What foods are good for children with diarrhea?

Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
Updated on June 10, 2025
00:00
00:00

Children's diarrhea can be classified into infectious and non-infectious types. Generally, if it is infectious diarrhea, the diet should be light and easy to digest, avoiding greasy, spicy foods. Most cases of infectious diarrhea can be controlled within about a week with anti-infection and symptomatic fluid replenishment treatments. However, for non-infectious diarrhea, such as allergic diarrhea, milk allergy, or egg allergy, it is necessary to avoid allergenic foods and also focus on a diet that is light and easy to digest, avoiding spicy and greasy foods. If lactose intolerance causes the diarrhea, then intake of lactose-containing foods, especially lactose-containing milk, should be avoided; lactose-free formula should be used instead, and treatments like lactase may be added.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
45sec home-news-image

What department should a child with diarrhea visit?

Childhood diarrhea is a disease of the digestive system. If treated at a general hospital, the child should definitely see a pediatrician. If the diarrhea is severe, accompanied by moderate to severe dehydration, it is advisable to visit emergency pediatrics for urgent treatment. If going to a children's specialty hospital, it is recommended to see a gastroenterologist; severe cases can also go to emergency pediatrics. Additionally, if there is mucus, pus, or bloody stool, consider bacterial dysentery or other infectious diarrhea, and it is advised to see an infectious disease specialist. Generally, for ordinary diarrhea, it is advisable to visit a smaller hospital for treatment.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Jiao Yan
Neonatology
46sec home-news-image

Can children with diarrhea eat carrots?

Childhood diarrhea occurs due to disturbances in gastrointestinal function, leading to abnormal nutrient absorption and subsequently an increase in the frequency and changes in the nature of bowel movements. When children experience diarrhea, their diet should be adjusted to light, easily digestible liquid or semi-liquid food. It's also important to eat less food that is high in fiber, as rough fiber can promote intestinal peristalsis and may exacerbate the frequency of bowel movements. Carrots, being high in beta-carotene and plant fibers, also enhance gastrointestinal motility. Therefore, it is better for children with diarrhea to consume fewer carrots.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
57sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of diarrhea in children?

When children experience diarrhea, it is defined by an increased frequency of bowel movements and changes in the stool's consistency, which might appear as watery, mushy, or mucus-filled. The mucus may contain blood streaks. Additionally, children may exhibit systemic symptoms including persistent fever accompanied by nausea and vomiting, while the frequency of bowel movements noticeably increases, and the fever may present as persistent high temperature. Due to frequent episodes of diarrhea, the child might show signs of dehydration such as poor skin elasticity, sunken eye sockets, and if not yet closed, a sunken fontanelle. The skin can be particularly dry, and the child may have reduced urine production. In cases of severe diarrhea, the child may also appear lethargic or drowsy and show signs of circulatory collapse.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
47sec home-news-image

What's going on with a child's diarrhea being watery?

In cases where a child's diarrhea is watery, it is generally considered that a viral infection could be the cause, such as rotavirus enteritis, which can produce yellow, watery stools. Exposure to cold leading to diarrhea can also result in watery stools; additionally, some intestinal bacterial infections may present with watery diarrhea. Therefore, it is important to analyze each specific situation. Using probiotics to regulate intestinal flora, and employing montmorillonite powder to protect the gastrointestinal mucosa can be considered. It is also advisable to visit a hospital to conduct routine stool tests, and if necessary, complete stool culture to guide further medication and treatment. (Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
1min 2sec home-news-image

Clinical manifestations of childhood diarrhea

Pediatric diarrhea is caused by a variety of pathogens and factors, characterized by an increase in the frequency of bowel movements and changes in the characteristics of stools. It is one of the most common diseases in infants and young children in China, with a high incidence in infants and young children from six months to two years old, half of which are under one year old. It is one of the main causes of malnutrition and growth and development disorders in children. Diarrhea has some common manifestations, including loss of appetite, occasional regurgitation or vomiting, increased frequency of bowel movements, watery or thin stools that are yellow or yellow-green, some with a sour smell. In severe cases of diarrhea, it is important to check for dehydration and electrolyte disorders, as well as symptoms of systemic infection and intoxication, such as fever, irritability or lethargy, drowsiness, pale complexion, and even coma and shock.