Toddler's Diarrhea

There are several factors that contribute to toddler's diarrhea, including:

• Excessive fluid intake. Too much fluid can overwhelm the ability of a toddler's digestive tract to absorb water and electrolytes, resulting in diarrhea.
• Carbohydrate malabsorption. Fruit juices often contain large amounts of sugars and carbohydrates, such as sorbitol and fructose, which are poorly absorbed in a child's digestive tract.
• Low-fat/high-fiber diet. Many children may prefer fruits and/or vegetables over meat or higher fat foods. Fat can slow down a child's digestion allowing more time for absorption of nutrients. Diets high in fiber and low in fat may cause food to move through the intestines rapidly resulting in diarrhea.
• Immature digestive tract. The nerves that carry signals to a toddler's digestive tract may not be fully mature which results in rapid movement of food through the digestive tract. This may not allow adequate time for absorption resulting in diarrhea.

Children with toddler's diarrhea often have:

• Between five and 10 loose, watery large stools per day
• Stools with undigested food particles
• Diarrhea lasting weeks followed by weeks of normal bowel movements

You should contact a pediatric gastroenterologist if your child experiences more serious symptoms with diarrhea, such as:

• Blood in the stool
• Chronic fever
• Greasy or oily stools
• Severe abdominal pain
• Bowel movement accidents
• Vomiting
• Weight loss or poor weight gain

If your child experiences diarrhea associated with dairy products or other foods, you should consult a physician.

Diagnosis of Toddler's Diarrhea

Doctors may suspect toddler's diarrhea in children with chronic diarrhea who are six months to five years old and are gaining weight, developing normally and otherwise healthy. The doctor will ask questions about your child's symptoms and the frequency of diarrhea to make a diagnosis. A detailed dietary and fluid intake history is often very helpful when evaluating causes of diarrhea.