help! yellow diarrhea - very sore!!!

[Harry's Mom]

DS has had diarrhea for about a day and a half. It started out like liquid peanut butter, but now it's bright neon yellow liquid and is making his poor bottom very sore. He's 3 and this is a first for us. I'm using diaper rash lotion on him every time he poops, every 1 to 3 hours, and we just had an oatmeal bath, which seemed to help, but the redness looks almost like a burn. (He's still in diapers.) He's eating crackers, breastmilk, juice, and gatoraide, but that's it. I'll call the doctor if it continues tomorrow but was hoping for suggestions for his soreness. He whimpers every time I wipe him.

Ideas?

Betzi

[Harry's Mom]

oops! forgot to subscribe

[ledzepplon]

Is the diaper rash lotion really like a lotion? Or is it more of a cream? I think you should find the thickest cream possible, like zinc oxide or even vaseline, to form a serious barrier. The baths sound like a good idea, too. And instead of wiping, maybe just spray off his bum with water (with one of those little peri bottles, or any water bottle with a "sports top") and blot dry with a wash cloth.

I hope he feels better soon!

[Harry's Mom]

I think there's zinc oxide in the cream, but I'll see if we have vaseline. Spraying him instead of wiping sounds good too, I'll see if he'll go for it. I doubt I could do that during the night though, last night I just changed him on the bed and he was asleep again literally before his head hit the pillow!

Thanks for the quick response!

[ledzepplon]

The cream you have may be fine, you just want to make sure it's nice and thick and you really coat that area.

Poor little man! That really sounds like no fun.

You may have already thought of this, but make sure the juice you're giving him is very diluted, as certain juices (like citrus or apple) can be really acidic, or can make diarrhea worse.

[Elyra]

If his bottom is very sore, something that helps my boys is to take a liquid antacid like Mylanta or Maloxx and just swab it onto their clean bottom. It doesn't seem to hurt like the rash cream does. Then let it air dry. It will turn white and chalky looking when it is completely dry. Then coat it with the thickest rash cream you have. Usually for us the rash will no longer be red and angry in just 3 or 4 hours. By over night it is nearly gone.

I hope he is feeling better soon.

[Harry's Mom]

Gosh, I didn't realize apple juice was acidic. Oops! The liquid antacid sounds great! Of course there's none in the house, but it sounds like a good investment for tomorrow. We only had 3 icky poops today, and ate a very tiny dinner, so I'm hoping that by tomorrow am DS will be starving and back to normal.

Thanks for all the input!
Betzi

[snuffles]

White grape juice is the best to give during diarrhea.

[calngavinsmom]

I always have had good results with the BRAT diet for diarrea. Bananas, rice, apples(peeled or applesauce), toast. My kiddos always seem to respond well to this. Probiotic yogurt is good too. Baking soda in the tub is soothing too. I hope he feels better soon.

Take care,
Tara