My toddler has had diarrohea for 3 days!! Is that normal?

Question

My daughter had vomiting on Friday, and on Saturday the vomiting had stopped but instead she had diarrohea and a temperature. I took her to emergency doctor and she was given a powder to replenish lost sugars, salts etc.

I had hoped by today the diarrohea would have subsided but to no avail. I called the doctor again today and i have another appointment for tomorrow, but i just wondered how long does diarrohea in toddlers usually last? When I had sickness and diarrohea a few months back all symptoms were pretty much gone in 24 hours. She is 15.5 months old.

If your child had diarrohea for more than 3 days, what was the outcome? Did it clear up after a few more days or what?

With all due respect, I would really appreciate it if nobody answers rudely or insults me, please just answer the question if you can. Thanks

my husband's colleague and my husbands mum both said it may be down to teething! It seems to be a very common diagnosis. She is teething yes, however my daughter has been teething since about 5 months old tho but she has never been sick like this!! Could it still be a cause?

Thanks for all your answers by the way! She is getting plenty of drinks with the diarolyte and getting lots of baths too. She is well in herself she not pooing a whole lot, just after each meal and its v.runny each time

Hi Pamela, she has a very healthy appetite, she is eating well, but unfortunately she is having runny poos after each meal.

Answer 1

I just went through this last week with my 22 month old daughter, she vomited for all of Sunday morning, we took her to the emergency doctor who sent her to hospital. Whilst there, she has diahrrea so they gave us dioralyte powders and told us to wait it out. She had diarrhea until thursday morning. If your baby is starting to eat normally, then her motions will harden up about 24 hours after then.

So, try getting her to eat and see what happens, but if she doesn't want food, don't worry- she'll get there by herself. If in the next couple of days you see no improvement then take her back to the doctor, but I think that you should see a change soon :)

Best of luck to you, and I hope your little princess recovers quickly :)

EDIT:
Then yes, it could be teething- each set of teeth can create different problems- since your baby is eating well, then it's probably not a stomach bug or anything like that- my daughter just slept the whole week away and wouldn't eat a thing, so it looks like your daughter's healthier than mine was...
My daughters back teeth caused more problems than any of her others, and those pointy ones between the incisors and molars were tricky...she had been teething since two and a half months with no problems to begin with but the last teeth were SO different, and the nappies were far worse too.

Give her a dose of medised and wait for it to pass...it probably is due to teething :)

Answer 2

When a baby vomits as well as diarrhoea, the doc will see this as more serious than just diarrhoea as the child will not be taking in any fluids in the body. Is your baby teething again? My baby's 14 and a half months and has had diarrhoea for the past 2 weeks on and off and I just realised he's teething again. Other than nappy rash he doesn't seem to be uncomfortable in any other way. You can ask your doc if you can give a stool sample for testing if he won't do anything. Just insist that you want checks done because you don't think it's normal. My little sister had persistent diarrhoea when she was a baby and after test docs found she had a dose of cholera! Just insist on checks, your doc can't say no.

Answer 3

Since it started with vomiting, I would guess it's a stomach bug. I've read that Rotavirus is the most common cause of diarreah in children. That usually starts out with vomiting and once that ends the diarreah starts and can continue for up to 9 days.

Doctors will almost NEVER do anything about it other than tell you it's gastroenteritis (their fancy word for upset tummy) and tell you to make sure they are getting plenty of fluids so they do not get dehydrated. They rarely test to find out what is causing it because basically all types of gastroenteritis are treated the very same way. Unless it turns into chronic diareah (lasting more than 2 weeks) the doctors rarely do any tests to find out the actual cause. This has always frustrated me that they can't give them something!

Here is a page with info on stomach bugs: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/faq.htm

My daughter (she's 2.5) just had some sort of bug (or something) that lasted 6 days...it was very mild and no vomiting, but she had the runs...and it kept running through her pull up. Other than that she was fine, but me, I was sick of dealing with poop!

A lot of people suggest keeping to the BRAT diet and stay away from all diary except yogurt (for up to 2 weeks but at least until the diareah is gone...some kids become temporarily lactose intolerant after a case of gastroentenitis)...

Yogurt is very good for them though. You have to make sure you get the kind with the live active cultures (the good bacteria), they actually help. Some studies say they can shorten the illness by days. Look for the kind with LGG, the danon drinkable yogurts have it, it is supposed to be the most beneficial for treating diareah. That is what I got for my daughter and she was completely back to normal the next day. I also bought some of the YoBaby yogurt, mixed with the other, and gave her a straw (the consistancy is kind of odd but the stuff has 6 different types of live cultures and is supposed to be very good for them)...she loved it.

"Probiotics, bacteria that are beneficial to a person's health, are recommended during the recovery phase of gastroenteritis. Specifically, live cultures ofLactobacillus acidophilus are said to be effective in soothing the digestive tract and returning the intestinal flora to normal. L. acidophilus is found in live-culture yogurt, as well as in capsule or powder form at health food stores. The use of probiotics is found in folk remedies and has some support in the medical literature. ."
( http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/common/standard/transform.jsp?requestURI=/healthatoz/Atoz/ency/gastroenteritis.jsp )

Also, when my daughter was teething she did have a slight fever and diareah, but no vomiting.

Answer 4

Could be teething..My 3 yr old just had the same symptoms..gave him plenty of liquids to replenish the liquid loss and calpol ( liquid paracetamol for kids) to soothe the temperature.The diarrohea lasted for about a week...
Good luck ...

Answer 5

Your baby has to go back to the doctors as soon as possible. You know this is not right so put your foot down with the doctor and get him to sort it out. It could be something as simple as an allergic reaction to dairy etc. but better you know for sure. At 15 months old, the doctor should be doing more to find out. Good luck!

Answer 6

Hi. Well I have a 10mth old who has diarrhea for 4 days already I took her to the doctor and she told me to let it go away by it self just to cut down on the milk. My mom told me that the best thing to do is to give them rice water. What you do is you boil the rice and when its ready take all the water left over and give that to her and that will work. So far my daughter hasn't had diarrhea. Hope it works for you. Also give a lot of fluids. Take Care. Good Luck

Answer 7

I don't think it should last that long, but everyone is different. It's a good idea to consult the doctor. I'm sorry to hear about this. Right now I think it is important to make sure she is properly hydrated and ensure that she gets medical attention. This has lasted longer than normal but I doubt that a serious medical condition will result. Your doctor will have more answers for you than any of us will. Good Luck.

Answer 8

my lil boy was like this last year if it wasnt coming out of one end it was out the other usually all over me.. the docs will most prob take a stool sample to check for gastornetoritis and make sure she isnt de hydrating but she shud b fine my lil boys runs was on for bout 5 days but his being sick was slightly longer dont worry she will be fine can she eat dry toast ?? ur best not giving her dairy products or anything like that give her bland foods but try not feed her for 24 hours but plenty of sips of water
also for the doctor you want to ask why you couldnt get an appointment this happened to me an my doctor told me that young children have priority over appointments

Answer 9

my mom said not to give her anything gressy.
bathe her alot.
give her the medicine for the fever
and give here a clear soda like 7up. she said it will help with the diarrohea. dont give her sodas with colour.

it sounds crazy but i just might work.
growing up i hadly got sick and if i did it wasnt for long.

Answer 10

it sounds like gastric enteritis . stop feeding milk, and just give her dyoralites and it should clear up in a few days.
Dyoralites are sachets of powder u mix with water and will be available over the counter at the pharmacy. Also sterilise everything.