Chronic, or long lasting, diarrhea typically lasts for more than 4 weeks. 4 Many diseases and disorders can cause chronic diarrhea in children. Common causes include infections, functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, food allergies and intolerances, and inffammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Most of the time mild diarrhea lasts from 3 to 6 days. Sometimes a child will have loose stools for several days more. As long as the child acts well and is drinking and eating enough, parents do not need to worry about loose stools.

Diarrhea that lasts for a few weeks. This may be caused by another health problem such as irritable bowel syndrome. It can also be caused by an intestinal disease. This includes ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, or celiac disease.

Diarrhea in babies usually does not last long. Most often, it is caused by a virus and goes away on its own. Your baby could also have diarrhea with: A change in your baby’s diet or a change in the mother’s diet if breastfeeding.

If diarrhea persists or is frequent, a change in diet and treatment with oral rehydration solutions may be necessary. Oral rehydration solutions, also called electrolyte solutions, help to replace the water and salts lost during diarrhea, and they may be easier to digest than the child’s regular diet.

A: Probably not. Anytime you add new foods to a baby’s diet, her poops will change a bit. The loose stools may not be diarrhea at all, but just her body’s way of adjusting to the formula. Diarrhea is not only diagnosed by the consistency of a baby’s poop, but by how often she has a dirty diaper.

Diarrhea in Babies

1. If you’re breastfeeding: A breastfed baby’s stools are light yellow, soft, or even runny, and they often contain small pieces that look like seeds.
2. If your baby is formula-fed: Babies who are formula-fed pass stools that are yellow to tan and about as firm as peanut butter.

Signs of overfeeding: Diarrhea is a sign your baby is getting more than his or her digestive system can handle. Spitting up often during feedings can be a sign of overfeeding.

If she’s pooing more often than usual, or her poos are much more watery than normal, this could be a sign of diarrhoea (Fleisher and Matson 2017). For older babies who have started solids, pooing more than three times a day is generally a sign (Fleisher and Matson 2017).

One of the most common symptoms of tummy troubles is diarrhoea – watery stools that are different in appearance and frequency than those your baby has had before. (This is an important detail, since many young infants, especially breastfed babies, normally have thin or watery stools.)