Tips for Dealing Kids Diarrhea at Home

WorldMozaic - Tips for Dealing Kids Diarrhea at Home

Who is not worried when our baby is sick? The most common illness for babies are diarrhea, because not only the immune system of children is not fully developed, children also like to put everything into their mouths, such as toys and foreign objects that are certainly not hygienic.

In the handling of diarrhea, several steps can be taken:

Giving oralite

Oralite is given as the first step to prevent dehydration. As a special packed liquid, oralite contains water and electrolytes. Oral consumption is adjusted according to the severity level of the dehydration.

For diarrhea without dehydration :
  • For children under 1 year old give - 1 cup every time the child had diarrhea
  • For children bertween 1 and 4 years lod give - 1 cup each time diarrhea occurs
  • For children above 5 years old give - 1 to 2  glassess every time diarrhea occurs

For mild to moderate dehydration :

  • Oralite can be given in the first 3 hours, with dosage  75 ml/kg body weight of the child, and then followed by oral administration same as diarrhea without dehydration.

In severe dehydration diarrhea, patient should immediately be given medication at the Hospital.



Zinc mineral administration

Zinc is one of the important micronutrient minerals in the body. Provision of zinc during diarrhea has been shown to reduce the duration and severity of diarrhea, reduce the frequency of bowel movements, reduce stool volume, decrease the recurrence of diarrhea in the next 3 months.

In infants, Zinc administration can be given per following dose:

  • Age less than 6 months give 10 mg per day for 10 days
  • Age more than 6 months give 20 mg per day for 10 days.

There is a special way of giving Zinc tablets in children.  Dissolves the tablets in 1 tablespoon of boiled water or breast milk, after it dissolved, you can drink it to the kids. Zinc should still be given for 10 days even if the diarrhea has stopped.

Breastfeeding / food needs to be continued during diarrhea as it is very important and aims to provide nutrition in children to keep them strong and grow and prevent weight loss.

Giving antibiotics should be used cautiously because most diarrhea in children is not caused by bacteria.

If the diarrhea become worse, accompanied by recurrent vomiting, children always thirsty, eat or drink only a little, fever, bloody stools, and the condition does not improve within 3 days,  the infants should be checked by doctors.