About diarrhoea

Diarrhoea is large, runny, frequent or watery poo. It’s common in children.

Diarrhoea can be short term, persistent or chronic.

Short-term diarrhoea
This type of diarrhoea usually passes in 1-2 days and lasts no more than 2 weeks.

The most common cause of short-term diarrhoea in children is gastroenteritis or ‘gastro’. Your child might also get diarrhoea if they’ve been taking medicines like antibiotics for another illness. Sometimes but not often, short-term diarrhoea is a sign of a more serious illness like appendicitis.

Persistent diarrhoea
This type of diarrhoea lasts for 2-4 weeks.

Children might sometimes get persistent diarrhoea after a bout of gastro. In this situation, the diarrhoea is caused by a type of temporary lactose intolerance.

Chronic diarrhoea
This type of diarrhoea lasts longer than 4 weeks.

It might be caused by:

• types of lactose intolerance or other food intolerances
• parasitic infections like Giardia
• coeliac disease
• irritable bowel syndrome
• other less common conditions like inflammatory bowel disease.

Toddler’s diarrhoea is when young children have chronic diarrhoea, but they’re otherwise healthy and developing well. We don’t know what causes this kind of diarrhoea.

Symptoms of diarrhoea

If your child has diarrhoea, they’ll have large, runny, frequent or watery poo. They’ll poo at least 4 times a day or more than usual. The colour of the poo might vary from brown to green, and you might notice bits of partially broken down food in the poo. The smell can be very strong and unpleasant.

Other symptoms that might come with diarrhoea include stomach pain or cramps, bloating, nausea, vomiting or fever.

Severe or long-lasting diarrhoea might lead to dehydration, which can be a serious problem. Dehydration is more likely if children also have vomiting and can’t keep fluids down.

Medical help: when to get it for children and teenagers with diarrhoea

If your child is under 6 months old and has diarrhoea, always see your GP.

It’s also a good idea to see your GP if your child:

• has persistent or chronic diarrhoea
• has blood in their poo
• is losing weight.

Take your child to a hospital emergency department or call 000 for an ambulance straight away if they have diarrhoea and they:

• can’t keep fluids down and have severe stomach pain or stomach pain that won’t go away
• show signs of being very unwell.

Also seek emergency medical attention if your child seems to be dehydrated. For example, your child isn’t passing urine, looks thin, has lost colour in their face, has sunken eyes, cold hands and cold feet, is drowsy or is very cranky.

You know your child best. If your child seems unwell, seek medical attention. Signs that your child has a serious illness that needs urgent medical attention include severe pain, drowsiness, pale, blue or grey skin, dehydration, breathing difficulties, seizures and reduced responsiveness.

Tests for diarrhoea

If your doctor thinks the diarrhoea is caused by a specific virus, bacteria or parasite, they might order a poo test to show what the problem is.

If the diarrhoea is chronic, your doctor might order blood and poo tests to look for chronic infection and other underlying causes.

Treatment for diarrhoea

Fluids
The most important thing is to make sure that your child has enough to drink. Our article on preventing and treating dehydration explains how much fluid children of different ages need and how often they need it.

Food
Your child might refuse food to start with. If your child is hungry, you can give them whatever they feel like eating. Don’t stop food for more than 24 hours.

Temporary lactose intolerance
If your GP thinks your child’s diarrhoea is caused by temporary lactose intolerance following gastroenteritis, the GP might suggest your child swaps to a lactose-free milk until the diarrhoea improves.

If you’re breastfeeding a baby with this kind of diarrhoea, it’s OK to keep breastfeeding. For formula-fed babies, your doctor will advise you about which formula to choose.

Don’t give your child antidiarrhoea medicines. There’s no evidence that these medicines work. Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you about the best treatment options for your child.

Preventing diarrhoea

If your child has had gastroenteritis and diarrhoea, you can help to prevent the spread of this infection by making sure everyone in the family washes their hands regularly and doesn’t share drink bottles, cups or food utensils.

It’s best to keep your child away from other children and school or child care until they’ve had no diarrhoea for at least 24 hours.