Viral Diarrhea (Child)

Home care

Follow all instructions given by your child’s healthcare provider.

Giving medicines to your child

• Don’t give over-the-counter diarrhea medicines unless your child’s healthcare provider tells you to.

• You can use acetaminophen or ibuprofen to control pain and fever. Or, you can use other medicine as prescribed. Use only medicines for children. Never give adult medicines to children. Ask your pharmacist if you have questions.

• Don't give aspirin or any products that contain aspirin to anyone under 19 years of age. This may cause liver and brain damage from a life-threatening condition called Reye syndrome.

Preventing the spread of illness

• Washing hands well with soap and water is the best way to prevent the spread of infection. Always wash your hands before and after caring for your sick child.

• Teach your child when and how to wash their hands. Hands should be scrubbed for at least 20 seconds. Hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice if you need a way to remember.

• Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

• Clean the toilet after each use.

• Keep your child out of daycare until they are cleared by the healthcare provider.

• Wash your hands before and after preparing food. Keep in mind that people with diarrhea or vomiting should not prepare food for others.

• Wash your hands after using cutting boards, countertops, and knives that have been in contact with raw foods.

• Keep uncooked meats away from cooked and ready-to-eat foods.

• Wash your hands thoroughly before and after changing diapers. Put dirty diapers in a sealed bag before disposing.

Preventing dehydration

The main goal while treating vomiting or diarrhea is to prevent dehydration. This is done by giving your child small amounts of liquids often.

• Keep in mind that liquids are more important than food right now. Give small amounts of liquids at a time, especially if your child is having stomach cramps or vomiting.

• For diarrhea. If you are giving milk to your child and the diarrhea is not going away, stop the milk. In some cases, milk can make diarrhea worse. If that happens, use oral rehydration solution instead. Don’t give apple juice, soda, sports drinks, or other sweetened drinks. Drinks with sugar can make diarrhea worse.

• For vomiting. Start with oral rehydration solution at room temperature. Give 1 teaspoon (5 ml) every 1 to 2 minutes. Even if your child vomits, continue to give oral rehydration solution. Much of the liquid will be absorbed, despite the vomiting. After 2 hours with no vomiting, start with small amounts of milk or formula and other fluids. Increase the amount as tolerated. Don't give your child plain water, milk, formula, or other liquids until vomiting stops. As vomiting decreases, try giving larger amounts of oral rehydration solution. Space this out with more time in between. Continue this until your child is making urine and is no longer thirsty (has no interest in drinking). After 4 hours with no vomiting, restart solid foods. After 24 hours with no vomiting, resume a normal diet. If the vomiting can't be controlled with dietary measures, your healthcare provider may prescribe an oral medicine to control vomiting.

• Your child can go back to eating normally as they feel better. Don’t force your child to eat, especially if they are having stomach pain or cramping. Don’t feed your child large amounts at a time, even if your child is hungry. This can make your child feel worse. You can give your child more food over time if they can tolerate it. Foods that may be easier to digest include cereal, mashed potatoes, applesauce, mashed bananas, crackers, dry toast, rice, oatmeal, bread, noodles, pretzels, soups with rice or noodles, and cooked vegetables.

• If the symptoms come back, go back to a simple diet or clear liquids.

Follow-up care

Follow up with your child’s healthcare provider as advised. If a stool sample was taken or cultures were done, call the healthcare provider for the results as instructed.

When to get medical advice

Call the provider or get medical care right away if any of the following occur:

• Fever (see Fever and children, below)

• Signs of dehydration:

  • Very dark urine

  • Dry mouth

  • Increased thirst

  • Urinating 1 or fewer times in 6 hours

  • No tears when crying

  • Sunken eyes

• Abdominal (belly) pain that gets worse

• Constant lower right abdominal pain

• Repeated vomiting after the first 2 hours on liquids

• Occasional vomiting for more than 24 hours

• Continued severe diarrhea for more than 24 hours

• Blood in vomit or stool

• Refusal to drink or feed

• Fussiness or crying that can't be soothed

• Unusual drowsiness

• New rash

• More than 8 diarrhea stools within 8 hours

• Diarrhea lasts more than 1 week after being on antibiotics

Call 911

Call 911 if your child has any of these symptoms:

• Trouble breathing

• Confusion

• Extreme drowsiness or trouble walking

• Loss of consciousness

• Rapid heart rate

• Stiff neck

• Seizure

Fever and children

Use a digital thermometer to check your child’s temperature. Don’t use a mercury thermometer. There are different kinds and uses of digital thermometers. They include:

• Rectal. For children younger than 3 years, a rectal temperature is the most accurate.

• Forehead (temporal). This works for children age 3 months and older. If a child under 3 months old has signs of illness, this can be used for a first pass. The healthcare provider may want to confirm with a rectal temperature.

• Ear (tympanic). Ear temperatures are accurate after 6 months of age, but not before.

• Armpit (axillary). This is the least reliable but may be used for a first pass to check a child of any age with signs of illness. The provider may want to confirm with a rectal temperature.

• Mouth (oral). Don’t use a thermometer in your child’s mouth until they are at least 4 years old.

Use the rectal thermometer with care. Follow the product maker’s directions for correct use. Insert it gently. Label it and make sure it’s not used in the mouth. It may pass on germs from the stool. If you don’t feel OK using a rectal thermometer, ask the healthcare provider what type to use instead. When you talk with any healthcare provider about your child’s fever, tell them which type you used.

Below are guidelines to know if your young child has a fever. Your child’s healthcare provider may give you different numbers for your child. Follow your provider’s specific instructions.

Fever readings for a baby under 3 months old:

• First, ask your child’s healthcare provider how you should take the temperature.

• Rectal or forehead: 100.4°F (38°C) or higher

• Armpit: 99°F (37.2°C) or higher

Fever readings for a child age 3 months to 36 months (3 years):

• Rectal, forehead, or ear: 102°F (38.9°C) or higher

• Armpit: 101°F (38.3°C) or higher

Call the healthcare provider in these cases:

• Repeated temperature of 104°F (40°C) or higher in a child of any age

• Fever of 100.4° (38°C) or higher in baby younger than 3 months

• Fever that lasts more than 24 hours in a child under age 2

• Fever that lasts for 3 days in a child age 2 or older