Diarrhea in 6 Month Old

My first thought was teething (but shots and allergies are also considerations). I suggest homeopathics and the Hyland's Kid's Kit. It's about $30 and I think you can get it at Sprout's and Whole Foods.

In the kit, Chamomilla is the remedy recommended for teething and "green-ish slimy stools" is the 'guiding symptom'.

I like Hyland's for the baby's as it disolves in thier mouths. Stick the remedy between their cheek and gum. It's sweet and they like it. There are 6 remedies and a bump and bruise ointment in the kit. I found it invaluable!
B.

Hi M.!

I agree with a lot of the other moms who suggested you get her in to the pediatrician again ASAP. Five days of diarrhea in a 6-mo-old baby is likely to cause dehydration, which can be dangerous. My daughter had a few bouts of diarrhea as an infant, and even though I was breastfeeding her, she did become dehydrated quickly. Her pediatrician can advise what to do after seeing her. Good luck!

J. L.

Hi M.,
If your Pediatrician prescribed iron drops for your daughter it will help immensely. Following the bottles instructions, mix the iron with her cereal and she should be fine by the end of the day. The iron will help absorb the liquid in her stool. The doctor may not have been worried about the diarrhea if there was no fever. With fever, comes worries. If you don't have iron drops, try feeding her thick cereal and reduce the amount of fruit.
I hope this helps,
C.

M., make sure she is getting enough liquids! Make sure you eat Toast, Rice, Banana's, and Applesauce yourself since you are still breastfeeding. Limit her diet to only these also! Give her rice water in a bottle too... all of these together should help to stop the diarrhea...if it doesn't stop in another day or two make sure the doctor see's her! If he still doesn't seem concerned .... get a second opinion! Babies dehydrate easily and she might need IV fluids if she goes too long without resolving the problem. Keep an eye on her urine production...count her diapers, should the amount drop significantly from her usual amt make sure the doctor knows about this! If you want I can come over and take a look at her and let you know if she looks dehydrated to me. Email me at ____@____.com if you need help!

Occasionally, diarrhea is caused by teething. Perhaps that's why she is also fussy & not sleeping. It sounds like you are doing the right thing already. There is not much your doctor will tell you, other than to watch her for signs of dehydration. These include dry mouth, no tears, and no urine output. Also, if you press on your baby's chest lightly, then when you let go watch how long (in seconds) it takes for your fingerprints to go away. This is called capillary refill, and if it takes longer than 4 seconds she is dehydrated. She would need to be seen by a doctor or taken to the emergency room to be given IV fluids.

my little girl had diarrhea for several days when she was younger than your daughter and my pediatrician at the time was very dismissive. i finally got fed up after 10 days and went to a walk-in clinic. the nurse practioner was a very good listener. i had brought him a diaper which he gladly took and tested for rotavirus (negative). he said it was possible that a virus had already run its course but the natural bacterial that lives in the intestine did not recover. this happens with the immature digestive tracts of babies sometimes. he gave me some live cultures and it straightened her up right away. needless to say i have changed doctors. i hope this story was helpful. good luck.

Dear M.
B e sure to give her pedialite to keep her from getting dehydrated,diarrea can be dangerous in a baby that young ,if I were you I would get in touch with her doctor right away.

From a 71 year old great grandma who raised five children and did child care for fifteen years.
Good luck with your baby
p.s. you can get pedialite in a grocery store

I agree with everything Sonya had to say except for rice in a bottle. That should only be done with direction from your pediatrician and it is usually done for reflux.

also, you can give her pediatlyte, but talk to your pediatrician before giving it to her. I'm not 100% how old they should be before you give them that.

Hi M.,

Sounds like she is either having a reaction to the vaccination, or she has an intestinal bug. Be careful what YOU eat, as everything you eat your baby also eats. You may also want to increase breast feedings to provide more fluid until this passes.

Good luck!

M.- Definitely watch her diaper for urine output. You should have plenty of wet diapers. I would still probably call the doctor's office because you don't want to allow a baby that small to get dehydrated. Good luck with your sweet girl!

oh it's the shots...as long as she's eating/drinking properly don't worry too much about it. those shots cause every symptom you've mentioned. she's in pain (area of the shot, general malaise, low grade fever) and that's why she can't sleep. it is so hard to sleep when you don't feel well, isn't it? and to boot it has to be hard trying to get comfy when you've had at least one shot on the thighs. if you move...it hurts like the dickens!

Green and mucousy can be a symptom of milk/soy intolerance. The mucous is an indication that the intestine is being irritated, and this can be due to an allergic response.

My ds was diagnosed with this at 2 months (their tummies usually mature by 1 yr, and then they're fine). I tried formulas (soy, lactose-free, etc), and finally Enfamil Nutramigen. I was also nursing. He was so much better, but his poop was still green, though not mucousy, and the 2-3/day huge diarrhea of 2 weeks duration had finally stopped. The next step was Neocate, which is very cost-prohibitive, and requires a prescription. I decided to exclusively nurse, which required me to go on a soy and milk free diet. I did this for 8 months.

He is now 14 months, and is drinking lactose-free milk. No other food allergies (the milk/soy intolerance is a special allergy, NOT the same as food allergies adults have such as strawberries, shellfish, or citrus).

I wonder if her body is trying to rid itself of the shots. Try some homeopathic antidiarrhea from the health food store.

The only thing I can tell you is to NOT give her pedialite or anything that is advertised to help with diarrhea. When my baby did this the doctor said to let it run its course on its own. However, I think if she's feeling so badly and YOU think the doctor needs to check again then take her in. Even take a dirty diaper with you to show the doc what exactly is going on.

You can make an herbal tea that should relieve the diarrhea symptoms. It is as follows:

1 cup water

1 teaspoon of herbal mixure of dried catnip leaves, red raspberry leaves, slippery elm bark (or powder), peppermint leaves and cinnamon bark.

Boil the water & remove from heat. Add the herbs and allow to steep for 10-15 minutes - covered. Strain out the herbs.

The catnip is relaxing, the red raspberry is nourishing, the slippery elm bark is soothing, the peppermint leaves ease stomach/digestive upset and the cinnamon bark is warming.

Give her 1 oz about every 2-3 hours until the diarrhea stops.

M. M. Ernsberger
Certified Herbalist

Cut out the cereal and breast feed her exclusively. I would call her Dr. and if he wouldn't see me, I'd camp out in his office.