

It is necessary to monitor the child and his behavior and be sure to give the baby water as often as possible. It is also worth giving him special solutions and giving him an IV as prescribed by the doctor.

Intestinal disorders in childhood or adulthood bring discomfort and inconvenience. Every mother knows how unstable a child's stool is. What should you give your baby to cope with the problem? What causes diarrhea in a 4 year old child? Knowing possible methods of dealing with an unpleasant condition, parents will feel more confident and will be able to better help the baby.

If a child 5 years of age or older goes to the toilet more than 3 times a day and the stool has a liquid consistency, this is diarrhea. The gastrointestinal tract of young children works somewhat differently. Loose stools in babies under one year of age are considered normal.

Diarrhea is usually accompanied by the following symptoms:

1. The urge to defecate is rapid and difficult to control.
2. Abdominal cramps and pain.
3. The stools are watery.
4. Defecation occurs 3–10 times a day.

Parents should immediately call emergency services if loose stools have the following characteristics:

• greenish tint;
• foamy;
• frequent;
• abundant.

You should be attentive to a one-year-old child and younger, since children at this age cannot fully describe the condition and ask for help.

Types of diarrhea

Diarrhea in a child aged 4-6 years can be of different types. Doctors distinguish different types of diarrhea. More details about each are described in the table below.

Parents of children are often faced with the need to use medications for their children. The most commonly used antipyretic and analgesic medications. In second place in popularity are immunomodulators and antiviral agents. Compositions for normalizing the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract have also become widespread. This article will discuss medications for diarrhea for children over one year old. You will find out how you can correct this condition in your baby. It is also worth saying what to do if it appears in a child (3 years and older).

Diarrhea or diarrhea in a child: what is it?

Before giving anything for diarrhea to children (one year and older), you need to find out the cause of this symptom. It is worth noting that diarrhea or loose stools are always the result of some effect on the body. Diarrhea is not an independent pathology. Most often, its appearance is preceded by certain factors.

We can talk about diarrhea only if loose, watery stools occur more than three times a day. At the same time, the volume of each portion of feces is quite decent. Most often, this symptom appears due to a change in diet. Stressful situations in which the baby finds himself can also cause diarrhea. Diarrhea in children is often caused by an intestinal infection. In this case, we are talking about infection of the body.

What to do if your baby has diarrhea without fever?

If diarrhea suddenly occurs in a child over one year old, treatment should be started as soon as possible. If you don't have a temperature, you don't have to worry too much. Most likely, this is how the baby’s body reacts to new foods. What to do if a child (4 years old) has diarrhea?

First, remember what you fed your baby. If the baby ate in kindergarten or with his grandmother, then it is necessary to interview adults and find out what his diet consisted of. When discovering new ingredients, it is worth remembering that such a reaction occurs to them. Be sure to give your baby medicine for diarrhea. Most medications are already allowed for children over one year old. Before the age of 12 months, medications are most often not used. The only exceptions are particularly severe cases involving dehydration. Let's look at which medications are the most popular for diarrhea (for children over one year old), and find out how the treatment is carried out.

Use of antipyretics and painkillers

If observed, he needs to be given an antipyretic. It is worth noting that such drugs are used only when the thermometer shows more than 38 degrees. If the baby is prone to seizures, treatment can be started earlier. In this case, you need to pay attention to how the child (3 years old) behaves. Vomiting, diarrhea, temperature above 37.5 degrees require the use of antipyretics.

These medications include the following: “Nurofen”, “Nimulid”, “Paracetamol”, “Nise”, “Cefekon” and so on. All of them can have different release forms. For diarrhea, it is preferable to use suspensions, syrups and tablets. When diarrhea and vomiting occur in a child (2 years and older), you can try the use of rectal suppositories (although this is not advisable for such symptoms). They begin to work much faster than tablets and have a longer lasting effect.

Antiviral and immunomodulatory compounds

If the baby's illness is accompanied by symptoms such as fever and diarrhea, the child (2 years and older) may have an infectious disease. In this case we are talking about intestinal flu or rotavirus. In this case, it is quite appropriate to use drugs that fight viruses. Also, immunomodulatory medications can be used if diarrhea occurs in a child (2 years old) without fever.

The list of such compounds includes the following: “Viferon”, “Interferon”, “Kipferon”, “Likopid”, “Genferon Light”, “Isoprinosine”, “Anaferon” and so on. These medications are available in the form of solutions for intravenous administration or instillation into the nose. You can also find rectal suppositories, tablets and powders. Choose the form that is most convenient for your child to use. If you have diarrhea, it is better not to use rectal suppositories. Otherwise, the effect may not be as expected. If the baby does not have a temperature, then give preference to tablets, solutions and powders for preparing liquid formulations.

The use of sorbents for babies

Medicine for diarrhea for children over one year of age should always contain sorbents. These substances help remove toxins and intestinal irritants from the body. When using such formulations, you should always take into account the child’s age, body weight and height. Also monitor the baby's condition. If you feel unwell and have severe food poisoning, the dose of such medications can be increased on the recommendation of a doctor. The group of sorbents includes the following drugs:

• “Smecta” (can be used even in newborns, has a pleasant taste).
• “Polysorb” (promotes not only the removal of toxins from the body, but also eliminates bacteria).
• "Enterosgel" (convenient for use in children due to its gel form).
• Activated carbon (requires a large dose when used).
• “Polyphepan” (not only removes toxins, but also cleanses the body of the effects of medications).
• "Filtrum" (preferably used for the treatment of food poisoning and acute intestinal infections).

Before giving this medicine for diarrhea to children over one year old, you need to read the instructions. Many formulations promote strong cleansing of the stomach and intestines. They are not absorbed into the blood. However, they do not allow other medications to do this. That is why, when using complex therapy, you need to give your baby sorbents 2-3 hours after taking another drug or the same time before.

Medicines that affect intestinal motility (inhibiting it)

If diarrhea occurs in a child (3 years old) without fever and additional signs of malaise, then it is quite possible to get by with drugs that reduce intestinal motility. Such compositions inhibit motility and help reduce the amount of feces excreted. In this case, the body stops losing the moisture it needs, and the threat of complications disappears. These medications include the following medications:

• "Imodium" (can be used in young children, increases the time it takes for food to pass through the intestines).
• "Fthalazol" (in addition to its effect on reducing peristalsis, it also has an antimicrobial effect on the intestines).
• "Enterofuril" (has a convenient liquid form, used in children from the first days of life).
• "Tannacomp" (has an astringent, antibacterial, antispasmodic effect, and has an anti-inflammatory effect).

It must be remembered that these medications are used only when diarrhea in a child (3 years and older) does not have additional signs of illness. In case of poisoning, you should not direct your efforts to reduce intestinal motility. This will only slow down the time it takes for the baby to remove toxins from the body.

Use of antimicrobial and antibacterial compounds

If diarrhea in a child (3 years and older) is accompanied by copious mucus, foam and other impurities in the stool, then there is a need to take broad-spectrum medications. Most likely, the pathology is caused by the addition of a bacterial infection. Relief after such a correction can occur within a few hours. Every day the baby will feel better. Antimicrobial agents include the following drugs:

• "Intetrix" (used for the prevention and treatment of diarrhea, has an antimicrobial and antifungal effect).
• "Sulgin" (an affordable drug used for dysentery, colitis and other intestinal pathologies).
• "Enterol" (not only affects bacteria, but also removes them from the body naturally).
• "Furazolidone" (prescribed for pathologies that provoke fermentation in the intestines).

If you have started treatment with antimicrobial agents, relief from them should come as soon as possible. When diarrhea in a child (5 years and younger) persists two days after correction, this indicates that the drug is not suitable. Perhaps the baby has a viral rather than bacterial pathology.

Use of beneficial bacteria in complex and separate form

If the child is one year old, does vomiting occur in this case as well? Of course, consult a doctor. This condition is dangerous for small children due to the possibility of dehydration. In addition to classical methods and common medications, the doctor often prescribes a course of beneficial bacteria. Such remedies allow you to quickly restore intestinal microflora and improve digestion. The compositions also turn out to be very effective in correcting diarrhea, which becomes a consequence of long-term antibacterial therapy. These medications include the following:

• "Lactobacterin" (used in combination with bifidobacteria, improves digestion and absorption of food).
• "Bifidobacterin" (requires an additional course of lactobacilli, restores intestinal microflora).
• “Bifikol” (a solution for preparing a solution that helps get rid of bacterial diarrhea).
• "Bifiform" (indicated for older children, contains B vitamins and a complex of beneficial bacteria).
• "Linex" (has a convenient method of preparation and a pleasant taste).
• "Acipol" (can be used by children from three months of age).

It must be remembered that when using complex therapy to treat diarrhea, it is advisable to give beneficial bacteria after use. If you take these medications at the same time, you will not get any effect from the medications to restore intestinal microflora.

Traditional medicines for treating diarrhea in children

If a child (3 years of age or younger) has diarrhea and vomiting, you should consult a doctor and get the appropriate prescriptions. However, many parents prefer to use their grandmother's recipes. Doctors strongly advise against doing this. After all, it is completely unknown how a baby may react to the use of a particular ingredient. Their use is permissible only as an addition to the main therapy and after consultation with a pediatrician. Here are some popular recipes for children using folk remedies:

• Officinalis burnet. The rhizomes of the plant are used for treatment. Decoctions of this remedy help reduce the contractility of smooth muscles, including intestinal muscles. Due to this, diarrhea is eliminated. The decoction also has antiseptic properties.
• Blueberry fruits. This drug is prepared as an infusion. It helps stop diarrhea and has an antimicrobial effect on the stomach and intestines. The composition promotes the healing of wounds in the mucous membrane of the digestive tract.
• Pomegranate peel. This remedy has an antimicrobial, antiseptic, astringent and antidiarrheal effect on the child’s body. It can be prepared from pre-dried fruit peels. Grind them and pour boiling water over them. After this, give your baby a warm drink.
• Blue iodine. Our grandmothers also used this remedy to stop diarrhea and vomiting. It is prepared using a few drops of regular iodine and potato starch. The composition is boiled in water and becomes similar in consistency to jelly. Taking such a product is quite dangerous, although most reviews talk about its effectiveness.

The child has

In addition to all the remedies described above, a good method is to follow a diet. If all conditions and rules are observed, the baby will quickly come to his senses and recover from the illness.

The misconception is that children need fruit for any illness. During diarrhea, it is strictly forbidden to give your child fresh fruits. These products will only contribute to increased fermentation in the intestines. You should also limit your consumption of sweets. Chocolate, pastries and carbonated drinks should be completely excluded from the diet until the end of treatment. Dairy products are also prohibited. The only exception is breast milk or an adapted formula.

Prepare low-fat soup for your child. Use cereals that give the dish a jelly-like consistency. So, porridge without adding oil helps very well. Offer your baby a small amount of preservative-free crackers with strong broth. Let your child drink as much as possible.

Drinking regime

During diarrhea in children, the main danger is dehydration. It can lead to disruptions in the functioning of all systems and organs. That is why it is so important to replenish the lack of fluid in the baby’s body.

Let the little one drink more. This can be plain water, breast milk, fruit drinks and decoctions. Avoid offering juice and carbonated drinks. Such liquid will only irritate the already sore intestines.

Experts strongly do not recommend using boiled liquid for drinking for a child. It contains a large number of impurities that contribute to the formation of oxalates. Give preference to special baby water. You can also prepare a special solution for your child that replenishes the deficiency of salts in the body. Similar bulk mixtures, for example "Regidron", are sold in every pharmacy chain. You just need to dilute them according to the instructions and give them to your baby.

How else can you help your baby with diarrhea?

In addition to the treatment and diet used, it is necessary to ensure maximum comfort for the child. Often during diarrhea in babies, the anus area becomes irritated. The kids start crying and complaining about pain. Use wet wipes instead of toilet paper for your child during this period. Periodically wash your child and lubricate the anal area with fatty substances. This could be Vaseline, Bepanten cream, Panthenol ointment, and so on. All of them have a softening, regenerating and relieving effect.

Provide your child with bed rest. Of course, two-year-old babies will not be able to sit still for long, even during illness. However, the more their body rests from physical activity, the faster the recovery will occur. Be patient and don't get annoyed. It’s much harder for your baby now than it is for you. Hold your child in your arms more often and talk about how much you love him. Such care will help you recover from the disease faster.

Avoid any walks during diarrhea. Wash your baby's hands often. Use antibacterial compounds for this. If your baby has intestinal flu, protect your child from contact with other family members. If there are other children in the house, then it is worth taking preventive measures for them. Most often, a course of immunomodulators is prescribed.

Do you need emergency help?

What to do if your child has diarrhea and vomiting? When the baby becomes lethargic, has a high fever, and any liquid taken orally comes back out, you should immediately call an ambulance. Most likely, you will be offered hospitalization. Within the walls of the hospital, specialists will be able to provide the child with appropriate assistance in a timely manner. Most often, it consists of placing drips with saline and glucose. This medicine will replenish the deficiency of microelements and fluid in the baby’s body. This will avoid dehydration and complications associated with it.

Be sure to call emergency services if your child complains of severe abdominal pain. It is strictly forbidden to take any medications on your own. Many drugs have an analgesic effect. Taking them can cause a blurred clinical picture and make diagnosis difficult. In some cases, if a child has diarrhea, emergency surgery is required. It is appropriate for inflammation of the appendix, peritonitis and other diseases.

Summarizing

So, what to do about diarrhea in children? Now you know the answer to this question. You were also able to get acquainted with the list of the most common remedies for treating this symptom. Remember that for proper medication correction you need to visit a pediatrician. Otherwise, you may not only not help your baby, but also worsen his well-being.

Try not to self-medicate and do not use the advice of experienced friends. What worked for their children may have the opposite effect on your child. Carry out treatment only after preliminary diagnosis. Be healthy and may your children never get sick!

• Possible reasons
• Associated symptoms
• What to do?
• Diagnostics
• Treatment
• Complications
• Prevention

Children's stool is an indicator of the functioning of their digestive tract and overall health. Very often, parents are worried about green diarrhea, which can begin at absolutely any age.

Sometimes it has no effect on general well-being, and sometimes it is accompanied by a number of unpleasant symptoms that can make up the clinical picture of a certain disease. In what cases will bowel movements of this kind be an alarming signal, and when will they be a harmless consequence of the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract?

Possible reasons

Why might a child develop green diarrhea? The reasons can be very different, they depend on the diet, age and health of the baby.

As soon as you notice this unpleasant phenomenon, you first need to try to understand why it happened. Some provoking factors are normal and should reassure parents, while others will indicate problems that will have to be resolved in the doctor’s office.

Reasons that should not cause concern

• Meconium

The peculiarity of the stomach in the first 10 days of a child’s life explains the dark olive color of the stool.

• Formation of the gastrointestinal tract

A greenish tint in the first year of life during breastfeeding is due to the underdeveloped gastrointestinal tract in newborns. Over time, his work returns to normal.

• Breast-feeding

The liquid consistency is a consequence of the baby’s absorption of the mother’s fore-milk, low-fat breast milk.

• Features of the mother's breast

If at 1 year of age the stool remains the same liquid and green, this may be due to tight breasts or inverted nipples in the mother. In this case, the formation of stool may take longer.

• Maternal nutrition during breastfeeding

If a nursing mother’s diet contains a lot of carbohydrate-containing foods and green vegetables (you can find the nursing mother’s menu here), this can cause green diarrhea in the baby. It can be caused by spinach, broccoli, parsley, dill, green apples and pears, and cucumbers.

• Artificial feeding

The use of milk formulas with a high iron content: NAN, Nutrilon and others.

• Introduction of complementary foods

The first acquaintance with foods such as apples, broccoli, pears, and sweet porridge can lead to a change in the color of children's feces.

• Nutritional Features

In older children (3-5 years), when the gastrointestinal tract is already fully formed, green diarrhea can be a consequence of poor nutrition. Namely: excessive consumption of carbohydrates (chocolate, sweets, baked goods, confectionery) and green foods (apples, pears, sorrel, dill, parsley, onions, spinach, lettuce).

Dangerous reasons

1. Dysbacteriosis due to improper introduction of complementary foods, previous intestinal infection, somatic disease, which were treated with antibiotics.
2. Intestinal infections: shigellosis, escherichiosis, yersiniosis, rotavirus infection, campylobacteriosis and others.
3. Dysentery.
4. Salmonellosis due to consumption of raw or poorly thermally processed chicken eggs and fish.

If a child has green diarrhea, this fact cannot be ignored. It is necessary to carefully analyze the situation and draw initial conclusions about what could have caused such a stool.

If they are related to age characteristics and nutrition, and fit into the norms, there is no need to worry. But if you suspect a health problem, you should consult a doctor immediately. The accompanying symptoms will help clarify the situation.

Associated symptoms

If a child has health problems, green diarrhea will not be the only symptom of the disease. The clinical picture is a whole set of symptoms. Therefore, you should observe the child and determine whether there are any other deviations from the norm in his condition.

• Temperature

Green diarrhea and fever are signs of dysentery or salmonellosis.

• Consistency

Foam is a sign of dysbiosis, intestinal infections;
- green diarrhea with mucus and bloody clots - alarming signs of dysentery;
- green diarrhea with mucus, but without blood - salmonellosis.

• Hue

Dark green diarrhea in a child is a consequence of salmonellosis;
- light - a common intestinal disorder.

• Smell

Sour, rotten, indicates dysbacteriosis;
- fetid, unbearable - intestinal infection.

• Regurgitation and vomiting

Frequent regurgitation with green diarrhea in young children is a symptom of dysbiosis;
- vomiting in older people may indicate dysentery;
- profuse, continuous vomiting is a sign of salmonellosis.

• General state

Anxiety, whims, crying, refusal to eat, lack of sleep - all these symptoms of green diarrhea indicate that the child most likely has something in pain. If he can already talk, he will complain of stomach pain. This indicates serious problems with the intestines.

If a child has green diarrhea without fever and other accompanying symptoms, he remains cheerful and active, there is no need to panic. Over time, this unpleasant phenomenon will cease to bother you, and everything will return to normal. But if the stool of such an unusual color is complemented by a whole bunch of deviations from the normal state, you need to urgently go to the hospital. But what to do before the doctor arrives?

What to do?

"Enterosgel" - a sorbent for absorbing and removing toxins from the child's body

Before going to the hospital if a child has green diarrhea, accompanied by fever, vomiting and deterioration in general condition, parents can be advised to take the following measures.

1. Give the child Oralit, Regidron, Enterodes in small portions - special saline solutions are sold in any pharmacy and replenish fluid loss.
2. It is not recommended to drink it with plain water: it can only make vomiting worse.
3. In accordance with age, give one of the sorbents: Smecta, Polypefan, Enterosgel. They absorb toxins and promote their elimination.
4. No other medications, especially antibiotics, should be given to a child with green diarrhea before consulting a doctor. This can only worsen his condition.
5. Do not stop breastfeeding, but reduce the daily dose of milk by a third.
6. Do not go on a fasting break for more than 6 hours.

These activities will temporarily alleviate the child’s condition. But you cannot delay calling or visiting a doctor. There is an urgent need to make a diagnosis for immediate treatment.

Diagnostics

In the hospital, based on the results of laboratory tests, doctors will more accurately determine why the child has green stool, whether this is normal or pathological. If necessary, the following diagnostic techniques will be performed:

• stool analysis for dysbacteriosis;
• bacterial culture of feces and vomit;
• sigmoidoscopy - visual examination of the rectum;
• Analysis of urine;
• coprogram;
• general blood analysis;
• RNGA of blood to detect antibodies to salmonella.

During the diagnosis, it will be found out why the child has green stool, whether it is an indicator of any disease or not. If health problems are detected, treatment will be prescribed. If not, the doctor can only advise the parents what to do in the future so that the color of the children's stool becomes normal.

Treatment

So, what to do if parents discover green diarrhea in their child? Everything will depend on the diagnostic results. If you have diseases, you will have to undergo a course of treatment.

1. Therapeutic diet.
2. For dysbiosis, bacteriophages, probiotics, Acipol, Linex, Enterol, Bifidumbacterin, Bifilin, Bifiform are prescribed.
3. For intestinal infections: antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs (Nevigramon, Nergam, Ercefuril, Furazolidone, Gentamicin, Kanamycin, Anamycin sulfate, Rifampicin, Tienam, Meronem, Ciprofloxacin, Ceftazidime), specific bacteriophages, lactoglobulins, enteral immunoglobulins, enterosorbents.
4. Oral rehydration with Regidron, Gastrolit, Oralit, Citroglucosolan.
5. Enzyme therapy: Pankurmen, Panzinorm forte, Pancreatin, Abomin-pepsin, Festal, Digestal, Creon, Mezim forte.
6. Antiallergic drugs.
7. Antidiarrheal drugs: Diarol, Imodium.
8. Myotropic antispasmodics for pain relief: Papaverine, Drotaverine, Spasmomen 40.

If green diarrhea is detected in a child, parents should understand what is happening to him. Sometimes ordinary care can neutralize an unpleasant and disturbing shade. In the presence of pathologies, this is only possible with the help of qualified medical intervention and appropriate treatment. Otherwise, complications cannot be avoided.

Complications

If parents did not take care of their child’s green stool in a timely manner, and its cause was one of the serious diseases, this may result in complications, including:

• convulsions at high temperatures;
• dehydration of the body;
• dysbacteriosis can lead to dermatitis, bronchial asthma, chronic gastroduodenitis, intestinal dyskinesia, proctosigmoiditis;
• intestinal infections if left untreated can result in neurotoxicosis, cerebral edema, electrolyte disturbances, infectious-toxic shock, sepsis, hemolytic-uremic syndrome, toxic-dystrophic state;
• consequences of dysentery - intestinal bleeding, pericolitis, rectal prolapse, arthritis, neuritis, encephalitis, dysbacteriosis, malnutrition, hypovitaminosis, anemia, pneumonia, pyoderma, otitis media.

In order not to encounter these dangerous consequences, it is necessary to consult a doctor in a timely manner, and even better, to prevent this phenomenon. Prevention is always much more pleasant and easier than treatment.

Prevention

Prevention of green diarrhea in children involves regular adherence to the following activities and actions.

1. A nursing mother should follow a diet and, if possible, not take antibiotics.
2. If your child is bottle-fed, consult your doctor about which formula is best to choose.
3. Introduce complementary foods gradually. If green diarrhea is a reaction to a certain product, it is better to exclude it from the child’s diet for now and wait until the gastrointestinal tract is more fully formed.
4. At an older age (after 3 years), normalize the child’s diet: there is no need to overfeed him with carbohydrates and greens.
5. Adults should not lick baby's spoons or pacifiers. They can give him an intestinal infection with their saliva.

Have you noticed that your child has green diarrhea? In this case, first try to find out its cause, and then take some action.

The best option would be to consult a doctor at the slightest suspicion of health problems. This will reduce the risk of complications and allow you to be treated quickly and without consequences. And to prevent this from happening again in the future, you need to regularly engage in prevention.

Stomach upset in children is always a very worrying factor for their parents. And it makes absolutely no difference whether the baby suffered from intestinal dysfunction or an older baby. Diarrhea in a 4-year-old child is almost always a protective reaction of the body, which is aimed at removing pathogenic microorganisms from the gastrointestinal tract that provoke the development of diarrhea, and toxins that are products of their vital activity. Experts usually advise young mothers not to panic prematurely if their child develops loose stools at 4 years of age. And especially not to take any measures on your own that can quickly save your baby from diarrhea. First of all, you should analyze all the cause-and-effect relationships and think about whether diarrhea is caused by eating a certain food. Short-term and mild disorders of the digestive organs have little effect on the general condition of children.

But if watery bowel movements are repeated, and abdominal pain and vomiting are added to them, this becomes very serious, since such symptoms are a signal of trouble in the child’s body, and may indicate the development of some kind of intestinal infection. Loose stools that do not stop for several days are a reason to contact a specialist. This should be done as soon as possible, because with diarrhea, a 4-year-old child can very quickly develop dehydration. With this development of events, the baby may fade before our eyes, and after a short time his condition will be classified as very serious, because at 4 years old the child’s body is still weak. Diarrhea in this case may be a consequence of some serious illness. Very often, young parents ask why exactly diarrhea may appear in a child who is 4 years old. There may be several reasons for this:

• Very often, loose stools in children occur due to “dirty hands disease”; in other words, diarrhea in this case is caused by children not following hygiene rules. In this case, microbes enter the body through hands that are not washed in a timely manner;
• Diarrhea in a 4-year-old child may be the result of an infection, viral or bacterial. The main diseases of this type, which are accompanied by loose stools, are rotavirus infections, salmonellosis, viral hepatitis A and dysentery;
• Diarrhea is very often caused by helminthic infestations;
• A child aged 4-5 years may develop neurogenic diarrhea due to a tense environment at home or in kindergarten.

Watery bowel movements are also caused by poor absorption in the small intestine, lack of bile, lack of enzymes, as well as any other digestive disorders. Unformed feces are also accompanied by both acute and chronic intestinal diseases - enterocolitis and colitis.

If a 4-year-old child has diarrhea caused by a serious gastrointestinal pathology or intestinal infection, he will not be able to cope with the developing dysfunction on his own. An urgent visit to a specialist is necessary to prevent the pathology from becoming chronic. To accurately determine the root cause that gave rise to the appearance of loose stools, it is necessary to conduct a differential diagnosis. This can only be done by a pediatrician, who, if necessary, will refer the baby to a specialist.

In 5-year-old children, just like in 4-year-old children, watery bowel movements that last for several days occur due to quite serious reasons that are impossible to combat on your own. Therapeutic measures in this case should be targeted, and to do this, you should find out the reason that provoked the upset stomach:

• If diarrhea in a 4-5 year old child is caused by dysfunction of the pancreas, he is prescribed drugs that restore its activity;
• In case of dystrophy of the gastric mucosa, it is recommended to take digestive enzyme substitutes;
• Loose stools caused by hypovitaminosis in children aged 5 years are treated with a specific vitamin complex.

But all prescriptions should be carried out only by a specialist after identifying the cause of diarrhea, which lasts several days. Parents often ask the question: is it possible to independently treat intestinal dysfunction in children aged 4 or 5 years? In this case, the clear answer from specialists will be that this should be done only when it is known for sure that the child’s diarrhea is not caused by a serious gastrointestinal pathology. That is, to find out the cause that has become a prerequisite for indigestion, in any case, you should consult a doctor and undergo the necessary research. How can you help your child in case of mild food poisoning at home? The recommendations of experts are as follows:

• Since with diarrhea a child at least 4 years old and even 5 years old loses a large amount of water from the body, he should strengthen his drinking regime. But it is best to give not ordinary boiled water, but a special solution from a pharmacy or lightly salted mineral water. It is very important that the temperature of the drink does not exceed 23°, otherwise diarrhea in a child aged 4 and 5 years will only worsen;
• Drugs that have absorbent properties help stop diarrhea in a child that is not associated with pathological infectious diseases. These include Polysorb or Smecta. How to take them at 5 years old or 4 years old is written on the packaging. These mixtures perfectly help remove harmful substances from children's bodies that have accumulated during loose stools;
• Rice water works great as a fixative;
• For diarrhea that appeared in a child at 4 or 5 years old and is not associated with any infection, it is necessary to eat fractional meals (often in small portions). It should include drinking plenty and often and limiting the consumption of foods containing large amounts of fats and carbohydrates. It is also not recommended to give babies foods that can irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa. The basis of the diet should be rice cooked in water.

Diarrhea, or using the medical term, diarrhea, is a single or multiple bowel movement of liquid stool.

Diarrhea is a defensive reaction aimed at removing harmful and dangerous substances, pathogenic microbes and substances from the body.

There is no need to panic if a child has a single case of loose stools; you just need to analyze the cause-and-effect relationships between eating certain foods and loose stools.

But if diarrhea recurs and is also accompanied by vomiting, this is a serious signal of trouble in the child’s health, and may indicate some kind of intestinal infection.

Mild and short-lived diarrhea has little effect on the general condition.

Long-term loose stools should be a reason to consult a doctor or call an ambulance. And this must be done immediately, because when diarrhea occurs, the child’s body is susceptible to very rapid dehydration. The child may fade away before our eyes, and after some time his condition will be classified as serious. And all, it would seem, because of some kind of diarrhea. But diarrhea is just a consequence of some kind of disease, sometimes quite formidable and serious.

Causes of diarrhea in a child

Diarrhea in children is usually a consequence of diseases belonging to the group of diseases under the general name “diseases of dirty hands”. These are childhood diseases, the cause of which lies in non-compliance with hygiene rules. In this case, germs can enter the body through unwashed hands and through the use of household items with which the patient has been in contact. Harmful microorganisms can also enter the body through food and drink.

Diarrhea in children can be the result of a bacterial or viral infection. The main infectious diseases accompanied by diarrhea include: dysentery, viral hepatitis A, toxic infections, salmonellosis, typhoid fever, rotavirus infections, cholera.

Helminthic infestations lead to bowel dysfunction.

Diarrhea is accompanied by acute and chronic intestinal diseases - colitis, enterocolitis, ulcerative colitis.

Loose stools may occur as a result of antibiotic treatment.

Diarrhea is caused by digestive disorders, enzyme deficiency, lack of bile, and impaired absorption in the small intestine.

There are neurogenic diarrhea that occurs with fear and anxiety.

Intolerance to certain foods leads to diarrhea. These can be dairy and meat products, eggs, mushrooms, some vegetables and fruits, especially exotic ones.

Diarrhea is one of the main symptoms of poisoning with drugs, dyes, and pesticides.

Symptoms

The frequency of bowel movements during diarrhea can be different - from a single case to ten times a day. Fecal discharge can be pasty, watery, bloody, foul-smelling, light or green in color - all this indicates a painful state of the body and the nature of the discharge depends on the specific disease.

With dysentery, for example, the main symptom is blood in the stool.

Greenish stool may indicate the infectious nature of diarrhea.

Diarrhea may be accompanied by abdominal pain, colic, cramps, and bloating.

How to help a 4-5 year old child with diarrhea

With diarrhea, the child loses a lot of fluid and salts. The child should be given a little water to drink, preferably salted, still mineral water or special solutions sold in pharmacies for such cases, for example, Regidron. If you don’t have pharmaceutical drugs of similar effect on hand, you can prepare a water-electrolyte solution yourself: dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt and sugar in 1 glass of water. It is important that the temperature of the liquid you drink is not higher than 20–23 °, otherwise absorption in the intestine will increase, which will lead to even more frequent bowel movements.

Drugs with absorbent properties, such as Smecta or Polysorb, can help stop diarrhea that is not associated with serious infectious diseases. Absorbent drugs help remove harmful substances from the body, which often cause diarrhea.

Rice water has been a good fixative since ancient times.

For diarrhea not associated with infection, you need to follow a limited diet, including frequent and abundant drinking, eating small portions, limiting carbohydrates, fats and foods that irritate the gastrointestinal tract. The basis of the diet should be rice cooked in water without salt. Potatoes boiled in their skins will be useful.

If the nature of diarrhea, its frequency and accompanying changes in the child’s condition indicate a serious cause for these manifestations, then you should immediately call a doctor or emergency help.

Conditions for which a doctor cannot be avoided:

• if the child has a temperature above 39°;
• if obvious and rapid exhaustion occurs, the child has sunken eyes, he is sleepy and lethargic;
• if there is loose stool with blood;
• if the child stops urinating;
• if diarrhea accompanied by vomiting occurs more than 5 times a day;
• if there is severe acute pain in the abdominal area.

There is no need to delay seeing a doctor if the painful processes do not stop within 5 days and there is a significant loss of weight and strength.

In cases where diarrhea is accompanied by bloody discharge, severe abdominal pain, high fever, and if there are signs of dehydration, you should not hope for such terrible symptoms to disappear on their own and you should immediately consult a doctor.

Before a diagnosis is made, the child should be isolated from other children if possible and provided with separate dishes and a towel. Limit food intake. Apart from drugs that absorb and restore water-electrolyte balance, no medications should be given without a doctor’s prescription.

Do not forget that dehydration in children poses a danger to their lives. The sooner you follow these tips, the easier the child will cope with the disease and the faster the recovery will come.

Loose stools occur due to various reasons. Diarrhea often appears in a child at 4 or 5 years of age. This condition is dangerous for children. Due to diarrhea, dehydration occurs, and along with the removal of fluid, a decrease in water and electrolytes occurs. Children feel constant weakness. In this case, parents are required to provide prompt assistance and consult a doctor in order to cure the underlying disease in a child under 5 years of age.

What causes diarrhea in children?

Depending on the cause of diarrhea in a child aged 4 or 5 years, the disease has its own characteristics. So babies are susceptible to an infectious type of intestinal disorder. This diarrhea occurs due to viral and bacterial infections. When a baby does not eat well and his body lacks nutrients, nutritional diarrhea occurs. Therefore, the baby needs to prepare a correct and balanced diet.

Children between 4 and 5 years of age may develop dyspeptic diarrhea. This intestinal disorder occurs when there is insufficient secretion of the digestive organs. Another factor in the appearance of this type of loose stool is considered to be enzyme deficiency. However, children often get sick and suffer infections. In some cases, antibiotics are prescribed for treatment. As a result, drug-induced diarrhea develops. Medicines disrupt the balance of positive bacteria. This leads to dysbiosis.

However, a child between 4 and 5 years old has a risk of getting poisoned by toxic substances. However, malaise also causes food allergies. In this case, a reaction to stale products or individual intolerance is distinguished. In this case, diarrhea occurs due to kidney failure or dysfunction. It is worth noting that the baby can develop neurogenic diarrhea. This problem is associated with impaired intestinal motility. This process occurs due to deviations in neural regulation.

The duration of loose stool in a child aged 4 to 5 years is several days. If diarrhea occurs due to serious reasons, you should consult a doctor. You cannot self-medicate.

Accompanying signs

Unlike infants, children 4-7 years old are able to report discomfort. When diarrhea occurs, pain occurs in the abdominal area. The stool has a liquid, watery or mushy appearance. Symptoms are influenced by factors that are related to the causes of mucus or other impurities.

However, the main signs that accompany up to 7 years are identified:

• excessive accumulation of gases in the intestines;
• pain in the abdominal area;
• increase in body temperature up to 38°C;
• attacks of nausea;
• vomit.

Viral diarrhea in children under 7 years of age provokes. At the same time, the symptoms of the disease do not manifest themselves clearly, as in children under 2 years of age.

Who do you contact for diagnosis?

It is not recommended to independently identify the cause of diarrhea in a baby. Sometimes serious symptoms occur without fever. Therefore, to establish a diagnosis, you need to contact a gastroenterologist, infectious disease specialist or pediatrician. In any case, the baby should undergo a stool test. This test checks for the presence of helminths. Analysis indicators can also give a picture of the course of dysbacteriosis. In addition, radiography is prescribed. This helps to study the rate of movement of a special substance through the intestines.

The complex of studies includes a coprogram and a general blood test. They are prescribed without fail. To identify specific diseases, a biochemical blood test is performed. To detect disorders in the digestive tract, an ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity is prescribed. To identify pathological changes in the rectum, sigmoidoscopy is used.

If the baby develops diarrhea along with vomiting, then the biological material is examined for bacterial culture.

Before conducting laboratory tests, the doctor pays attention to the nature of the stool. After the diagnosis is made, the patient is prescribed a comprehensive treatment for diarrhea in a child aged 4 to 5 years. Some tests may take several days or weeks to complete.

Methods for treating diarrhea in a child

Depending on the cause of diarrhea in a child, specific treatment is prescribed. In this case, not only medications are used, but also proper nutrition is prescribed. In addition, it is necessary to maintain the water-salt balance of the child’s body.

Preventing Dehydration

Diarrhea in a baby is accompanied by weakness. To prevent dehydration, parents should pay attention to safe products. In most cases, Regidron is used to restore electrolyte balance. The medicine is sold in powder form. Before use, it is diluted in water.

Regidron is prescribed not only for diarrhea, but also for nausea and vomiting. To prepare the solution, you need to dilute the medicine packet in 1 liter of water. During the day, the baby is given this amount in small portions.

Eliminate Toxins

In most cases, children are prescribed medications that help under any circumstances. Such drugs include sorbent agents. Medicines of this type are aimed at absorbing toxic substances in the body. Enterosorbents are used for food poisoning. In this case, you can give your child the following medications:

• Smecta;
• Activated carbon;
• Enterosgel.

Enterosorbents help both with poisoning from stale food and with intestinal infections.

Medicines for consolidation of stool

Doctors prescribe medications for children with diarrhea that reduce the contractile function of the digestive organ. Such medications have the ability to act quickly. To stop a child's diarrhea, you can give him Loperamide or Imodium. In this case, it is necessary to replenish the electrolyte balance with the help of Regidron. Loperamide tablets can be given to children from 2 years of age. In this case, the instructions indicate the dosage of half a pill.

These medications should not be given to children under 4 years of age. Children under 5 years of age use medications under the supervision of a physician.

If parents have given their baby one of the above medications, it is necessary to monitor his condition. Otherwise, side effects occur. When your baby develops skin rashes or pain in the abdomen, you should consult a doctor.

For diarrhea in a 4-5 year old child, it is prescribed. In this case, parents should provide only approved products to their baby. Also pay attention to frequent meals. The diet includes the following products:

• drying;
• low-fat soups with added cereals;
• dietary types of meat;
• steamed dietary fish;
• skim cheese;
• steamed omelette;
• scrambled eggs;
• fruit juices.

During diarrhea in a child aged 4-7 years, dairy products should not be consumed. Avoid coffee from your diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables should not be consumed. Children with stool upset should not eat dishes with spices, fatty soups and instant foods from cafes. Parents need to ensure that the baby does not eat sweets or drink soda.

For the recovery process, a strict diet for diarrhea lasts up to 4 days. This is done to secure the chair. Food intake should be up to 5 times a day in small portions. The use of folk remedies for proper nutrition is of an auxiliary nature. If help is not provided to the baby in a timely manner, complications arise.

Consequences due to late treatment

If help is not provided in a timely manner, negative situations occur. Children experience seizures, dermatitis or neurotoxicosis. Due to intestinal infections, cerebral edema occurs. If the baby develops dysbiosis, complications include bronchial asthma, chronic gastroduodenitis, and intestinal dyskinesia.

When diarrhea occurs due to dysentery, complications include:

• intestinal bleeding;
• arthritis;
• encephalitis;
• malnutrition;
• pneumonia;
• pyoderma;
• pericolitis;
• otitis.

If the complication is serious, then the baby will die. It will take a long time to treat advanced diarrhea. As a result, it is necessary to take timely measures to eliminate diarrhea and abdominal pain. Within a few hours after the appearance of loose stools and additional symptoms, you should consult a doctor.

When diarrhea appears in children aged 4-5 years, you should pay attention to the nature of the feces. If you experience any additional signs of indigestion, you should immediately consult a doctor. To provide first aid at home, they resort to means that help in any case. To prevent the development of diarrhea in a child, it is recommended to carry out preventive measures, which include proper and balanced nutrition. If you delay in seeing a doctor and let the disease take its course, this can lead to serious complications.

The information on our website is provided by qualified doctors and is for informational purposes only. Don't self-medicate! Be sure to consult a specialist!

Gastroenterologist, professor, doctor of medical sciences. Prescribes diagnostics and carries out treatment. Expert of the group for the study of inflammatory diseases. Author of more than 300 scientific papers.