Diarrhoea

[ISawFrannyandZooeyKissingSanta]

Sorry for awful thread title! Ds has had diarrhoea on and off for 3 days, no symptoms other than frequent liquidy poos. No temperature, not grumpy, not in pain, no vomiting.

Should he be avoiding contact with other children in case he could pass it on, or will it just be something he's eaten? He is absolutely fine in every other way and it'll be a real pain to have to quarantine him over the next couple of days (all sorts of parties and jollity coming up) but if I will if I have to.

[ISawFrannyandZooeyKissingSanta]

Bump - anyone know?

[harpsiheraldangelssing]

you spelt it right though
sorry i have no idea just bumping for you sweetie

[ISawFrannyandZooeyKissingSanta]

Yeah, should have spelt it wrong, so everyone thought was an amusing thread by Cod

[NotQuiteCockney]

This sort of thing is only really contagious by poo, essentially. So as long as everyone is careful with nappy changing/bottom wiping, then it should be fine.

How old is he? Is Dioralyte an option? I've had good experiences with it in the past.

[ISawFrannyandZooeyKissingSanta]

He's 2 and a half, NQC. He seems ok, not dehydrated; does the Dioralyte actually help to stop the diarrhoea, or just prevent them getting ill with it?

Good to hear you think it's ok - is it not possible for them to pass it on by hand / mouth type activity then, say if he was sucking a toy (he's a bit old for that, but you know what I mean) and then another child put it in their mouth?

[PrettyCandlesAndTinselToo]

Nurseries and creches wwouldn't accept him with diarrhoea, but I think that's because of the nappy-changing and the risk of transmitting it between the children that way. Also the risk that D might develp into D&V. I would have thought that, if he's not got any other symptoms and is under your care at all these jollities, then it should be fine.

Do you know about BRAT? No, it's not what they're like when they're ill (OK, sometimes), it's a mnemonic to help you remember the best foods for D: Bananas, Rice, Apples, Toast. It might be a bit tricky if he's going to parties, but at least you can give him plenty of BRAT outside the parties. Avoid milk and dairy as much as possible! But make sure he gets plenty of water and/or apple juice.

[ISawFrannyandZooeyKissingSanta]

Hey - a great excuse for me to indulge in my usual control freakery at parties: "Sorry, he can't have any hula hoops today, he's only eating bananas, rice, apples and toast".

[stripey]

Hi I think it probably is contagious. Ds1 had the same thing a couple of weeks ago and it lasted for over a week the diarrhoea stopped after a few days but he had to poo every hour or so and got terrible stomache cramps. Ds2 got it about 6 days after ds1 but it only lasted 2-3 days with him. Dh and I also had a mild version of it and it was passing around the school. We were all hungry and fine in every other way so it does sound like the same thing.

[ISawFrannyandZooeyKissingSanta]

But does anyone know definitively how it's passed on? If it is just by poo, then we can be extremely scrupulous when nappy changing, and limit it in a way that you can't do if the children are school age and wiping their own bottoms etc. If however by saliva then we are stuffed I guess.

Sorry to keep bringing this thread to the top, but it means the difference between dp having to take the day off tomorrow to look after ds, while I run my toddler class, or being able to take ds with me as usual.

[NotQuiteCockney]

No, it's certainly passed on by poo.

I think the dioralyte helps fix the problem. The thing is, if they have bad diarrhoea, they lose essential salts. They need the salts to recover the water from their food, so the diarrhoea carries on, iyswim. Dioralyte gives back those salts, in an absorbable fashion, which can help fix the problem.

Of course, this could be viral/bacterial, in which case, the dioralyte will make no real difference. But as it's not medicine in any sense of the word, it won't do any harm really.

[ISawFrannyandZooeyKissingSanta]

Thanks NQC - will go to the chemist this morning and see what he can have. It has stopped again now, which is why I think it's just something that has irritated his stomach, rather than a virus.

[harpsiheraldangelssing]

you should take him franny, sounds like he is mot contagious by now.
you both need the break
prob just too many flipping lentils anyhow