How to Get a Child With Diarrhea to Eat Food

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A child with diarrhea loses weight and can quickly become malnourished. During this time, an afflicted child needs all the food and fluid he or she can take. Importantly, food can help stop the diarrhea, as well as helping the child recover more quickly.

Steps

1. Encourage the child to eat as best you can. A child with diarrhea may not want to eat or may vomit up the food, so feeding can be difficult. For children aged six months and older, encourage the child to eat as often as possible:
   
   • Prepare small portions of food.
     
   • Choose food that the child likes. Good choices include soft, puréed or mashed foods. Soft foods are easier for the child to eat and will contain more fluid than hard foods such as a cookie (biscuit) or bread.
     
   • Add a very small amount of salt.
     
   
   
2. Select suitable foods to aid the child's recovery. Recommended foods for a child with diarrhea include:
   
   • well-mashed mixes of cereals and beans
     
   • fish
     
   • well-cooked meat
     
   • yogurt; and
     
   • fruits.
     
   
   
3. Add oil. One or two teaspoons of oil can be added to cereal and vegetables.
   
4. Prepare fresh foods regularly during the day. Foods should be freshly prepared and given to the child five or six times a day.
   
5. Continue boosting the child's nutrition after the diarrhea stops. After the diarrhea stops, extra feeding is vital for a full recovery. At this time, the child needs to eat an extra meal a day, or breastfeed more every day, for at least two weeks. This will help the child replace the energy and nourishment lost due to diarrhea.
   

Tips

• A child is not fully recovered from diarrhea until he or she is at least the same weight as when the illness began.
  
• Vitamin A capsules and foods that contain vitamin A help a child recover from diarrhea. Foods that contain vitamin A include breastmilk, liver, fish, dairy products, orange or yellow fruits and vegetables, and green leafy vegetables.
  

Warnings

• The principal source of this article is UNICEF et al: Facts for Life - "Diarrhoea: Supporting Information"
  

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