Most babies have a stool pattern that is typical for them. This pattern may change slowly over time. Look for the following to help decide whether your baby has diarrhea:

• A sudden increase in how often your baby has stools
• More than one stool per feeding
• Stools that appear to be more watery
  If your baby is feeding poorly, or has nasal congestion or a fever, the changes you notice are more likely to be diarrhea.

  Most diarrhea in children is short-lived. It is usually caused by a virus, and goes away on its own. Other causes of diarrhea include:

  • A change in the baby’s diet or the breast-feeding mother’s diet
  • Use of antibiotics by the baby or breast-feeding mother
  • Rare diseases such as cystic fibrosis

  Infants and young children (under age 3) can dehydrate quickly, so they should be watched very carefully. Dehydration means that the body does not have enough water or liquids.

  Signs of mild dehydration:

  • Dry eyes and crying with few tears or no tears
  • Fewer wet diapers than usual
  • Less active than usual or irritable
  • Slightly dry mouth

  Signs of moderate dehydration:

  • Dry skin that is not springy
  • Sluggish or lethargic
  • Sunken appearing eyes

    Signs of severe dehydration:

    • No urine output in 8 hours
    • Skin that is pinched between fingers fails to spring back to its original shape
    • Sunken fontanelle (the soft spot on top of the head) in infants
    • Very lethargic or possibly unconscious