My 7-month-old baby has diarrhea and went from pooping twice to 10 times per day, and I don’t know why? What to do? Let’s look at the most common reasons.
Mom’s Question:
My 7-month-old baby suddenly has diarrhea and is not teething. He poops at least 7-10 times a day, but previously he used to poop only twice daily. Our doctor advised changing to lactose-free formula when he has diarrhea, but it is not working.
Please advise.
Possible Reasons For Diarrhea In 7-Month-Old Babies
The number of bowel movements per day can vary significantly between babies and also between days for the same baby and still be normal.
However, since your baby is so “old,” changing from pooping twice to 10 times per day should have some underlying cause.
As you mention, teething is sometimes one.
Other common reasons for frequent pooping and diarrhea are a cold, a stomach bug, or the introduction of new solid foods. Antibiotics and milk protein allergies are other common reasons.
Diarrhea due to a cold or stomach bug (bacteria or viral)
Sometimes, after a cold, babies become intolerant to lactose for a limited time period and get diarrhea. I guess this could be a reason for your doctor’s recommendation to switch to lactose-free formula. You will have to continue with that for a couple of weeks to see if it makes a difference.
A stomach bug (bacteria or a viral infection) is a common reason for diarrhea in children and adults. Most stomach bugs also come with vomiting, but not always.
A common viral infection for babies younger than two years old is the Rotavirus – unless your baby has received the vaccination.
Antibiotics causing diarrhea
Has your son received antibiotics recently? Around 10% of all children that receive antibiotics develop diarrhea. This will resolve, but you can give your baby probiotic drops to boost his digestive health.
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea is usually mild and will not make your baby dehydrated. If diarrhea does not resolve within a few days after the antibiotics are finished, you should contact your baby’s healthcare provider.
Diarrhea due to the introduction of new foods
If it is not a cold or a stomach bug – have you introduced any new foods to your baby lately? In such a case, start with reversing that! Think back and see if you can pinpoint any foods you introduced before diarrhea started and take them away. Wait a few days and see if there is any improvement.
You should be aware that foods with lots of fiber and foods that are known to soften stools in babies can result in diarrhea for some babies. So go easy with whole-grain products for your son!
Also, if you have recently introduced or increased the share of cow’s milk products in your son’s diet, milk allergy or lactose intolerance could certainly lead to diarrhea.
If none of this is relevant to your baby’s situation, go see your doctor again and try something else so y’all can narrow it down to the right thing that works for your child.
If your child ever has diarrhea accompanied by vomiting and a high fever, seek medical attention immediately.
I hope this helps!
Paula
More On Babies With Diarrhea
- Treating Baby With Diarrhea
- Toddler With Belly Pain And Diarrhea
- Symptoms Of Infant Diarrhea
- Breastfed Baby Poop Watery and Runny: 4 Important Reasons
- Baby Pooping A Lot? The 7 Reasons You Should Consider
References
Patient education: Acute diarrhea in children
Paula Dennholt founded Easy Baby Life in 2006 and has been a passionate parenting and pregnancy writer since then. Her parenting approach and writing are based on studies in cognitive-behavioral models and therapy for children and her experience as a mother and stepmother. Life as a parent has convinced her of how crucial it is to put relationships before rules. She strongly believes in positive parenting and a science-based approach.
Paula cooperates with a team of pediatricians who assist in reviewing and writing articles.
He has had runs for 4 days and won’t eat and consistently pooping and I don’t know what it could be? He is drinking a lot but that’s about it- But my partner has a Volcan bird ans it has been in house a few times. Could it be something he has picked up from the bird do you think and if so would you no what it could be?
My son was doing that as well our dr advised us to put baby cereal in his bottle. Or start spoon feeding him some baby cereal and give him Pedialyte. It worked great.