Best food for baby with upset tummy
Diarrhea in infants: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
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Children who have diarrhea may have less energy, dry eyes, or a dry, sticky mouth. They may also not wet their diaper as often as usual.
Give your child fluids for the first 4 to 6 hours. At first, try 1 ounce (2 tablespoons or 30 milliliters) of fluid every 30 to 60 minutes. You can use:
- An over-the-counter drink, such as Pedialyte or Infalyte -- do not water down these drinks
- Pedialyte frozen fruit pops
If you are nursing, keep breastfeeding your infant. If you are using formula, use it at one half strength for 2 to 3 feedings after the diarrhea starts. Then begin regular formula feedings again.
If your child throws up, give only a little bit of fluid at a time. You can start with as little as 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of fluid every 10 to 15 minutes.
When your child is ready for regular foods, try:
- Bananas
- Chicken
- Crackers
- Pasta
- Rice cereal
Avoid:
- Apple juice
- Dairy
- Fried foods
- Full-strength fruit juice
The BRAT diet was recommended by some health care providers in the past. There is not a lot of evidence that it is better than a standard diet for upset stomach, but it probably can't hurt.
BRAT stands for the different foods that make up the diet:
- Bananas
- Rice cereal
- Applesauce
- Toast
Bananas and other solid foods are most often not recommended for a child who is actively vomiting.
WHEN TO CONTACT THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER
Contact your child's provider if your child has any of these symptoms:
- Blood or mucus in the stool
- Dry and sticky mouth
- Fever that does not go away
- Much less activity than normal (is not sitting up at all or looking around)
- No tears when crying
- No urination for 6 hours
- Stomach pain
- Vomiting
When your infant has diarrhea; When your baby has diarrhea; BRAT diet; Diarrhea in children
- Bananas and nausea
Kotloff KL.
Acute gastroenteritis in children. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 366.
Larson-Nath C, Gurram B, Chelimsky G. Disorders of digestion in the neonate. In: Martin RJ, Fanaroff AA, Walsh MC, eds. Fanaroff and Martin's Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 83.
Nguyen T, Akhtar S. Gastroenteritis. In: Walls RM, Hockberger RS, Gausche-Hill M, eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 84.
Updated by: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Good Foods for Babies With Upset Stomachs | Healthy Eating
By Robin Raven Updated December 12, 2018
It can be frightening for parents when their baby gets an upset stomach.
Precautions must be taken to prevent dehydration, as babies can become dehydrated more quickly and easily than adults. Because of a baby's immature digestive system, not all foods used to treat nausea and diarrhea in adults are appropriate. Try to feed a sick baby little by little instead of a lot all at once. If your baby's upset stomach doesn't seem to be getting better, or seems very severe, see a doctor.
The Importance of Liquids
If a baby is under 6 months old, he should only be fed breast milk or formula. Before you feed more solid foods to your baby, it's best to start with liquids after a stomach upset. Beverages that are specifically formulated with electrolytes help replace fluids lost because of vomiting or diarrhea. If you're breast-feeding your baby, continue to do so when his stomach is upset because breast milk has electrolytes and fluids that will benefit his dehydrated body. Seek the advice of a doctor for recommendations on electrolyte-enhanced beverages and other fluids that are right for your baby's condition.
Avoid beverages with a large amount of sugar such as apple juice and cherry juice.
Cereals
Once a pediatrician advises you that your baby is ready to have solid foods again, start slowly with bland foods. Cereals that are fortified with vitamins and minerals are recommended. Barley, rice and oatmeal tend to be light on the stomach. Mix them with infant formula or breast milk before feeding them to your sick baby. Start by mixing a single tablespoon of cereal with three tablespoons of infant formula or breast milk. If your baby is able to keep that down without showing further signs of illness, feed her more.
Fruits and Vegetables
Carlo Di Lorenzo, M.D., the professor of clinical pediatrics at Ohio State University, recommends fruits and vegetables as a part of a healthy diet when a baby is sick, as long as she is at least 6 months old. Their many nutrients will help her body heal. Bananas, raspberries, white grapes, strawberries, and pineapples are fruits that should not cause gas or make the stomach upset worse.
Snap peas, Lima beans, sweet peas, potatoes and sweet potatoes are appropriate vegetable options.
Yogurt Smoothies
The University of Michigan Health System recommends making a yogurt smoothie for babies. Blend 1/2 cup plain yogurt with 1/2 cup 100-percent fruit juice. If you don't have a blender, pour both ingredients into a covered container and shake well until blended. Fortified soy yogurt and almond milk yogurt are also nutritious choices. Recommended juices for the smoothie include orange juice and grape juice. You may opt to dilute the juice with water before mixing it into the smoothie. Consult a physician for advice before feeding your sick baby any solid foods.
References- Wolters Kluwer Up to Date: Nausea and Vomiting in Infants and Children
- American Academy of Family Physicians Family Doctor: Vomiting and Diarrhea
- University of Michigan Health System: Feeding Your Baby and Toddler
- Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics: Health Effects of Energy Drinks
- Parenting: Foods (and Drinks) That Soothe Sick Kids
Robin Raven was first published in 1998.
She has contributed to newspapers, magazines and online publications, including "The Malibu Times," "Act'ionLine" for Friends of Animals, USA Today Travel Tips and the official Melissa Gilbert website. Raven specializes in travel, health, beauty, culture, vegan nutrition, joyful living, arts and entertainment. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in writing.
Diet for diarrhea in a 1-year-old child
When a child is sick, it is always a serious test for a family. Moreover, if the baby has vomiting, frequent loose stools, fever, he refuses to eat. In such cases, parents naturally face the question: what to do?
The first thing to do is to see a doctor. In most cases, this condition is associated with an acute intestinal infection and can lead to serious consequences for the baby. And timely treatment allows you to quickly deal with the problem.
The second significant issue facing the parents of a sick child is the issue of proper nutrition. Unfortunately, you can still find recommendations to stop feeding a child during diarrhea, but this should not be done categorically.
Important!
It has been proven that "water-tea" breaks and starvation diets significantly weaken the protective functions of the child's body and lead to a delay in recovery processes in the intestines. Therefore, at present, most pediatricians insist on the mandatory continuation of the child's nutrition in case of acute intestinal infections, but with the obligatory consideration of the latest achievements in nutrition.
The main principles for managing the nutrition of a child with diarrhea should be:
| Phased | The development of the disease has a staging, each stage must correspond to certain approaches to diet therapy |
| Accounting for the age of the child | Each age should have its own products and its own schemes for their purpose |
| Accounting for the severity of the disease |
There are three main stages of diet therapy.
The first stage corresponds to the acute period of the disease, when the maximum manifestations of the disease are noted (vomiting, loose stools, fever), and the child may refuse his usual diet. During this period, proper nutrition is an integral part of treatment. And the success of treatment largely depends on the correct organization of diet therapy in a child.
The second stage is the recovery period. There are no longer those manifestations of the disease that were noted in the baby in the acute period, the child has an appetite, he becomes more active, but it must be remembered that any acute intestinal infection leads to significant changes in the child's body. This is a violation of the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract, and dysfunction of enzyme systems, bile secretion and other digestive processes. It takes time to restore the correct functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, which requires a sparing diet at this stage. Violation of the diet during this period can lead to the formation of a chronic pathology of the gastrointestinal tract.
The third stage of diet therapy is aimed at a gradual transition to the usual diet for this baby. Breastfed babies should continue to breastfeed. If the baby is bottle-fed, the doctor will prescribe a formula that matches the baby's condition. In children older than one year, it is necessary to exclude whole milk from the diet, they are also shown the appointment of fermented milk products as a diet therapy, the favorable properties of which are due to a number of positive qualities: the presence of lactic acid gives the product pronounced bactericidal properties and inhibits the growth of pathogenic microflora, the positive effect of these products on intestinal microbiocenosis, the secretory function of the digestive glands and intestinal motility, and they also have immunomodulatory properties.
One of the important components of diet therapy is the use of dairy-free cereals with pro- and synbiotics. Clinical studies have shown that the appointment of this diet therapy contributes to a more rapid relief of the main symptoms of intestinal dysfunction, as well as the restoration of intestinal microflora.
Select foods for the diet
It is most correct to start with rice porridge, as it has pronounced sorption properties and helps to stop diarrhea. As the child recovers, oatmeal and buckwheat porridge can be included in the diet.
Vegetables and fruits are an important component in the first stage of diet therapy. Preference should be given to products that contain pectin (baked apple, boiled carrots), as they contribute to the sorption of pathogens and their toxins. At the first stage of diet therapy, the use of fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as juices, is not shown.
The second stage - the patient's condition improves, the child becomes active, appetite improves, and in some children it even becomes elevated, which is often perceived by parents as a signal for increased nutrition. It is absolutely impossible to do this, since the child's body has not yet recovered from the disease. During this period, it is necessary to continue eating sour-milk, lactose-free and low-lactose products.
An obligatory component of diet therapy is the use of nutrition with probiotics.
The third stage is the gradual expansion of the diet according to the age of the child. At this stage, the most justified is the widespread use of probiotic foods in order to restore and maintain the function of the gastrointestinal tract and its microbiocenosis.
What to feed a child with diarrhea at first?
- freshly cooked rice;
- bananas;
- natural apple juice;
- boiled potatoes;
- boiled chicken meat;
- crackers and stale bread;
- lean fish;
- weak tea.
What can you eat with diarrhea in a child and an adult | Diet for diarrhea
Co-author, editor and medical expert - Klimovich Elina Valerievna.
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Date last updated: 11/24/2022
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What can you eat if you have diarrhea?
What to drink with diarrhea?
What should I avoid if I have diarrhea?
What is diarrhea and how to treat it
It is very important to adjust your diet and eating habits to help your body cope with the problem as effectively as possible.
If you do not know what to eat with diarrhea, use our recommendations.
Top of page
What can you eat with diarrhea?
- Diet for diarrhea should include foods high in pectin: applesauce, bananas, yogurt. Pectin - water-soluble fiber - helps to cope with indigestion.
- Pay attention to foods rich in potassium - fruit juices, jacket potatoes, bananas. When the intestines are upset, the body actively loses potassium and its restoration is necessary.
- Don't forget to add salt to your meals. Meals should include salty soups, broths, crackers, etc., which will help retain water in the body and stay hydrated.
- Get enough protein. With an upset stomach, you can eat lightly fried beef, turkey, chicken, or hard-boiled eggs to avoid fatigue and fatigue.
- Eat hot processed vegetables and fruits. Some raw vegetables and fruits can make diarrhea worse. When dieting, try a simple soup with asparagus, carrots, beets, zucchini, mushrooms or celery, mashed potatoes or jacket potatoes.
Top of page
What to drink with diarrhea?
Drink at least a glass of fluid after each bout of diarrhea to prevent dehydration. In case of intestinal upset, drink water, weak tea, apple juice, low-fat broth. A liquid diarrhea diet does not burden the digestive tract with heavy work and helps prevent irritation.
Back to Contents
What Should I Avoid When I Have Diarrhea?
- Avoid caffeinated drinks and foods that are very hot or cold. It will irritate the gastrointestinal tract.
- Avoid greasy, fried and heavy foods during the diet. Such a diet will only exacerbate intestinal upset.
- Avoid foods that cause gas in the intestines - chewing gum, carbonated drinks. They irritate the digestive tract.
- Limit milk and dairy products. They can be hard to digest.
- Avoid nuts, raw fruits and vegetables, bran and whole grain breads in your diet. They irritate the digestive tract.
Try not to smoke or drink alcohol.
