D+V 48 hour rule in babies and toddlers

[lottiegarbanzo]

I think I understand the 48 hour rule for infectiousness in adults; you wait until 48 hours after the last instance of actual D or V before returning to work, handling food etc as you may be infectious.

For babies and toddlers though, what counts as an instance of D?

When dd has a stomach upset she gets a pale yellow, smelly, mushy poo for days or even a week afterwards. Does that count as continuing instances of D or is it part of her recovery? Is she still infectious to other children until after that has gone? Or just after the last 'real' D or V?

Real 'D' is very watery.

My dc always have soft poop (probably because they eat a tonne of fruit).

Soft/ weird coloured poop is ok I think. Watery poop is not. D is often accompanied by a noisy bottom in my dc and would always sit in a puddle in their nappy as it was the wrong consistency for fast absorption like a wee.

Hope that slightly graphic description helped!

Yes, I think the yellow poo is just her stomach sorting itself out afterwards. I'm just feeling cautious because her recent bug got me, then her GM - both caught during / within a day of the actual vomiting time, with approx 36hr incubation period - and I don't want to risk passing it on to other children.

I think you can only control spread so far.

My two once had a couple of days where they didn't seem that hungry. No vomming, no temp, no d, fine in themselves. I had one if those adult feeling sick-type bugs. My parents looked after them for a day, dad like me mum proper d&v. 3 days later MIL had them and came down with it

GP last week said that LO's "interesting" nappies after D
a D&V bug could go on for 10-14 days, but I doubt very much that she'll be shedding viral particles that long.

I kept her contained (and we were in an isolation room during a brief stay in hospital) for a couple of days after her last bout of diarrhoea, but even then, she didn't come into direct contact with other small people. I think the guidelines say no swimming for a couple of weeks though?