What to Do When a Child Has Diarrhea?

Question

My son is four and a half months old and already weighs over 20 pounds. Now that he’s five months old, he has been frequently suffering from diarrhea and has lost a lot of weight. What should I do if a five-month-old baby often has diarrhea?

Answer

Common causes of diarrhea in infants include dyspepsia and enteritis. Foamy stools may be one of the manifestations of dyspepsia, usually caused by a higher amount of food residue being fermented by bacteria in the intestines. Diarrhea often occurs due to viral infections, such as when the child shows symptoms like a sunken fontanelle, sunken orbits, poor skin elasticity, increased water intake but reduced urine output, which may indicate dehydration and necessitate timely fluid replacement.