14 Mo. Old Refusing Milk and Food

I think if there's an option for him to see a physician over there it might be a good idea. I'm the mom who has the philosophy that I'd rather have it checked into and "be safe rather than sorry." The biggest reason for me is the diarrhea. If he's refusing food and milk and having bowel complications he could have some kind of stomach bug or something. And, if he is sick traveling home on the plane could make him more miserable. Good Luck!!

If you are nursing him satisfactorily, it should be fine to keep him from getting dehydrated. Keep giving him the mineral salts and water just to keep up with his diarrhea. Meanwhile, can you try some banana (mashed up) or some cooked pears/peaches? Even if he eats some yoghurt, he can probably restore some of his natural bacterial content that his diarrhea has upset.

Can you call the pediatrician for advise since you are out of country?

Don't give him any meds to control the diarrhea. His body needs to get rid of whatever is "bugging" him. If you are nursing a lot at night and thru the day he is doing that to help stay hydrated and it is probably helping him fight whatever he's got. You would have been exposed to it as well and your milk is helping him most likely.

You could have him checked out but you don't say where you are and what the quality of medical care might be that you could find there. My opinion is if he is nursing, if he is mostly acting like himself-interacting, etc, he's not listless or lethargic, keep doing what you are doing and let him body get rid of the bug.

I would have him seen for peace of mind and to be safe. Since you are travelling abroad its quite possible he could have picked up something that he wouldnt get in the states. I really think its best to have him looked at. I agree not to give him meds to stop the diarreah. His body needs to rid itself of the bacteria. What I would recommend is to get some probiotics and give him 2/day. That should really help his gut to recover. Also nurse him as much as possible thats going to do wonders for helping him recover.

If he's willing to nurse (even if it's all night), just keep nursing him. There's more nutrition in breastmilk than anything else you can offer him. If he has diarrhea, your milk will also help him stay hydrated. Is the water where you are clean? If not, a trip to the pediatrician might be in order to make sure that he doesn't have a bacteria from the water.

It sounds like he could be sick (hence the diarrhea) which would explain why he's refusing food. Breastmilk is the best rehydrator (better than pedialyte, gatorate, broth or anything else) so as long as he's nursing you can know that he's getting nutrition, an immune boost and a perfect rehydrator. Take good care of him and check in with your Ped. when you get home if he's still not himself.

Sorry your little guy is not feeling well. Is he teething by any chance? When our 12 month old is in the throes of teething, she tends to refuse food. My feeling is that if he's nursing during the day and at night, then he's getting nutrients and staying hydrated. Since it has already been an entire week of this, I wouldn't wait to have him checked out. When we were abroad several months ago, our daughter got sick...it's not fun!

Good luck and I hope he's better soon.

If it were me, I'd take him in to a local ped. You never know if there's been exposure to a water-borne microbe or bacteria, especially if he's having diarrhea. A week is a long time to let something like this go, especially for someone so young. Worst case scenario--he gets medical care he's needing (if he needs it); best case scenario--you can relax a bit more for the remainder of your trip, reassured by a doctor that your little guy is just fine. (I'd also be cautious about giving meds unless you've seen a pediatrician. Some OTCs are appropriate for little ones, and some really aren't. )