roseola Be careful when normal refrigeration and cooking facilities are not available (picnics, camping, traveling). • Many antibiotics cause diarrhea in some infants. Ask your doctor if such a medication may be causing diarrhea in your child. (However, do not discontinue giving an antibiotic without your doctor's permission.) SYMPTOMS OF DEHYDRATION Infrequent urinating Smaller amounts of urine Sunken eyes Drowsiness Rapid or slow breathing Sunken soft spot in infant's skull Dryness in mouth Skin rigid when pinched gently Diarrhea is a condition in which the stools are loose and waterv. Diarrhea is judged by the looseness of the stools, not by the frequency of bowel movements. (Having frequent bowel movements with stools of normal consistency is not considered diarrhea.) Any bowel movement that is partially or completely runny is diarrhea. The frequency and amount of loose stools indicate how severe the diarrhea is. Diarrhea in infants and young children (under the age of five) is potentially dangerous. Diarrhea can lead to dehydration (a serious loss of body fluids). The younger the child, the greater the possibility of dehydration. Common causes of diarrhea in infants are infections of the digestive tract and reactions to certain foods and drugs. In infants, infections maybe caused by respiratory viruses, intestinal viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Some foods tend to cause diarrhea in most infants (corn kernels and large quantities of prunes, for example). Other foods may cause diarrhea in some infants but not in others. Individual children react differently to specific foods, and some infants are allergic to certain foods. Many antibiotics may cause diarrhea in infants. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS The looseness of the stools is the major symptom. The relatively fluid, watery stools often contain mucus and sometimes flecks of red blood. A child with diarrhea may have cramps and sometimes fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, and weight loss. There may be as few as one or as many as 20 loose bowel movements a day. However, if having only one or two loose bowel movements is followed by a return to normal, the diarrhea is probably not serious. In looking for the cause of diarrhea, consider whether a new food has recently been added to the child's diet and whether the child has recently been given antibiotics. If other children in your family are ill, your infant may be suffering from the same illness. HOME CARE If an infant or young child has both diarrhea and vomiting, treat the vomiting first, by restricting the child's diet to clear liquids only. When the vomiting has stopped, treat the diarrhea. Eliminate all newly introduced foods and beverages, eliminate foods with roughage, including all vegetables and fruits (except bananas and apples). Do not give the child milk. Do not discontinue use of antibiotics unless authorized by your doctor. Encourage the child to drink clear liquids to ward off dehydration-tea, flavored gelatin water, and commercial electrolyte solutions (available from your pharmacist) are best. fever